Ladyjacks To Host UTSA
3/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 11, 2011
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team will try to build on the momentum of a mid-week win over ULM this weekend when SFA hosts UTSA in a three-game Southland Conference series. First pitch in Saturday's series-opening doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. at SFA Field.
The Ladyjacks come into the weekend with a 5-18 overall mark and are 1-5 in league play after taking one out of three from Sam Houston State then suffering a hard-fought sweep at Texas State last weekend. The three losses were recorded by a combined total of only five runs.
UTSA brings a 3-3 league record to Nacogdoches. The Roadrunners are 5-13 overall. They opened Southland play by dropping three straight at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the end of a 12-game losing streak. UTSA rebounded the following weekend with a three-game home sweep against Northwestern State. The Roadrunners are coming off a 4-0 loss at Texas A&M on Wednesday.
The weekend series sets up as an evenly matched one. Both teams come into the set with nearly identical numbers. UTSA bats .226 as a team, while SFA carries a .221 average, ranking 11th and 12th, respectively, in the Southland. The Ladyjack pitching staff's 4.07 ERA is eighth in the league. The Roadrunners are ninth with a 4.55 ERA. Even fielding is a dead heat, with each team having posted a .956 fielding percentage to this point.
Lauren Luetge leads a trio of Ladyjacks batting better than .280. Her .311 average is tops on the team. Elizabeth Arana is next at .307 and is tied for the team lead with 10 RBI. Amber Price bats .286 with a team-best eight doubles that ranks second in the Southland.
UTSA's Molly Fichter leads the conference with a .469 average. She is also tied for the Southland lead with six home runs.
Following Saturday's doubleheader, the series will conclude Sunday with a single game slated to begin at noon. Live stats will be provided via GameTracker for all three games. All three games will also be streamed live online via SFA All-Access at SFAJacks.com.
-- SFA --
