Ladyjacks Open Up Home Southland Play, Host McNeese over Weekend

Friday, March 15

Nacogdoches, Texas

1 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

McNeese

Photo by: SFA Athletics

Ladyjacks Open Up Home Southland Play, Host McNeese over Weekend

3/14/2019 4:51:00 PM | Softball

SFA seeks second consecutive series win against visiting Cowgirls, attempts to remain perfect in Nacogdoches

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

Game Notes

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – After over three weeks and 12 games away from home, the SFA softball team returns to the friendly confines of the SFA Softball Field this weekend for a three-game series with three-time defending Southland Conference tournament champion McNeese. The Ladyjacks (13-11, 1-2 Southland) will host the Cowgirls (11-15, 3-0 Southland) in doubleheader Friday, March 15 beginning at 1 p.m., before concluding the series Saturday, March 16 with 1 p.m. game three.

Every game of this weekend's series will be streamed live everywhere on Facebook LIVE via SFA softball's Facebook page, while in-game statistics can be followed at SFAJacks.com.

Friday's doubleheader will serve as SFA's annual Pink Out game, helping to raise breast cancer awareness with fans in attendance receiving free pink t-shirts.

SFA is seeking its second consecutive league series win over McNeese after taking two out of three games from the Cowgirls last season in Nacogdoches. However, the Ladyjacks will be looking for a payback of sorts after third-seeded McNeese defeated No. 2 seed SFA 8-2 in the Ladyjacks' opening game of the 2018 Southland Softball Tournament in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

After February non-conference home victories over Louisiana-Monroe (Feb. 13) and Texas Southern (Feb. 20), SFA will attempt to remain unblemished in Texas' oldest town. In fact, the Ladyjacks have yet to give up a run inside SFA Softball Field in 2019 after defeating the visiting Warhawks 4-0 and the Lady Tigers 8-0 in six innings.

LAST TIME OUT
SFA began Southland play last weekend in Hammond, Louisiana, facing the Lady Lions of Southeastern Louisiana for the first time in three years. Making their third trip to the Pelican State in four weeks, the Ladyjacks rebounded from a series-opening setback with an impressive offensive performance in the second game of a doubleheader Friday night at North Oak Park. SFA erupted for 11 runs on 11 hits and used an eight-run, seven-hit sixth inning to pick up a 11-6 league road victory over the host Lady Lions. Sophomore designated player Triniti Kendzior had her finest game as a Ladyjack, collecting four of SFA's 11 RBI in a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. She claimed her first home run of the season and second of her career on a two-run shot in the sixth, putting the Ladyjacks ahead 11-3. SFA closed out the three-game conference road series Saturday afternoon with freshman right-handed pitcher Kassidy Wilbur striking out nine Southeastern Louisiana batters and freshman right fielder Alex Hedspeth cranking out her third homer of the season, despite dropping a 3-1 decision.

DEALING IN THE CIRCLE
After losing 2018 All-Southland Second Team right-handed pitcher Makayla Sikes and four-year righty starter Callee Guffey to graduation, the Ladyjacks have been able to replace the talent they lost inside the circle as a pair of newcomers have been one of the most impressive pitching duos in the nation. Wilbur quickly burst onto the national scene following her first week as a collegiate softball player, turning in quite the performance in Starkville, Mississippi. The Bridge City, Texas, native became SFA's first ever USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week after posting an unblemished 4-0 record with a perfect 0.00 earned run average and 32 strikeouts in 22 innings of work at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic. Also claiming Southland Pitcher of the Week accolades, Wilbur set the program record for most strikeouts by a Ladyjack making her debut after fanning 15 batters in a season opening 6-2 victory over Valparaiso. The freshman owns a team-best six complete game wins on the season, which includes two, two-hit shutouts over top-25 opponents, and a 2.36 ERA. Wilbur's 105 strikeouts through 24 games this season lead the Southland and rank 10th nationally among all Division I pitchers, while her 8.9 strikeouts per seven innings are the 39th-most in the nation and second-most in the 11-team conference.

Fellow newcomer junior Galveston College transfer right-hander Ashley Kriesel is also off to a superb start to her SFA career, owning three complete game wins and achieving a no-hitter on Feb. 16 in a 13-2 victory over Jackson State in five innings. With a 4-3 record, Kriesel ranks 33rd in the nation and is atop the Southland in strikeouts per seven innings (9.1), while ranking 76th nationally and fourth in the league in total strikeouts (62). Her 3.10 strikeout-to-walk ratio is third-best in the conference and ranks among the national pitching leaders. Returning junior righty Jordan Llinas has provided the Ladyjacks' third punch inside the circle, posting a 2-0 record in six appearances on the rubber with 16 strikeouts in 19 and 2/3 innings.

As a pitching staff, SFA has accumulated 184 strikeouts for the eighth-most among all Division I pitching staffs and most within the Southland. Furthermore, the Ladyjacks lead the conference and rank 43rd nationally with a 2.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while owning the sixth-best team ERA in the league (3.22).

NEED FOR SPEED
After ranking 10th in the Southland a season ago in stolen bases and going 20-for-26 on steal attempts, SFA has drastically gotten faster on the base paths. The Ladyjacks have already stolen 26 bases on 27 attempts and are averaging 1.08 stolen bases per game to rank seventh in the conference. Senior shortstop Emily Wolfe leads the team with eight steals on eight attempts, while Hedspeth (6-for-6), sophomore second baseman Bryana Novegil (5-for-5) and freshman Cassidy Tucker (3-for-3) have also showcased their speed.

SOUTHLAND HOME SERIES IN 2018
SFA looks to keep the SFA Softball Field a trying park for Southland opponents to visit after the Ladyjacks went 10-5 in home conference games in 2018. Clinching four Southland home series a year ago, SFA took all three games from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before going 2-1 versus Sam Houston State, Central Arkansas and McNeese in Nacogdoches. The Ladyjacks outscored their league opponents 64-50 at SFA Softball Field last season.

ABOUT McNEESE
Led by third-year head coach James Landreneau, the Cowgirls were picked to finish second in Southland and received six first-place votes after closing out the 2018 season in a three-way tie for second place in the final conference standings with SFA and Southeastern Louisiana. McNeese went 18-9 in the league last year and 41-21 overall, capturing the Southland tournament for the third-straight year with a 4-2 win over top-seeded Nicholls. Prior to last season, the Cowgirls had claimed the league's regular season crown in four of the previous five years.

Much like the Ladyjacks, McNeese has played one of the most challenging non-conference schedules among Southland members and enters this weekend with an 11-15 overall mark. The Cowgirls have played a total of six games against nationally-ranked opponents and earned a 3-1 upset over then 22nd-ranked Texas A&M on Feb. 17 in College Station. Despite being swept in a three-game home series by Austin Peay, a team SFA defeated, McNeese played now second-ranked Oklahoma within five runs (6-1) on the road. The Cowgirls were the only team in the Southland to go 3-0 over the opening weekend of conference play, defeating the University of the Incarnate Word in Lake Charles by scores of 7-2, 7-1 and 1-0. This past Tuesday, McNeese hosted Big 12 Conference Baylor, who is receiving votes in the most recent USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 poll, in a doubleheader and dropped both games, 5-2 and 7-2.

For the second-straight weekend, the Ladyjacks will face one of the fastest teams in the nation as the Cowgirls rank second in the Southland and 11th nationally in stolen bases per game (2.31). Having gone 60-for-72 on stolen base attempts this season, McNeese is led on the base paths by senior outfielder Justyce McClain (12-for-12) and redshirt junior infielder Cori McCrary (12-for-14), both of whom rank sixth in the conference and among the nation's top 75 in stolen bases per game (0.46).

McNeese also features strong pitching, having the second-highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.36) in the league and the third-lowest ERA (2.85). Sophomore right-hander Amber Coons and freshman righty Saleen Flores rank first and second in the Southland and are among the nation's top 45 in ERA with 1.27 and 1.33 ERA's, respectively. Coons (3.10) and Flores (3.00) also rank among the conference's top five in strikeout-to-walk ratio as Coons leads the Cowgirls with 31 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched.

At the plate, McClain leads McNeese with a .393 batting average and ranks 24th nationally and second in the league with 33 hits on the season. McCrary is hitting at a clip of .338 and has collected a team-best 15 RBI, her 26 hits on the year ranking fourth in the Southland. Junior utility player Alexandria Saldivar, who has notched five doubles and 16 total hits with only three strikeouts, is ranked as the third-toughest batter in the conference and 75th-toughest in the nation to strike out. Altogether, the Cowgirls are hitting at a mark of .247, while holding a slugging percentage of .339 and an on-base percentage of .330.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Out of 297 total Division I softball teams, SFA owns the 82nd-most difficult schedule based on past, future and cumulative opponent's records. The teams the Ladyjacks have taken on already in 2019 are currently a combined 288-231 (.555) overall. For perspective, the team with the most difficult schedule is Michigan, who's past opponents currently own a combined winning percentage of .671.

Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will step out of league action for a midweek non-conference road game at Southeastern Conference foe Texas A&M Wednesday, March 20. First pitch from Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas, is slated for 5 p.m. SFA will then return to Southland play and Nacogdoches next weekend, hosting Houston Baptist in a three-game series Friday and Saturday, March 22-23.

Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the 2019 season.

-SFA-