Stephen F. Austin
New Mexico State University
'Jacks host New Mexico State for a three game series
4/26/2023 4:00:00 PM | Softball
New Mexico State University vs. Stephen F. Austin
Dates/Times: April 28th at 5 p.m., April 29th at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Livestream: WAC International on Friday, ESPN+ on Saturday
Location: Nacogdoches, TX
Field: SFA Softball Field
Series: New Mexico State leads 1-0
NACOGDOCHES, Texas- The New Mexico State Aggies will take a trip to Nacogdoches this weekend to play the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. Game one starts at 5 p.m. on Friday, and it's followed by games two and three on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
A look at the Lumberjacks:
The Lumberjacks are currently 21-20 on the year, and 10-8 in conference play. They have been considerably better at home this year, going 11-7 in those games, so they will look to continue that strong play in Nacogdoches this weekend. On offense, it's Gaby Garcia leading the way once again, with her team-leading 1.064 OPS and 15 home runs. Garcia homered in the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday vs ACU as she continued her impressive season. Mackenzie Bennett will look to continue her productive season, with her staggering .346 batting average and 47 hits. She also hit a grand slam this past weekend, so one might think she comes into this series feeling confident. The Jacks offense was firing on all cylinders this past weekend against Abilene Christian, and they hope to continue putting up runs.
On the pitching side, the Jacks will once again turn to Brooke Gainous and Alexis Telford to give them quality starts. Telford is enjoying a strong season, sporting a 3.12 ERA and 61 strikeouts. Gainous was excellent in the second game on Saturday, pitching a complete game shutout and only allowing 3 hits. Her ERA is down to 2.96, an impressive figure. They look to give the Aggies a strong test this coming weekend.
A look at the Aggies:
New Mexico State sits at 19-21 for the year and 8-10 in the conference. They are coming off a series loss vs UT-Arlington and look to right the ship against the Jacks this weekend. The Aggies are led by their high-powered offense, with a staggering 5 players hitting above .290 and 4 hitting above .300. Kayla Bowen is their leader as she is first on the team in average(.383), OPS(1.252), hits(46), runs(35), and RBI(32). She is a phenomenal player to say the least, and aims to continue her dominance vs the Lumberjacks. Not to be overlooked are Riley Carley and Jillian Taylor. Carley is first on her team in home runs with 13, and Taylor has an impressive 1.097 OPS. On the mound, Aydenne Brown and Emily Dix will be handed the ball. Brown has a 4.48 ERA and 1.42 WHIP on the year while leading the team with 89 strike outs, while Dix has pitched 79 and a third innings for the Aggies, striking out 59 and carrying a 5.56 ERA.
