Softball Set for SLC Opener
3/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 9, 2007
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - SLC Opener: The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team will play its first Southland Conference series of the year this weekend against a first-year SLC member. SFA is set to take on league newcomer Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a three-game road set Saturday and Sunday in Corpus Christi, Texas. The series will kick off with a doubleheader Saturday and conclude with a single game on Sunday. The action is slated to begin at noon on both days. The Ladyjacks bring a 4-16 non-conference record to the weekend.
Last Time Out: The Ladyjacks put a stop to their lengthy losing streak at last weekend's Ole Miss Red and Blue Classic, but not before tacking another four games onto the end of it. SFA dropped the first four games of the tournament, falling to Ole Miss, 8-2, Coastal Carolina, 10-0, Kennesaw State, 4-3, and Southern Miss, 8-0. The Ladyjacks salvaged a small bit of the weekend on Sunday, though, when they knocked off Alcorn State, 7-3, to halt their skid at 14 games. Heather Hebert went 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead SFA at the plate, while freshman pitcher Ashley Wilburn bagged her team-leading third victory of the season by scattering three hits and three unearned runs over seven innings with seven strikeouts.
The Islanders: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi enters the week with a 6-17 season record and a 1-5 mark in Southland Conference play. The Islanders are 3-2 this season at home, after sweeping Prairie View A&M in a doubleheader, 5-0 and 14-1, Tuesday. As a team, A&M-Corpus bats .228 and averages 3.24 runs per game. The Islanders' top hitter is Andrea Gonzalez, a junior infielder who is batting .355 and is tied for the team lead with 10 RBI. The two A&M-Corpus pitchers, Jennifer Cummings and Margo Hurdt, have combined for a respectable ERA of 4.62. But it's the unearned runs that have hurt the Islanders. A&M-Corpus has committed 27 errors on the year, and opponents have made the miscues sting, to the tune of 33 unearned runs. Seven of the Islanders' losses have been by two runs or fewer. SFA defeated A&M-Corpus, 9-5, when the two teams met earlier this season in a non-conference game at the Baylor Getterman Classic.
The Coaches: SFA is coached by Jenifer Wells. Wells is in her second season at SFA, where she holds a 24-44 (.353) record. In her five-year collegiate coaching career, Wells is 160-152 (.561). Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is coached by Dawn Wuthrich. Entering this week, Wuthrich is 6-17 (.261) in her first season as a collegiate head coach.
* For complete notes, click the "Game Notes" link in the side bar of the Softball home page.
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