Saturday, April 14
Houston, Texas
2 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
at
Houston Baptist
Softball Hits the Road for Three-Game Southland Set at Houston Baptist Saturday and Sunday
4/13/2018 2:23:00 PM | Softball
Ladyjacks seek fourth-straight Southland series win and second on the road
Stephen F. Austin (21-17, 9-6 Southland) at Houston Baptist (7-23, 4-11 Southland)
Saturday, April 14 | 1 p.m. | Husky Field | Houston, Texas
Saturday, April 14 | 3 p.m. | Husky Field | Houston, Texas
Sunday, April 15 | 2 p.m. | Husky Field | Houston, Texas
Watch | Live Stats
Saturday, April 14 | 1 p.m. | Husky Field | Houston, Texas
Saturday, April 14 | 3 p.m. | Husky Field | Houston, Texas
Sunday, April 15 | 2 p.m. | Husky Field | Houston, Texas
Watch | Live Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – After wrapping up an eight-game homestand Wednesday evening at SFA Softball Field, the Stephen F. Austin softball team will begin a six-game road trip this weekend with a three-game Southland Conference series at Houston Baptist. The three-game set was originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday but due to forecasted inclement weather, Friday's doubleheader was canceled and the two teams will now clash in a 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, April 14. The series finale between the visiting Ladyjacks (21-17, 9-6 Southland) and the host Huskies (7-23, 4-11 Southland) will take place Sunday, April 15 with a 2 p.m. first pitch.
All three games will be played at Husky Field on the southwest side of Houston and will be streamed on YouTube via HBUHuskies.com. Live statistics of each contest can be followed courtesy of HBU here.
With four conference series remaining, SFA finds itself in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Southland standings with a 9-6 league record. The nine Southland wins this spring matches the Ladyjacks' 2017 total as SFA has claimed four out of its five conference series played to date. Tied with Southeastern Louisiana and Central Arkansas in the league standings, the Ladyjacks are just two games back from Southland leaders Nicholls and Northwestern State, who both own 11-4 conference marks.
Four of SFA's six losses in league action have been decided by one run, including three in Thibodaux, Louisiana, against the Southland-leading Colonels. Last weekend, the Ladyjacks earned their third consecutive series-clinching game three win by upending the visiting Bears of UCA in shutout fashion, 6-0. The game three victory Sunday came on the heels of a doubleheader split last Friday to open up the series. The prior weekend, SFA went to an extra inning in a decisive game three with Sam Houston State before junior first baseman Margarita Corona stepped to the plate and rocked a three-run walk-off homer to secure the home conference series. After splitting a doubleheader at Lamar on March 23, the Ladyjacks collected a 4-1 triumph in the road series finale to begin their streak of winning deciding game threes.
Most recently, SFA stepped out of league play this past Wednesday to face Conference USA leader Louisiana Tech. The Lady Techsters visited Texas' oldest with an impressive resume, boasting the nation's 28th-toughest non-conference strength of schedule and the 76th-best RPI in NCAA Division I softball. Having already posted a 4-1 record against some of the top teams in the Southland, Louisiana Tech edged the Ladyjacks in a tightly contested 2-1 affair to hand SFA its seventh one-run defeat of the season. The Ladyjacks had opportunities in the game but left a total of 10 base runners stranded and failed to score with bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. SFA got solid performances in the circle from two underclassmen pitchers in sophomore right-hander Autumn Anderson and freshman righty Clarissa Hernandez. Anderson went three and 2/3 innings after getting the starting nod as she gave up just four hits and struck out three. Hernandez was sensational, striking out four of the first eight batters she faced and allowing just two hits in three and 1/3 innings of relief work.
The Ladyjacks' pitching staff has really stepped up as of late as SFA now owns a 2.72 earned run average as a team, ranking third in the 12-team league and 73rd nationally. The Ladyjacks are allowing opponents to bat at a clip of just .249 for the third-lowest average in the Southland. Senior Makayla Sikes has gone 13-6 this spring as SFA's work horse, tossing a total of 109 and 2/3 innings in 23 appearances and racking up 84 strikeouts. She owns three complete game shutouts on the year and has compiled seven complete game wins. Sikes is tied for second in the Southland in wins, while her 2.23 earned run average is fourth-best in the conference.
Freshman second baseman Bryana Novegil has been sensational in her inaugural collegiate season, leading the team with a .417 batting average to rank 57th nationally and second in the Southland in that category. Her .533 on-base percentage is tied for second-best in the league and 21st-highest among all NCAA Division I softball players. Novegil has tallied a team-high 45 hits in 2018 for the second-most in the conference and leads the Southland with five triples, which is tied for 11th-most nationally.
In league play, senior right fielder Autumn Holloway has been lights out. She has posted a team-best .354 hitting mark with a team-high 17 hits, tallying nine RBI in the process. Novegil (.313) and freshman left fielder Katherine Thompson (.300) are both hitting at a clip of .300 or better in conference games, while Corona and senior catcher Taylor Fraccastoro have combined for 21 of the Ladyjacks' 54 RBI through 15 Southland contests.
"I'm excited to play HBU," head coach Nicole Dickson said during her Monday morning press conference. "I've never been down there and I've heard their facilities are really nice. We have a lot of players from Houston so I think we may have more fans than they do. HBU has a freshman pitcher that spins the ball really well, works the ball in the top half of the zone and isn't a big power pitcher. We are going to have to be very disciplined with her."
"HBU swings it," coach Dickson added. "They've got two lefties at the top of the lineup that swing the bat really well, it's going to be a very competitive series. I'm excited to go on the road, I like being on the road and I feel like our team is in a really good place right now."
HOUSTON BAPTIST – HUSKIES
· Record: 7-23, 4-11 Southland (11th place)
· With a 4-11 league record, HBU sits three games ahead of last-place Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Huskies have claimed just seven victories in 2018, two of those coming in their last five outings.
· HBU has gone 3-12 in non-conference games this spring, its only wins outside of league play coming at home against Texas Southern (3-2) and Eastern Kentucky (5-4) and in a neutral-site affair with Niagara (14-8).
· The Huskies began Southland play with six consecutive losses, being swept at home by both Nicholls and Lamar. However, HBU has won at least one game in each of its last three conference series, including taking two out of three at Abilene Christian. The Huskies earned a 3-0 game one shutout over the Wildcats and picked up a 2-1 game three win. At Incarnate Word, HBU won the final game of the series 6-2, before taking game two in eight innings at Southeastern Louisiana (6-4) last weekend.
· Of the Huskies' last 11 games, 10 have been on the road. HBU owns a 2-10 record in contests played at Husky Field this spring.
· HBU has had its offensive struggles this season, ranking last in the Southland in several major categories, including batting average (.212), runs scored (91), hits (162) and RBI (83). The Huskies are giving up 4.55 earned runs per game as opponents are hitting .281 against HBU.
· Only one Husky batter, sophomore catcher Heidi Jaquez, is batting at a clip over .300 in league play. Jaquez owns a team-best 16 hits through 15 Southland games, hitting at a .340 mark and knocking out three home runs. In conference action, senior left fielder Nicole Shedd (.273), junior shortstop Demi Janak (.261) and senior third baseman Kassie James (.250) are HBU's next three leading hitters and are the heart of the Huskies' lineup. The trio has been responsible for 25 of HBU's 39 RBI in Southland affairs.
· SFA went 2-1 against HBU a season ago in Nacogdoches, claiming the final two games of the series 8-6 and 2-0 after dropping game one 3-1. In their last trip to Husky Field, the Ladyjacks fell in the opening two games (6-4 and 1-0), before claiming a 6-1 game three win.
· Having played the Huskies a total of 23 times over the last 10 seasons, SFA owns a 12-11 record against HBU dating back to the 2008 season.
Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will continue their six-game road trip next weekend when they travel to San Antonio, Texas, to face the Cardinals of Incarnate Word in a three-game series Friday and Saturday, April 20-21. SFA will play a 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. doubleheader Friday, April 20, before taking on the Cardinals in a single game Saturday, April 21 at 12 p.m.
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
P
/ Softball
INF/C
/ Softball
C/UTIL
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball2.1.24 | Axe 'Em Insider Ep. 24 x Softball
Friday, February 02
Softball - Stephen F. Austin - 02/22/2017: Stephen F. Austin
Wednesday, February 22
Softball - Stephen F. Austin - 02/22/2017: Stephen F. Austin
Wednesday, February 22
SFA Completes Epic Comeback: SFA Softball
Thursday, May 12
