Friday, March 9
Nacogdoches, Texas
1 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
Softball Clashes with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Southland Opener
3/8/2018 5:53:00 PM | Softball
Ladyjacks take on Islanders in opening weekend of Southland Conference play after winning back-to-back games
Prairie View A&M (8-13, 0-0 Southland) at Stephen F. Austin (10-9, 0-0 Southland)
Friday, March 9 | 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. | SFA Softball Field | Nacogdoches, Texas
Saturday, March 10 | 12 p.m. | SFA Softball Field | Nacogdoches, Texas
Live Stats
Friday, March 9 | 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. | SFA Softball Field | Nacogdoches, Texas
Saturday, March 10 | 12 p.m. | SFA Softball Field | Nacogdoches, Texas
Live Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – SFA Softball Field off of Old Tyler Road in Nacogdoches is the setting for this weekend's Southland Conference opening series between the Stephen F. Austin softball team and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The three-game set will begin Friday, March 9 with a 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. doubleheader, followed by a single game Saturday, March 10 at 12 p.m. Live stats for each game will be available at SFAJacks.com.
The Ladyjacks (10-9) have won back-to-back games for just the third time this season after earning a 9-2 win over Prairie View A&M Wednesday afternoon in their first home game since April 22, 2017. SFA lined nine hits in the home opening victory, allowing just four hits and one earned run while striking out eight Lady Panther batters. The triumph in Nacogdoches came on the heels of 7-0 shut out of Southern University this past Sunday in Houston.
Freshman second baseman Bryana Novegil (Houston, Texas) proved, once again, that she is a true .500 hitter Wednesday, going 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and scoring three times. She also added some power to her swing as she knocked in a triple and a double. Through 18 games played this season, Novegil is hitting an impressive .542, good enough to lead the league and rank seventh nationally, with a team-best 26 hits in 48 at bats. Novegil's .656 on-base percentage is also tops in the conference and sixth-best nationally, while her team-leading three triples on the season is the most in the Southland and 10th-most in the nation.
As a team, the Ladyjacks are batting at a clip of .267 and have gained six triple this season, ranking 39th in the nation and second in the league with 0.32 triples per game. Along with the hot bat of Novegil, junior designated player Margarita Corona (Tucson, Ariz.) connected on her second home run of the season during Wednesday's win to give SFA 12 homers on the year already. Senior third baseman Amber Landry (Ponchatoula, La.) has a lot to do with that as she has cleared five long balls herself, ranking 42nd nationally and second in the Southland.
Owning a 3.15 earned run average as a pitching unit, the Ladyjacks got strong performances from both senior Callee Guffey (Waco, Texas) and freshman Clarissa Hernandez (San Antonio, Texas) during Wednesday's home opener. Guffey (3-3) earned her third win of the season on the rubber, striking out a season-high tying six batters, including five in the first two innings alone, in six innings of work. In her seventh appearance of the season, Hernandez tossed one inning of relief and retired three in order with a pair of strikeouts.
SFA went 9-15 in Southland play a year ago to finish ninth in the league and posted a 6-7 conference record in Nacogdoches. However, the Ladyjacks won four out of their final five home games in 2017.
"We have more of an awareness of our self-identity, who we are as a team," head coach Nicole Dickson said earlier this week during her Monday morning press conference. "I feel like we are on track considering the amount of injuries that we have had. We've managed them well and our team has done a good job of stepping up. With that, I feel like we are right where we need to be. We have been in every game during the non-conference schedule except one, which is exciting."
A year ago, SFA's Southland series at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was canceled due to weather. The Ladyjacks will be facing the Islanders for the first time since April 2, 2016, when SFA was victorious in two out of three games in Nacogdoches. Over the last 10 seasons, the Ladyjacks have gone 12-13 against A&M-Corpus Christi.
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI – ISLANDERS
· Record: 8-13, 0-0 Southland
· A&M-Corpus Christi is 0-4 in true road games this season, its losses coming in a non-conference affair at Southeastern Louisiana (6-0), at Texas {8-0 (5)}, and a pair of games at Houston (6-0 and 6-1).
· The Islanders and the Ladyjacks have had four common opponents already this season in Prairie View A&M, Mississippi Valley State, Southern and Houston. A&M-Corpus Christi got swept by Houston, as did SFA, went 2-0 against Mississippi Valley State (5-2 and 3-2), routed Southern {10-2 (6)} and split games with Prairie View A&M {L, 5-1 and W, 8-0 (5)}. The Ladyjacks defeated Southern 7-0, split with the Devilettes and ousted the Lady Panthers.
· Both A&M-Corpus Christi and SFA were a part of last weekend's Red & White Showcase tournament hosted by Houston. The Islanders finished play 3-2 at the event, while the Ladyjacks went 2-3.
· Despite having just one hitter batting over the .300 clip in junior outfielder Kayla Sheridan (.338), A&M-Corpus Christi has a wealth of speed on the bases. The Islanders, who rank 29th in the nation and fourth in the Southland with 1.9 stolen bases per game, have already collected 40 bags on 45 attempts. Sheridan leads A&M-Corpus Christi on the base paths with nine stolen bases in 10 attempts.
· The Islanders are hitting .225 as a team and scoring just 2.95 runs per game, while their pitching staff is allowing just over four earned runs per contest with an opponent batting average just under .300.
· A&M-Corpus Christi was picked to finish last in the Southland once again this year after claiming just four league wins a season ago and placing 12th.
Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will travel to Prairie View, Texas, next Wednesday, March 14 for a 3 p.m. non-conference tilt with Prairie View A&M. The game will serve as the opener to a nine-game road trip for SFA with the Ladyjacks heading down to Thibodaux, Louisiana, next weekend for a three-game Southland series at Nicholls.
For all weather-related SFA softball schedule changes throughout the 2018 spring season, be sure to keep an eye on SFAJacks.com and follow SFA softball on Facebook (SFA Softball) and Twitter (@SFA_Softball).
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the season.
-SFA-
Players Mentioned
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