SFA Hosts Texas State In Key Series
4/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 18, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - While the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team has already turned a big corner in its first season under head coach Gay McNutt, the Ladyjacks can take a huge step toward the program's next turning point this weekend.
SFA enters its home three-game series with Texas State having all but assured itself of a berth in the Southland Conference Tournament, already. This would be the program's first trip to the SLC tourney since the 1990 season and just the fourth tournament appearance, in all, since SFA joined the conference in 1987.
But, should the Ladyjacks take this weekend's series from the Bobcats, they'll still be in the hunt for the Southland Conference championship, a prize the program has never won.
SFA enters the weekend in second place with a 14-6 SLC record. The Ladyjacks are 28-17 overall this season. Texas State is atop the league standings with a 19-2 mark against conference foes and a 29-13 season record.
The Ladyjacks have nine league games left in which to make up ground on the conference-leading Bobcats, but any attempt at overtaking Texas State would have to start Saturday at Hoya Field. The series-opening doubleheader is set to begin at 1 p.m. with Sunday's finale scheduled for a noon start.
SFA enters this weekend's action as the SLC's top team statistically, both in the circle and at the plate. The Ladyjacks' 2.06 team ERA leads the league, as does their .281 team batting average.
Freshman ace Monika Covington (15-8) leads the SFA staff and is second in the league with her 1.44 ERA. Her 174 strikeouts are the top mark in the SLC, as are her 15 wins.
Four SFA players are batting better than .300, led by sophomore outfielder Kendal Harper. Harper's .384 average ranks third in the league, and she leads the conference with 35 runs scored. Senior Jessica Tullos has provided most of the pop on this season's team. The slugging first baseman bats .324 with a team-leading nine home runs. Her most recent homer, a solo shot in Tuesday's win at Louisiana-Monroe, tied her for the single-season record at SFA and moved her into sole possession of the career home runs record with 21 in four seasons.
Texas State brings an eight-game SLC winning streak to the series. The Bobcats' only losses in the last month are a pair of early April non-conference road defeats at Texas Tech. Texas State has won 11 of its last 13 games and is coming off a three-game sweep of Northwestern State.
While the Bobcats rank sixth in the conference with a .272 batting average on the season, they are the league's top performers at the plate when the field is narrowed to conference games only. Against SLC pitching Texas State bats a league-best .333. The Bobcats are led by McKenzie Baack's .352 average.
In the circle, the Bobcats are paced by 2007 SLC Newcomer of the Year and Pitcher of the Year Ragan Blake. Blake (14-8) has a 2.49 season ERA and a 1.52 ERA in conference games.
-- SFA --
