Tuesday, May 1
Nacogdoches, Texas
3 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Texas Southern
Ladyjacks Welcome Texas Southern to SFA Softball Field for Non-Conference Finale
4/30/2018 6:05:00 PM | Softball
Ladyjacks take on Lady Tigers for second time of 2018, seek first 30-win season in 10 years
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For the first time in three weeks, the Stephen F. Austin softball team will step out of Southland Conference play for a midweek tilt as the Lady Tigers of Texas Southern visit Nacogdoches Tuesday, May 1. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. from SFA Softball Field. The game will be streamed on Facebook Live via SFA's softball page, while live statistics can be followed via SFAJacks.com. In-game updates of the contest will be provided on Twitter at @SFA_Softball.
The Ladyjacks, who are 29-18 overall, are seeking their first 30-win season in 10 years after going 36-25 during their 2008 campaign. In fact, SFA has reached the 30-win plateau just five times in its NCAA Division I history. With a 12-11 record in non-conference games this spring, the Ladyjacks have won eight of their last 10 games.
Over the weekend, SFA claimed its sixth-straight league series win and seventh of the season by taking two games from two-time defending Southland regular season and tournament champion McNeese. The Ladyjacks rebounded from a 5-0 opening game loss to the Cowgirls Friday night by sweeping Saturday's doubleheader. SFA lined 18 hits and scored 15 runs across the final two games of the series. In Saturday's first game of the doubleheader, the Ladyjacks won a high-scoring affair 11-8 to tie the most runs scored in a conference game this season. With 13 hits in the contest, SFA matched its season-high in any game this year. The Ladyjacks claimed the series by winning the series finale 4-3 thanks to senior catcher Taylor Fraccastoro's three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning.
SFA has played just three non-conference games since beginning Southland play the second week of March. Going 1-2 in those contests, the Ladyjacks' lone win came at Texas Southern back on March 20. Erupting for a season-best 12 runs, SFA notched a season-high tying 13 hits and held a 6-09 lead through three and a half innings of play. After the host Lady Tigers made it a 6-5 game in the bottom of the fifth, the Ladyjacks scored four runs in the top of the sixth and tacked on another two in the seventh to secure the victory, scoring on a trio of singles, a triple and a sacrifice fly.
Earlier Monday, senior third baseman Amber Landry captured Southland Hitter of the Week honors after a tremendous weekend at the plate. She went 5-for-10 in the three games against McNeese, registering four RBI and scoring three runs. With four extra-base knocks, Landry posted a slugging percentage of 1.100 and held a .500 on-base percentage. Greatly aiding SFA to the 11-8 game two win over the Cowgirls Saturday, Landry had a 4-for-4, four RBI, two runs scored and stolen base performance. Her two RBI double in the fourth inning was only a precursor to Landry's two-run home run over the left field fence in the sixth that put the Ladyjacks ahead 11-8 for good.
Landry became the second Ladyjack to claim Southland player of the week accolades this spring, joining senior right-hander Makayla Sikes who was tabbed as Southland Pitcher of the Week on March 26. Prior to Monday's announcement from the league office, SFA had not earned a hitter of the week plaudit since April 4, 2016.
With this week's release of the NCAA's RPI, the Ladyjacks are 122nd among all 296 Division I softball teams across the nation. With its pair of victories over McNeese this past weekend, SFA owns two top-50 RPI wins as the Cowgirls remain 48th in the latest RPI. Most impressively, the Ladyjacks are 20-2 against teams who lie outside the top 150 in RPI. Texas Southern enters Tuesday's tilt with an RPI of 261.
TEXAS SOUTHERN – LADY TIGERS
· Record: 20-14-1
· The Lady Tigers are 6-6 in road games this season and 9-10 in non-conference affairs.
· Texas Southern leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division with a 11-4 league record but has dropped four of its last five contests and six of its last nine.
· Since its defeat at the hands of SFA, the Lady Tigers have played six non-conference games. Texas Southern has earned just one win in those six contests, defeating fellow Southland member Sam Houston State 5-4 in Houston.
· Hitting .289 as a team, the Lady Tigers own a 3.08 ERA as a pitching staff. Eight different Texas Southern players own a batting average above .300, while the Lady Tigers have outscored their opposition 182-139 for the season.
· Senior right-handed pitcher Lauren Rodriguez leads Texas Southern in the circle, owning a 10-1 record with a 2.32 ERA. In 17 appearances and 12 starts, Rodriguez has struck out 72 batters in 69.1 innings of work.
· In SFA's first bout with the Lady Tigers in March, the Ladyjacks saw a trio of freshmen right-handers with Felicia Garza (9.69 ERA), Bailey Daniels (5.06 ERA) and Mariah Youngblood (3.41 ERA) on the rubber.
· The Lady Tigers have won three SWAC championships in the past four seasons and were a preseason favorite to repeat as the SWAC Western Division champions at the beginning of 2018.
· SFA is 7-1 against the Lady Tigers over the last 10 seasons.
Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will host Abilene Christian over the weekend for their final three regular season games of 2018 as SFA's Southland Tournament seed will be determined. The Wildcats and Ladyjacks will clash in a doubleheader Friday, May 4 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., before SFA takes on ACU for senior day Saturday, May 5 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-
The Ladyjacks, who are 29-18 overall, are seeking their first 30-win season in 10 years after going 36-25 during their 2008 campaign. In fact, SFA has reached the 30-win plateau just five times in its NCAA Division I history. With a 12-11 record in non-conference games this spring, the Ladyjacks have won eight of their last 10 games.
Over the weekend, SFA claimed its sixth-straight league series win and seventh of the season by taking two games from two-time defending Southland regular season and tournament champion McNeese. The Ladyjacks rebounded from a 5-0 opening game loss to the Cowgirls Friday night by sweeping Saturday's doubleheader. SFA lined 18 hits and scored 15 runs across the final two games of the series. In Saturday's first game of the doubleheader, the Ladyjacks won a high-scoring affair 11-8 to tie the most runs scored in a conference game this season. With 13 hits in the contest, SFA matched its season-high in any game this year. The Ladyjacks claimed the series by winning the series finale 4-3 thanks to senior catcher Taylor Fraccastoro's three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning.
SFA has played just three non-conference games since beginning Southland play the second week of March. Going 1-2 in those contests, the Ladyjacks' lone win came at Texas Southern back on March 20. Erupting for a season-best 12 runs, SFA notched a season-high tying 13 hits and held a 6-09 lead through three and a half innings of play. After the host Lady Tigers made it a 6-5 game in the bottom of the fifth, the Ladyjacks scored four runs in the top of the sixth and tacked on another two in the seventh to secure the victory, scoring on a trio of singles, a triple and a sacrifice fly.
Earlier Monday, senior third baseman Amber Landry captured Southland Hitter of the Week honors after a tremendous weekend at the plate. She went 5-for-10 in the three games against McNeese, registering four RBI and scoring three runs. With four extra-base knocks, Landry posted a slugging percentage of 1.100 and held a .500 on-base percentage. Greatly aiding SFA to the 11-8 game two win over the Cowgirls Saturday, Landry had a 4-for-4, four RBI, two runs scored and stolen base performance. Her two RBI double in the fourth inning was only a precursor to Landry's two-run home run over the left field fence in the sixth that put the Ladyjacks ahead 11-8 for good.
Landry became the second Ladyjack to claim Southland player of the week accolades this spring, joining senior right-hander Makayla Sikes who was tabbed as Southland Pitcher of the Week on March 26. Prior to Monday's announcement from the league office, SFA had not earned a hitter of the week plaudit since April 4, 2016.
With this week's release of the NCAA's RPI, the Ladyjacks are 122nd among all 296 Division I softball teams across the nation. With its pair of victories over McNeese this past weekend, SFA owns two top-50 RPI wins as the Cowgirls remain 48th in the latest RPI. Most impressively, the Ladyjacks are 20-2 against teams who lie outside the top 150 in RPI. Texas Southern enters Tuesday's tilt with an RPI of 261.
TEXAS SOUTHERN – LADY TIGERS
· Record: 20-14-1
· The Lady Tigers are 6-6 in road games this season and 9-10 in non-conference affairs.
· Texas Southern leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division with a 11-4 league record but has dropped four of its last five contests and six of its last nine.
· Since its defeat at the hands of SFA, the Lady Tigers have played six non-conference games. Texas Southern has earned just one win in those six contests, defeating fellow Southland member Sam Houston State 5-4 in Houston.
· Hitting .289 as a team, the Lady Tigers own a 3.08 ERA as a pitching staff. Eight different Texas Southern players own a batting average above .300, while the Lady Tigers have outscored their opposition 182-139 for the season.
· Senior right-handed pitcher Lauren Rodriguez leads Texas Southern in the circle, owning a 10-1 record with a 2.32 ERA. In 17 appearances and 12 starts, Rodriguez has struck out 72 batters in 69.1 innings of work.
· In SFA's first bout with the Lady Tigers in March, the Ladyjacks saw a trio of freshmen right-handers with Felicia Garza (9.69 ERA), Bailey Daniels (5.06 ERA) and Mariah Youngblood (3.41 ERA) on the rubber.
· The Lady Tigers have won three SWAC championships in the past four seasons and were a preseason favorite to repeat as the SWAC Western Division champions at the beginning of 2018.
· SFA is 7-1 against the Lady Tigers over the last 10 seasons.
Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will host Abilene Christian over the weekend for their final three regular season games of 2018 as SFA's Southland Tournament seed will be determined. The Wildcats and Ladyjacks will clash in a doubleheader Friday, May 4 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., before SFA takes on ACU for senior day Saturday, May 5 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-
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