Photo by: SFA Athletics
Ladyjacks Resume Road Swing, Travel to Abilene Christian for Weekend Southland Series
4/18/2019 11:38:00 PM | Softball
Softball looks to clinch second-straight winning season, first back-to-back 30-win seasons in 30 years
SFA (27-16, 12-6 Southland) at Abilene Christian (9-26, 2-16 Southland)
Friday, April 19 | 5 p.m. | Poly Wells Field | Abilene, Texas
Watch ($) | Live Stats
SFA (27-16, 12-6 Southland) at Abilene Christian (9-26, 2-16 Southland)
Friday, April 19 | 7 p.m. | Poly Wells Field | Abilene, Texas
Watch ($) | Live Stats
SFA (27-16, 12-6 Southland) at Abilene Christian (9-26, 2-16 Southland)
Saturday, April 20 | 12 p.m. | Poly Wells Field | Abilene, Texas
Live Stats
Game Notes
Friday, April 19 | 5 p.m. | Poly Wells Field | Abilene, Texas
Watch ($) | Live Stats
SFA (27-16, 12-6 Southland) at Abilene Christian (9-26, 2-16 Southland)
Friday, April 19 | 7 p.m. | Poly Wells Field | Abilene, Texas
Watch ($) | Live Stats
SFA (27-16, 12-6 Southland) at Abilene Christian (9-26, 2-16 Southland)
Saturday, April 20 | 12 p.m. | Poly Wells Field | Abilene, Texas
Live Stats
Game Notes
ABILENE, Texas – With its sights set on clinching its second-straight Southland Conference Tournament berth, the SFA softball team resumes its lengthy eight-game road swing this weekend with a three-game league series at Abilene Christian, Friday and Saturday, April 19-20. Playing their second consecutive three-game Southland series on the road, the Ladyjacks (27-16, 12-6 Southland) will face the host Wildcats (9-26, 2-16 Southland) in a Friday evening doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m., before taking on ACU for the series finale Saturday at 12 p.m.
Friday evening's doubleheader in Abilene will be streamed live via StretchInternet with a subscription, while in-game statistics can be followed for every game of the series by visiting ACUSports.com. In-game updates will be made available via SFA softball's Twitter account, @SFA_Softball.
On a five-game win streak and having won seven-straight road games, SFA can clinch its second-straight winning season with a victory in any of the three games over the weekend. The Ladyjacks currently need just two Southland wins to clinch a spot in the 2019 Southland Tournament, which will be held Tuesday-Friday, May 7-10, at Lady Demon Diamond in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
SFA is seeking its third league series sweep of 2019 and second straight after taking all three games from the University of the Incarnate Word last weekend in San Antonio. The Ladyjacks have now won four Southland series this season and can post their second-straight 30-win campaign with a sweep of the Wildcats this weekend. It would mark the first time in 30 years (1988-89) that SFA has won 30 or more games in back-to-back seasons and only the second time during the program's NCAA Division I era.
LAST TIME OUT
Without a blemish during their current eight-game road trip, the Ladyjacks are coming off a week-long break from game action after an impressive 4-0 week. SFA had two of its best offensive performances and closed out the week with 46 hits across the four games, including posting a season-high 16 hits in a 10-1 run-rule victory at Texas Southern and tallying 15 hits in the series finale at Incarnate Word. Outscoring the Cardinals 14-1 in the three-game road series, the Ladyjacks routed ACU 7-0 in the third game last Saturday afternoon. SFA got multi-hit outings from six different batters as senior shortstop Emily Wolfe went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Redshirt sophomore center fielder Brittany Crawford finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, while senior third baseman Lauren Becker, junior left fielder Madison Clements, sophomore second baseman Bryana Novegil and junior catcher Lindsay Gregory each tallied two hits in the contest.
HOME RUN RITA
Senior first baseman Margarita Corona is having a breakout year in her second season as a Ladyjack after transferring in from Pima Community College. She had one of her best performances donning the Purple and White last week at Texas Southern, going 3-for-3 at the dish with a trio of RBI, two runs scored and a walk. After recording an RBI single in the opening inning of play, Corona knocked out her ninth home run of the season in the second on a two-run shot over the left field fence to put SFA ahead 7-0. The Tucson, Arizona (Tucson High Magnet School), native then got ahold of her second long ball of the week in the series opener at UIW, clearing center field with another two-run homer. Corona leads the Ladyjacks in hitting (.357), RBI (30), home runs (10), on-base percentage (.464), slugging (.659) and total bases (83), while second on the team in hits (45) and doubles (8). Ranked second in the 12-team conference in home runs per game, slugging, total bases and walks, Corona is among the nation's top 142 Division I softball players in each of those four categories. Her 10 home runs are just two shy of the single-season program record, which was set at 12 by Briana Bishop in 2009.
WILLING WILBUR
Freshman right-handed pitcher Kassidy Wilbur is having quite the inaugural college campaign on the diamond and on Thursday she gained even more national attention by being named to the 2019 Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Freshman of the Year Top 25 watch list. She became the first Ladyjack in program history to be named to the NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 and is the first softball player from the Southland to earn a spot on the national award list in the last four years. Wilbur has already notched 14 complete game wins inside the circle and owns five shutouts. The Bridge City, Texas (Bridge City HS), native is among the nation's top hurlers in several statistical categories, including ranking sixth in total strikeouts (208), 33rd in strikeouts per seven innings (8.7), 44th in both victories (15) and earned run average (1.68), and 53rd in hits allowed per seven innings (4.9). Touting a 15-11 record on the rubber in 2019, Wilbur holds a 2.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is third-best in the league and ranks among the top half of all NCAA Division I pitchers in the nation. Wilbur's 208 strikeouts through 43 games this season are only 85 shy of the single-season program record, which was set in 1985 by Pam Clay (293), with 10 regular season games to go. Two of her complete game shutouts this season came against nationally-ranked Power Five programs as she tossed a two-hit, 1-0 shutout at then 24th-ranked Mississippi State (Feb. 10) to help SFA capture the 2019 Bulldog Kickoff Classic. A few weeks later, Wilbur matched that performance by handing then 16th-ranked Indiana its first loss of 2019 with another two-hit, 1-0 complete game shutout. The Hoosiers entered the game as one of only six unbeaten teams in the country through three and a half weeks of the regular season. The righty was named Southland Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 12, March 18 and March 25, while also being tabbed USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week on Feb. 12 following a near-perfect start to her collegiate career. Posting an unblemished 4-0 record across the opening weekend, Wilbur held a perfect 0.00 ERA for the week with three complete game wins. Not allowing an earned run in 22 innings of work, Wilbur struck out 32 batters and gave up only one extra-base hit. In her first collegiate career start, Wilbur fanned 15 batters to set the program record for most strikeouts by a Ladyjack making her debut.
LETHAL KRIESEL
Wilbur is not the only Ladyjack newcomer who has been impressive inside the circle for SFA this season as junior righty Ashley Kriesel now owns 10 wins inside the circle and has claimed six complete game victories. She has already collected a no-hitter (Feb. 16 versus Jackson State) and a save (Feb. 20 against Texas Southern) in her first year as a Ladyjack. Kriesel was outstanding in two wins last week, tallying 23 strikeouts in 23 innings of work and two game starts. In the 10-1, run-rule rout at Texas Southern last Wednesday, Kriesel struck out 10 and walked just two before matching her career high in strikeouts at UIW last Friday. Picking up a 3-0 complete game shutout in game two of the Southland series in San Antonio, Kriesel struck out 13 and didn't allow a walk in 26 batters faced. Between Kriesel and Wilbur, the Ladyjacks showcased their one-two pitching punch last week. SFA's duo collected 46 total strikeouts across the four games and allowed just two runs. Kriesel currently ranks 42nd nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (8.3) and is among the nation's top 85 in both total strikeouts (116) and hits allowed per seven innings (5.38). She also ranks among conference leaders with a 2.76 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Led by Wilbur and Kriesel, the Ladyjacks' pitching staff ranks fifth nationally in total strikeouts (348) and is 36th in the nation and tops in the Southland with a 2.72 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Furthermore, SFA's 2.42 team ERA is the 41st-lowest in the country and second-lowest in the league.
ABOUT ACU
Led by ninth-year head coach Bobby Reeves, the Wildcats are on an eight-game slide and have lost 13 of their last 15 contests. ACU has won just two Southland games this spring and sits tied for 11th at the bottom of the league standings with a 2-16 conference mark. Picked to finish eighth in the conference according to the Southland's preseason poll, the Wildcats' only league wins this season have come at Lamar (5-3) and versus UIW in Abilene (9-5). ACU has suffered conference series setbacks on the road at Lamar, Northwestern State and Sam Houston State and at home versus Nicholls, UIW and McNeese. With a .253 team batting average, sophomore starting catcher Kayla Keeling's .305 hitting clip and 18 RBI lead all Wildcat batters. ACU's pitching staff owns a 5.99 ERA on the season and is allowing opponents to hit .320 with 187 runs given up.
Up Next…
The Ladyjacks will step out out of Southland action for the final time of the regular season next Wednesday, April 24, when SFA travels to Sun Belt Conference foe Louisiana-Monroe for a 6 p.m. tilt. Next weekend, the Ladyjacks return to the friendly confines of SFA Softball Field and Nacogdoches for their final regular season home series against Northwestern State.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack softball throughout the 2019 season.
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