Ladyjacks Begin 2018 Campaign Thursday Morning
2/7/2018 9:41:00 PM | Softball
SFA softball to play Grambling State, UT Martin and host Louisiana-Monroe in opening weekend’s Mardi Gras Classic
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin softball team opens up its season Thursday morning, taking on Grambling State at 10 a.m. followed by UT Martin at 12 p.m. as part of Louisiana-Monroe's ULM Mardi Gras Invitational. The Ladyjacks will then battle tournament host ULM in a road doubleheader Friday with first pitch of game one slated for 1 p.m. All games will be played at the ULM Softball Complex.
SFA was originally scheduled to play five games Friday-Sunday, Feb. 9-11, but had its opening weekend altered due to heavy rainfall forecasted in the Monroe, Louisiana, area.
Under the guidance of second-year head coach Nicole Dickson and her staff, which includes second-year assistant Audrey Farfan and first-year assistant Morgan Spearman, the Ladyjacks are poised for a successful 2018 campaign. Picked to finish eighth in the Southland Conference, tied with Southeastern Louisiana, SFA will be looking to make a large improvement from its 17-33 (9-15 Southland) season in 2017. The Ladyjacks feature plenty of experience both behind the plate and inside the circle as SFA returns senior catchers Amber Landry (Ponchatoula, La.) and Taylor Fraccastoro (Orange, Texas) and brings back senior right-handed pitchers Callee Guffey (Waco, Texas) and Makayla Sikes (Gilmer, Texas).
Landry, a preseason All-Southland First Team pick, is the Ladyjacks' top returning hitter from last season after she batted at a clip of .290 in 145 at bats en route to All-Southland Second Team honors. She registered 42 hits on the season, including 14 going for extra bases, five home runs and 17 RBI. Sharing time with Landry catching, Fraccastoro recorded 17 hits in 2017, scoring eight times and posting four RBI as she hit .200 for the season. A three-year letter winner, Fraccastoro has twice garnered All-Southland honorable mention accolades. Guffey, SFA's top pitcher a year ago, started 22 games in 2017 and made 34 appearances. A 2016 Southland All-Tournament Team member and 2015 All-Southland honorable mention selection, Guffey posted a career-best 2.18 earned run average last year to rank sixth in the league and totaled 92 strikeouts with the Southland's third-most saves (2). Sikes made 25 game appearances and had 10 starts inside the circle last year, pitching 85 and 1/3 innings with 64 strikeouts. She held opponents to a .277 batting average and tossed three complete games. The Ladyjacks will also get plenty of help from sophomore right-handed pitcher Jordan Llinas (Houston, Texas) and true freshman righty pitcher Clarissa Hernandez (San Antonio, Texas).
SFA has a total of 10 letter winners returning from a season ago and has welcomed 11 newcomers to this year's squad, including six transfers and five freshmen. Three of those transfers will begin their Ladyjack careers as experienced juniors following successful junior college careers. In addition to Landry, Fraccastoro, Guffey and Sikes, SFA's senior class includes outfielder Autumn Holloway (Cypress, Texas) and utility player Madison Selman (Lufkin, Texas).
"I feel right now our pitching staff is very solid," coach Dickson said. "If we can get a little bit of run support, we'll be alright. We've got about 12 or 13 that do a good job of swinging the bat so we've got a little more protection throughout the lineup. We've got some kids who can put the ball on the ground, make some things happen with their speed, which is nice. I wouldn't say that we are really fast but we are definitely focusing on quality base running, quality at bats, swinging at good pitches and doing our job."
Grambling State
· 2017 record: 13-32, 3-15 Southwestern Athletic Conference
· Predicted to finish fifth in the SWAC's Western Division
· Returns nearly every player off of last year's team, including nine seniors
· Four players hit over .315 last season with sophomore second baseman Tia Coleman (.390), senior first baseman Allye Hartley (.376), junior outfielder Mackenzie Johnson (.326) and senior outfielder Hailey Haynes (.319)
UT Martin
· 2017 record: 39-20, 13-5 Ohio Valley Conference
· Predicted to finish second in the OVC after placing second in the league race a year ago and reaching championship Saturday of the OVC Softball Championship
· Claimed an automatic berth into the inaugural Postseason National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) in 2017
· Returns seven starters from last year's squad, including All-OVC performers senior third baseman Jodie Duncan and senior catcher Aeron Smith
· Duncan hit .360 last year with 10 doubles, nine home runs and 48 RBI; Smith notched a .261 batting average with five doubles a home run and 22 RBI
ULM
· 2017 record: 33-30, 11-16 Sun Belt
· Predicted to finish fifth in the final Sun Belt standings after placing seventh in the 10-team conference a year ago
· Reached the NISC postseason tournament last season and claimed a trio of victories before being ousted by Southland foe Lamar
· Returns senior outfielder Sydney McKay, an All-Sun Belt Second Team performer after batting at a clip of .382 in 2017 with 83 total his, 21 RBI, 44 stolen bases, 34 runs and nine extra-base hits
· Roster is comprised of 13 upper classmen, including six seniors and seven juniors
Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will play their midweek game Wednesday, Feb. 14 at Texas A&M, who is ranked No. 6 in the nation according to the preseason USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 Coaches Poll and ninth in the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. First pitch from College Station is set for 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network +, available online and through the ESPN app.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the season.
-SFA-
SFA was originally scheduled to play five games Friday-Sunday, Feb. 9-11, but had its opening weekend altered due to heavy rainfall forecasted in the Monroe, Louisiana, area.
Under the guidance of second-year head coach Nicole Dickson and her staff, which includes second-year assistant Audrey Farfan and first-year assistant Morgan Spearman, the Ladyjacks are poised for a successful 2018 campaign. Picked to finish eighth in the Southland Conference, tied with Southeastern Louisiana, SFA will be looking to make a large improvement from its 17-33 (9-15 Southland) season in 2017. The Ladyjacks feature plenty of experience both behind the plate and inside the circle as SFA returns senior catchers Amber Landry (Ponchatoula, La.) and Taylor Fraccastoro (Orange, Texas) and brings back senior right-handed pitchers Callee Guffey (Waco, Texas) and Makayla Sikes (Gilmer, Texas).
Landry, a preseason All-Southland First Team pick, is the Ladyjacks' top returning hitter from last season after she batted at a clip of .290 in 145 at bats en route to All-Southland Second Team honors. She registered 42 hits on the season, including 14 going for extra bases, five home runs and 17 RBI. Sharing time with Landry catching, Fraccastoro recorded 17 hits in 2017, scoring eight times and posting four RBI as she hit .200 for the season. A three-year letter winner, Fraccastoro has twice garnered All-Southland honorable mention accolades. Guffey, SFA's top pitcher a year ago, started 22 games in 2017 and made 34 appearances. A 2016 Southland All-Tournament Team member and 2015 All-Southland honorable mention selection, Guffey posted a career-best 2.18 earned run average last year to rank sixth in the league and totaled 92 strikeouts with the Southland's third-most saves (2). Sikes made 25 game appearances and had 10 starts inside the circle last year, pitching 85 and 1/3 innings with 64 strikeouts. She held opponents to a .277 batting average and tossed three complete games. The Ladyjacks will also get plenty of help from sophomore right-handed pitcher Jordan Llinas (Houston, Texas) and true freshman righty pitcher Clarissa Hernandez (San Antonio, Texas).
SFA has a total of 10 letter winners returning from a season ago and has welcomed 11 newcomers to this year's squad, including six transfers and five freshmen. Three of those transfers will begin their Ladyjack careers as experienced juniors following successful junior college careers. In addition to Landry, Fraccastoro, Guffey and Sikes, SFA's senior class includes outfielder Autumn Holloway (Cypress, Texas) and utility player Madison Selman (Lufkin, Texas).
"I feel right now our pitching staff is very solid," coach Dickson said. "If we can get a little bit of run support, we'll be alright. We've got about 12 or 13 that do a good job of swinging the bat so we've got a little more protection throughout the lineup. We've got some kids who can put the ball on the ground, make some things happen with their speed, which is nice. I wouldn't say that we are really fast but we are definitely focusing on quality base running, quality at bats, swinging at good pitches and doing our job."
Grambling State
· 2017 record: 13-32, 3-15 Southwestern Athletic Conference
· Predicted to finish fifth in the SWAC's Western Division
· Returns nearly every player off of last year's team, including nine seniors
· Four players hit over .315 last season with sophomore second baseman Tia Coleman (.390), senior first baseman Allye Hartley (.376), junior outfielder Mackenzie Johnson (.326) and senior outfielder Hailey Haynes (.319)
UT Martin
· 2017 record: 39-20, 13-5 Ohio Valley Conference
· Predicted to finish second in the OVC after placing second in the league race a year ago and reaching championship Saturday of the OVC Softball Championship
· Claimed an automatic berth into the inaugural Postseason National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) in 2017
· Returns seven starters from last year's squad, including All-OVC performers senior third baseman Jodie Duncan and senior catcher Aeron Smith
· Duncan hit .360 last year with 10 doubles, nine home runs and 48 RBI; Smith notched a .261 batting average with five doubles a home run and 22 RBI
ULM
· 2017 record: 33-30, 11-16 Sun Belt
· Predicted to finish fifth in the final Sun Belt standings after placing seventh in the 10-team conference a year ago
· Reached the NISC postseason tournament last season and claimed a trio of victories before being ousted by Southland foe Lamar
· Returns senior outfielder Sydney McKay, an All-Sun Belt Second Team performer after batting at a clip of .382 in 2017 with 83 total his, 21 RBI, 44 stolen bases, 34 runs and nine extra-base hits
· Roster is comprised of 13 upper classmen, including six seniors and seven juniors
Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will play their midweek game Wednesday, Feb. 14 at Texas A&M, who is ranked No. 6 in the nation according to the preseason USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 Coaches Poll and ninth in the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. First pitch from College Station is set for 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network +, available online and through the ESPN app.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the season.
-SFA-
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