Weekend Series Against UIW Altered
4/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Stephen F. Austin vs. Incarnate Word
Game One: Friday, April 17 · 2:00 p.m.
Game Two: Friday, April 17 · 4:00 p.m.
Game Three: Saturday, April 18 · 12:00 p.m.
SFA Softball Field · Nacogdoches, Texas
Live Stats: Game One· Game Two · Game Three
SFA All-Access: Game One· Game Two
Records: SFA (15-26, 7-10 SLC), UIW (9-31, 3-15 SLC)
Home Series Altered
After adjusting the start time for Stephen F. Austin's doubleheader with Incarnate Word on Friday, the twin bill has been moved back to a 2:00 p.m. start. The two teams will play two on Friday whileSaturday's finale is still scheduled to start at noon.
Rain, Rain Go Away
SFA has had some bad luck this season regarding bad weather and home games. The Ladyjacks have had five home games cancelled or postponed due to rain this season, most recently having two home contests against ULM washed out on Wednesday.
A Look at the Cardinals
After starting the Southland Conference season 0-10, the Cardinals have turned things around a little bit in April. Since the second game of a doubleheader against Abilene Christian on April 3, UIW is 3-2 in league play but most recently dropped two of three to Nicholls at home last weekend. Overall this season, the squad is 9-31 with a 3-15 mark in SLC action. Taylor Johnson leads the offense with a .374 batting average over 38 games played, scoring a team-high 27 runs. In the circle, the Cardinals have struggled at times, posting a 6.01 ERA through 40 games. Kristin Hebert has appeared in 26 games and owns a team-best 4.42 ERA.
Last Time Out
The Ladyjacks are coming off a huge SLC sweep on the road against Abilene Christian last weekend. The Ladyjack bats fueled the winning effort, as SFA posted 40 runs, 10 home runs and batted .422 (43-for-102) as a team over the span. On Friday alone, the Ladyjacks launched seven homers, three of which came off the bat of Katelyn Standley while Shalie Day added two more. SFA won the first game 12-4 and held off a late rally by ACU to win 14-13 in the nightcap. Taylor Fraccastoro and Brittany Lewis accounted for three more dingers for SFA in Saturday's 14-7 victory to close the series.
Frac Attack
Freshman Taylor Fraccastoro has continued to be a huge bright spot for the Ladyjacks this season. The catcher is coming off of her best game of the season, popping off two home runs in Saturday's game against ACU, including a grand slam in the seventh inning to seal the victory. She ended the game 2-for-4 with three runs, seven RBI, two homers and a walk. Fraccastoro has gone deep a team-best nine times this year.
Big Play Day
Shalie Day was one of the central figures responsible for SFA's offensive explosion last weekend. In four games played overall on the week (all wins), Day hit .667 (8-for-12) with five runs, two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and four walks. She also compiled a staggering 1.333 slugging percentage and a .765 on base percentage. In the second game against ACU on Friday, Day went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate, scoring two runs, hitting two doubles and a home run and recording five RBI. She was awarded SFA's first SLC Hitter of the Week award for the 2015 season for her efforts.
Staff Ace
Freshman Callee Guffey has been a workhorse for the Ladyjacks this season. Last week the right-hander threw 16.0 innings and appeared in all five games, making one start. Her control on the week was suburb, displayed by her 16 strikeouts compared to just four walks. Overall on the season, she ranks ninth in the league with a 3.37 ERA and is second with a 5.62 strikeouts per game average.
Road Warriors
The Ladyjacks have had their fair share of road games this season, playing a league-high 24 contests away from home compared to a league-low seven games on their home turf. SFA is currently 7-17 on the road with just one more SLC road stint remaining and is 4-3 at home.
Homer Count
Entering last week, the Ladyjacks had hit just 17 home runs in 36 games on the season. Last week alone, SFA launched 11 in just five games to push the 2015 total to 28. Here is a look at the updated homer count:
9 -- Taylor Fraccastoro
8 -- Brittany Lewis
5 -- Shalie Day
4 -- Katelyn Standley
1 -- Autumn Holloway
1 -- Taylor LeFlore
Playoff Push
With just six teams invited to the 2015 SLC Tournament from May 7-9, the Ladyjacks still have some work to do to get into the sixth and final spot. After last weekend's sweep, SFA sits in eighth with a 7-10 SLC record, just 2.5 games back of Nicholls in sixth. The Ladyjacks have won five of their last six league games and are carrying a lot of momentum into the home stretch.
Looking Ahead
Next week the Ladyjacks will hit the road for a midweek, non-conference game against North Texas on Wednesday evening before hosting Northwestern State for a three-game set at SFA Softball Field on Friday and Saturday.
-SFA-
