Ladyjacks Set to Take on Texas State
4/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2007
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Crunch Time: The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team will enter the stretch run of its Southland Conference schedule this weekend, when the Ladyjacks travel to San Marcos, Texas, to take on Texas State in a three-game series. The series against the Bobcats is the first of five SLC sets remaining and one of three remaining series against teams currently ahead of SFA in the conference standings. All five of SFA's remaining series are against teams in the league's top eight and in contention for one of the six SLC Tournament berths. SFA entered the week as the fifth place team in the conference with a 9-6 SLC record and a 16-23 overall mark. The Ladyjacks kick off this weekend's action with a doubleheader on Saturday. The games were originally scheduled to start at 1 p.m., but were pushed back to a 4 p.m. start after a hard rain swept through the San Marcos area Friday night. Sunday's game is set to start at noon.
Last Time Out: The Ladyjacks took two of three in an SLC series against Nicholls State. SFA went to extra innings with the Colonels in both games of the series-opening doubleheader on Friday, winning the first game, 6-5, and the second game, 2-1. Nicholls got the best of the Ladyjacks in the finale, posting a 4-1 win in the midst of a rare April snow flurry. The teams each posted 22 hits on the weekend. Nicholls put its offensive power on display, blasting five home runs in the three games. But the Colonels committed nine errors on the weekend, including seven in the opener, and SFA took advantage. Five of the Ladyjacks' nine runs in the series were unearned. Freshman third baseman Briana Bishop continued her team-leading pace at the plate. She was 4-for-11 (.364) on the weekend, upping her season average to .324. Freshman right fielder Kendal Harper went 3-for-10 (.300) with two RBI. Freshman Ashley Wilburn (7-11) started Game 2 of the series and pitched five scoreless innings to take the win. Sophomore Kari Hugie (8-9) got nine innings of relief work in the series, pitching in each game. She was on the slab to earn the win in Game 1 and finished the weekend with a 1.56 ERA.
The Bobcats: Texas State brings a 21-18 season mark and an 11-7 Southland Conference record to the weekend series. The Bobcats are fourth in the league standings but are undoubtedly the hottest team in the SLC at the moment. Texas State is coming off three-game sweeps in each of its last two Southland series. The Bobcats started their impressive run with three straight wins over Texas-San Antonio, currently the third-place team in the league. After a 2-0 non-conference loss against No. 11 Texas, the Bobcats went on the road and swept Northwestern State, outscoring the Demons, 13-2, in three games. Texas State's strength is its pitching and defense. The Bobcats lead the league in earned run average (2.35) and opponent batting average (.222), as well as fielding percentage (.970).
The Coaches: SFA is coached by Jenifer Wells. Wells is in her second season at SFA, where she holds a 33-51 (.393) record. In her five-year collegiate coaching career, Wells is 169-159 (.517). The Bobcats are coached by Ricci Woodard. Woodard is 255-137 (.650) in her career at Texas State.
* For complete notes, click the "Series Notes" link in the side bar of the Softball home page.
- SFA -
