Ladyjacks Begin Four-Game Road Trip at Prairie View A&M Wednesday

Wednesday, March 27

Prairie View, Texas

3 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

Prairie View A&M

Photo by: SFA Athletics

Ladyjacks Begin Four-Game Road Trip at Prairie View A&M Wednesday

3/26/2019 11:45:00 PM | Softball

Softball steps out of Southland action for second-straight Wednesday, takes on third Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent of 2019

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

SFA (18-13) at Prairie View A&M (18-7)
Wednesday, March 27 | 3 p.m. | Lady Panther Softball Field | Prairie View, Texas
Watch | Live Stats

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – For the second-straight Wednesday the SFA softball team will take a break from Southland Conference play, this week beginning a four-game road trip with a visit to the Southwestern Athletic Conference's Prairie View A&M. The Ladyjacks (18-13) and the host Lady Panthers (18-7) will see a 3 p.m. first pitch Wednesday afternoon from the Lady Panther Softball Field in Prairie View, Texas.

The game will be streamed live online via the PVAMU Sports Network, while live statistics can be followed by visiting PVPanthers.com. In-game updates will be made available via SFA softball's Twitter account, @SFA_Softball.

On a three-game win streak after sweeping Houston Baptist in a home series over the weekend, the Ladyjacks are looking to win four consecutive games for the second time this season after winning six straight from Feb. 9-15. Having won five of its last seven games, SFA picked up its first Southland series sweep of the year versus the Huskies and won its second-straight conference series. Sweeping HBU for the second consecutive season, the Ladyjacks improved their home record to 7-1 after getting strong performances from senior first baseman Margarita Corona, sophomore second baseman Bryana Novegil and redshirt sophomore center fielder Brittany Crawford.

After taking both games of a doubleheader Friday (3-1 and 5-3), SFA clinched the sweep with 3-0 shutout Saturday afternoon as Crawford went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored and Novegil 2-for-3 with a run.

SFA enters Wednesday seeking just their third true road victory of 2019, earning hard-fought triumphs at then 24th-ranked Mississippi State (1-0) and Southeastern Louisiana (11-6).

Since 2008, the Ladyjacks are a perfect 9-0 against Prairie View A&M and have outscored the Lady Panthers 74-14 in those contests. SFA swept Prairie View A&M in a home-and-home series last season, defeating the Lady Panthers 9-2 in Nacogdoches and 6-2 in Prairie View.

WILLING WILBUR
Freshman right-hander Kassidy Wilbur is off to a fantastic start to her collegiate career, seemingly gaining additional attention with each passing week. The Bridge City, Texas (Bridge City HS), native picked up her second-straight and third Southland Pitcher of the Week plaudit of the season Monday afternoon after posting a 0.86 earned run average last week with 27 strikeouts in 24 and 1/3 innings inside the circle. Giving up just three earned runs in three appearances and two complete games, Wilbur tossed a total of 23 scoreless innings over the week to claim a 2-1 record with a shutout. Holding opponents to a .153 batting average, Wilbur began the week by striking out 10 in relief while facing 42 batters in 10 and 1/3 innings at Southeastern Conference stalwart Texas A&M. Keeping the Aggies scoreless until the final 1/3 of the bottom 15th inning, she was one of the key reasons why the game was the longest (time wise) among all Southland teams this season and the longest game for Texas A&M since 1994. Wilbur then closed out the week with her fourth complete game shutout of the season, allowing just three hits against HBU Saturday afternoon. Fanning eight of 25 total batters faced and walking just one, Wilbur notched her 10th complete game victory of the season and 11th overall. She began the series with the Huskies by tallying nine strikeouts and giving up just three hits in 31 batters faced. Wilbur currently ranks sixth among all NCAA Division I pitchers with 149 strikeouts on the year, while leading the conference and ranking 21st in the nation in complete game shutouts (4) and 34th in strikeouts per seven innings (8.6). Her 1.90 ERA and 2.81 strikeout-to-walk ratio also rank among national leaders as her 11 victories are the most in the league and 39th-most in the nation. Wilbur was also named Southland Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 12 and March 18. After going 4-0 over the opening weekend with a two-hit complete game shutout of then 24th-ranked Mississippi State, Wilbur became SFA's first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week. Not allowing an earned run in three games starts and 22 innings across her first weekend as a Division I softball player, Wilbur set the program record for most strikeouts by a Ladyjack making her debut with 15 in the season-opening win over Valparaiso (6-2).

AMONG LEADING MID-MAJORS IN THE RPI
With the NCAA's second weekly release of the RPI softball rankings Monday, SFA climbed 13 spots to No. 55 in the nation and now sits as the highest Southland program. The Ladyjacks, who have posted a 9-2 record in neutral site games in 2019 and own three top-25 wins, have defeated three teams who are top 35 in RPI. SFA owns impressive non-conference neutral-site victories over then 25th-ranked Illinois (No. 20) and then 16th-ranked Indiana (No. 34), not to mention its win at then 24th-ranked Mississippi State (No. 28). In the RPI, SFA ranks ahead of notable Power Five programs such as NC State, California, Iowa State, Purdue, Maryland, Iowa, Syracuse, Rutgers, Boston College, Nebraska and Virginia.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Out of 297 total Division I softball teams, the Ladyjacks currently own the 65th-most difficult schedule based on past, future and cumulative opponent's records. The teams SFA has faced already this season are currently a combined 496-394 (.557) overall. For perspective, the team with the most difficult schedule as of right now is the SEC's LSU, who's past opponents currently own a combined winning percentage of .667. The Ladyjacks currently own the second-toughest schedule among Southland programs with only Sam Houston State (39th) owning a more difficult schedule in 2019.

ABOUT PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
The Lady Panther were picked to finish atop the SWAC Western Division according to the league's preseason poll after claiming the 2018 SWAC Tournament title a year ago. Prairie View A&M went 20-23 overall last season, 11-6 in conference play, and reached the Texas A&M NCAA Regional after gaining the SWAC's automatic bid. Entering the week with an 18-7 record, the Lady Panthers have not lost a game in over a month since Feb. 23 and are on an 11-game win streak. After starting the season 3-0, Prairie View A&M went 1-3 at the UT Arlington Maverick Tournament where the Lady Panthers suffered run-rule losses to host UT Arlington (10-0) and fellow Southland member Abilene Christian (9-0). Prairie View A&M has not lost a contest since that tournament. The Lady Panthers are 2-2 against Southland opposition this year after earning a doubleheader sweep at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-4 and 3-2) on Feb. 20 and being shut out 7-0 at Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 15 as part the Southeastern Louisiana Lion Classic II. Hitting .290 on the season as a team, Prairie View A&M features preseason SWAC Hitter of the Year senior first baseman Laurisa Hernandez, who is batting at a .383 clip and slugging at .617 with a team-best 20 RBI in 2019. Redshirt senior second baseman Destinee Williams is hitting .380 with a .595 slugging percentage and a team-high 30 hits, while freshman outfielder Diavionne Dewalt leads the Lady Panthers with a .432 batting average, a .730 slugging mark and a .553 on-base percentage.

Up Next…
The Ladyjacks continue their four-game road trip this weekend when they step back into Southland play for a three-game series at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Friday-Sunday, March 29-30. SFA will take on the Islanders in a 1 p.m. doubleheader Friday, March 29, before wrapping up the series Saturday at 12 p.m.

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

-SFA-