Ladyjacks Wrap up Regular Season in Huntsville, Vie for Top Four Seed at Southland Tournament

Saturday, May 4

Huntsville, Texas

3 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

Sam Houston State

Ashley_Kriesel_Kassidy_Wilbur_High-Five_NorwesternState2019

Photo by: SFA Athletics

Ladyjacks Wrap up Regular Season in Huntsville, Vie for Top Four Seed at Southland Tournament

5/2/2019 10:02:00 PM | Softball

SFA softball takes on league leader Sam Houston State on the road to wrap up 2019 regular season sitting just three games back from first place in Southland standings

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

SFA (33-17, 17-7 Southland) at Sam Houston State (29-20, 20-4 Southland)
Friday, May 3 | 4 p.m. | Bearkat Softball Complex | Huntsville, Texas
Watch | Live Stats

SFA (33-17, 17-7 Southland) at Sam Houston State (29-20, 20-4 Southland)
Friday, May 3 | 6 p.m. | Bearkat Softball Complex | Huntsville, Texas
Watch | Live Stats

SFA (33-17, 17-7 Southland) at Sam Houston State (29-20, 20-4 Southland)
Saturday, May 4 | 12 p.m. | Bearkat Softball Complex | Huntsville, Texas
Live Stats

Game Notes

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The 2019 regular season will come to an end for the SFA softball team this weekend in Huntsville, Texas, as the Ladyjacks take on league leader Sam Houston State in a three-game Southland Conference series Friday and Saturday, May 3-4. Sitting just three games back from the top spot in the regular season conference race, SFA (33-17, 17-7 Southland) will be vying for a top four seed for next week's 2019 Southland Softball Tournament.

With weather threatening to become a factor, the Ladyjacks are currently scheduled to take on the Bearkats (29-20, 20-4 Southland) in a late Friday afternoon doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m., before facing Sam Houston State in the final game of the series Saturday at 12 p.m.

Friday's doubleheader in the Prison City will be streamed live via the Bearkat Sports Network, while in-game statistics can be followed for every game of the series by visiting GoBearkats.com. As usual, in-game updates will be made available via SFA softball's Twitter account, @SFA_Softball.

On a four-game win streak and having won 11 of its last 12 games, SFA has a shot at the 2019 Southland regular season title but needs help from Southeastern Louisiana (31-19, 16-8 Southland), who faces current second-place holder Nicholls (30-19, 19-5 Southland). The Ladyjacks will need to sweep host Sam Houston State and get a series sweep from Southeastern Louisiana over Nicholls. With a trio of victories over the Bearkats and two wins by the Lady Lions over the host Colonels, SFA would end up in a three-way tie at the top of the final Southland standings and be donned co-conference champions.

With a series sweep over the weekend, the Ladyjacks can match their 2008 win total (36), which is the third-most victories in a single season in the program's NCAA Division I era.

LAST TIME OUT
SFA finished off an unblemished 4-0 week with its third Southland series sweep of the season last weekend, defeating visiting Northwestern State in all three games to close out the home portion of the Ladyjacks' 2019 schedule. After a 6-3 victory in the series opener Friday afternoon, SFA picked up a 5-1 win to complete a doubleheader sweep before earning a 3-2 walk-off triumph in eight innings for the weekend's finale on senior day. Behind the steady arms of right-handers Kassidy Wilbur and Ashley Kriesel and powerful hitting from senior Margarita Corona and freshman Mackenzie Bennett, the Ladyjacks earned their sixth conference series victory of 2019 and third consecutive. After first baseman Corona knocked out a two-run homer in the top of the first inning to give the home team a 2-0 lead, the Lady Demons got a solo home run in the top of the fourth and an RBI double in the top of the fifth to knot things up at 2-2. The score would remain tied for three innings of play before junior catcher Lindsay Gregory knocked in her second walk-off RBI single of the season in the bottom of the eighth. Stepping to the plate with one out following a Corona leadoff walk and a single up the middle from freshman right fielder Alex Hedspeth, Gregory took a 2-2 pitch over the third baseman's head into right field for the game-winning hit.

SWEEPING THE WEEK
Following its weekend sweep of Northwestern State, SFA swept the Southland's weekly awards with Corona picking up hitter of the week accolades and junior Kriesel being tabbed as the league's pitcher of the week. It marked the fourth time the Ladyjacks were represented in the conference's weekly awards after freshman Wilbur was named Southland Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 12, March 18 and March 25. The honor came very much deserved for both Corona and Kriesel after Corona went 9-for-12 (.750) at the plate in the four wins and Kriesel went 1-0 with her second save of the season. Holding an on-base percentage of .800, Corona slugged at a clip of 1.083 and recorded six RBI. Inside the circle, Kriesel struck out 11 batters in three appearances and two starts while allowing just three walks and posting a 1.58 earned run average in 13 and 1/3 innings of work. The first SFA player to be tabbed Southland Hitter of the Week since Amber Landry ('18) a season ago, Corona tied the single-season program record for home runs with her 12th dinger of 2019 in the Ladyjacks' 3-2, extra-inning win over Northwestern State. Collecting 13 total bases, knocking in a two RBI double and scoring a pair of runs, the Tucson, Arizona (Tucson High Magnet School), native had perhaps her most impressive week of her fabulous senior season. Corona went 3-for-3 and was walked once in SFA's final non-conference game of the regular season at the University of Louisiana at Monroe last Wednesday and went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI in the series opener versus Northwestern State. Hurler Kriesel had an outstanding week inside the circle for the Ladyjacks, picking up a save by appearing in one and 1/3 innings of relief to help SFA close out the 8-2 win at Louisiana-Monroe Wednesday. Coming in with bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Kriesel retired four straight and struck out one. The Houston, Texas (Mayde Creek HS), native then earned a complete game win in game two of the Ladyjacks' Friday afternoon doubleheader sweep of Northwestern State, striking out seven of 29 batters faced and allowing just one run.

HOME RUN RITA
Corona is having a breakout year in her second season as a Ladyjack and was recently named SFA's Female Breakout Athlete of the Year at the school's inaugural Golden Axes awards ceremony Wednesday night in Nacogdoches. After knocking out her 12th homer of the season Saturday in the Ladyjacks' game three victory over the Lady Demons, Corona needs just one more home run to set the single-season program record, which has been held by Briana Bishop since 2009. Corona leads the Southland in on-base percentage (.497), slugging (.711), total bases (106) and home runs (12), while second in the league in hitting (.403), hits (60), home runs per game (0.24) and walks per game (0.58) and third in RBI (38). She ranks among the top 120 Division I softball players in total bases, on-base percentage, hits, batting average, slugging, home runs per game and walks per game, including owning the 54-most total bases in the nation and 61st-highest on-base percentage.

WILLING WILBUR
Wilbur is having quite the inaugural collegiate campaign on the diamond and two weeks ago 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. Becoming the first SFA player in program history to be named to the NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25, she 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 16 complete game wins inside the circle and owns five shutouts with 19 total victories. Last week, Wilbur went 3-0 on the rubber with 14 strikeouts in 15 and 2/3 innings of work, picking up a complete game win in the opener versus Northwestern State. The Bridge City, Texas (Bridge City HS), native is among the nation's top pitchers in several statistical categories, including ranking eighth in total strikeouts (234), 30th in victories (19), 38th in strikeouts per seven innings (8.3), 49th in ERA (1.78) and 56th in hits allowed per seven innings (5.01). Touting a 19-11 record in 2019, Wilbur's 234 strikeouts in 33 appearances this season are only 59 shy of the single-season program record, which was set in 1985 by Pam Clay (293). 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 an unscathed 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 Kriesel owns 12 wins inside the circle and has claimed eight complete game victories. She has already collected a no-hitter (Feb. 16 versus Jackson State) and picked up her second save of the season last Wednesday at ULM. Kriesel currently ranks 50th nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (8) and is among the nation's top 95 in both total strikeouts (137) and hits allowed per seven innings (5.57), while ranking among league leaders in all three statistical categories. Led by Wilbur and Kriesel, SFA's pitching staff ranks fifth nationally in total strikeouts (395) and is 48th in the nation and second in the Southland with a 2.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Furthermore, the Ladyjacks' 2.40 team ERA is the 39th-lowest in the country and second-lowest in the conference.

ABOUT SAM HOUSTON STATE
The Bearkats are led by first-year head coach Garrett Valis, who was named the leader of the Bearkats following the 2018 season after serving for four years as legendary head coach Bob Brock's top assistant. Picked to finish seventh in the Southland according to the league's preseason poll after finishing eighth in the conference standings last year, Sam Houston State enters the final weekend of the regular season in first place with a two-game lead. The Bearkats' only four losses in Southland play have come at the hands of Northwestern State, Lamar and Nicholls. Sam Houston State has not lost a league contest since March 29 and is currently on a 13-game Southland win streak. The Lady Demons are the only team to defeat the Bearkats in a conference series this season, taking two of three games in Huntsville by earning a 6-4 game two win in 10 innings and claiming a 6-3 victory in the series-deciding third game. Lamar was able to steal a 5-3 game three win in Huntsville and Nicholls picked up a 1-0 shutout versus Sam Houston State in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

Up Next…
SFA will head to Natchitoches, Louisiana, next week for the 2019 Southland Softball Tournament, which will be held at Lady Demon Diamond Tuesday-Friday, May 7-10. With tournament seeding to be played out this weekend, the Ladyjacks will await their opponent, date and time of their opening round contest.

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

-SFA-