Ladyjacks Travel To Take On Colonels
4/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 11, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team will head to Thibodaux, La., for a three-game Southland Conference series this weekend. The series will begin Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and will conclude with a single game Sunday, starting at noon.
The Ladyjacks are coming off a three-game sweep of their road series with Central Arkansas last weekend. SFA brings a 26-15 overall record to the contest. The Ladyjacks are 12-6 on the road and have won five straight road games in Southland Conference play.
SFA entered this week as the second-place team in the Southland Conference with a 13-4 league mark. The Ladyjacks have the top pitching staff in the league. Led by a pair of freshmen, SFA is at the front of the conference pack in both ERA (2.00) and strikeouts (245). Freshman ace Monika Covington (14-7) paces the SLC in wins and strikeouts, with 145 punchouts to her credit, while her 1.44 ERA ranks second in the conference. Classmate Lauren Luetge is a solid No. 2 starter with a 9-3 record and a 2.49 ERA. Her 77 strikeouts put her ahead of Covington and fourth in the conference in strikeouts per seven innings pitched.
At the plate, SFA stands third in the SLC with a .285 batting average. The Ladyjacks lead the conference in hits (309) runs (204) and RBI (179), as well as triples. SFA's 13 triples this season rank 12th in the nation. The Ladyjacks are among the countries top 50 teams in five other categories. Five Ladyjacks are currently batting better than .300, led by sophomore Kendal Harper's .392 average. Senior Jessica Tullos is second on the club with her .326 average but leads the team with eight home runs and is one homer away from tying the school's single-season record.
Nicholls State comes into the series in seventh place in the SLC with a 10-8 league record. The Colonels are 23-20 on the season and have won seven straight games, including four straight in conference play. As a team, Nicholls bats .252 with a 2.97 team ERA.
-- SFA --
