Friday, February 23
Denton, TX
9:00 a.m.
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Texas Tech University
‘Jacks Travel to Denton for UNT Invite
2/22/2024 3:27:00 PM | Softball
DENTON, Texas- Stephen F. Austin's Softball Team get set to participate in their second tournament of the season when they stay in-state and travel to Denton to participate in the UNT Invite where they will square off against four different schools that includes two power five schools in Texas Tech and University of Minnesota, while also playing against University of New Mexico, and the host UNT Mean Green.
Stephen F. Austin at a Glance:
SFA will come into this tournament looking to carry over their confidence from their last game which saw them score 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth to turn a 5-1 deficit into a commanding 11-5 win over the visiting Sam Houston Bearkats. Ironically, it was the first time in eight years that SFA had scored double-digit runs in an inning when they scored 11 in the top of the seventh in 2016 to comeback and stun the Bearkats 14-11 in the Southland Conference Tournament. SFA will carry a 2-8 overall record into this weekend, however, six of those losses have been by two or less runs as SFA will look to carry over their offensive explosion from their previous win and look to flip the script on some heart-breaking early season losses.
Ellie Vance was a nuisance for Sam Houston pitchers in the Tuesday night doubleheader as she tallied four hits between the two games, while walking once, driving in one run, and stealing one base. In addition to her offensive production, Vance was stellar on defense as she robbed multiple Bearkats of hits and turned some nifty defensive plays to get SFA out of innings. Madison Nguyen and Brittany Coe each knocked a pair of hits against Sam Houston. Madison Nguyen flashed some web gems of her own against Sam as she made a sprinting catch in foul territory to record a superb out, before following that out with a sprawling catch on a shallow blooper to left field to take away another hit from the Bearkats. In the second game of the doubleheader, the SFA offense was led by a three-headed monster of Alexis Telford, Kylie Bishop, and Emily Land as they combined for seven hits. Bishop finished the second game 3-4 batting with two runs scored and an RBI, Alexis Telford went 2-4 with a double, scoring twice and driving in one, while Emily Land cleaned up the base paths as she went 2-3 from the dish with a team-high three RBIs and scoring one run. Between the two games, SFA combined for 20 hits, 14 runs, and drew nine free passes as a team.
Aydenne Brown drew the start in the first game of the doubleheader throwing 6.2 innings, while Alexis Telford drew the start in the second game that saw her throw five innings. Brooke Gainous came in as a reliever in both games and proceeded to throw 2.1 perfect scoreless innings as she set down seven consecutive batters between her two appearances and lowered her season ERA to 3.09 on the campaign. All three Lumberjack starters own an era under four for the season, while Alex Dubose's 39 putouts and Ellie Vance's 18 assists both lead the defensive effort for SFA.
On the season, Kelby Robbins has been an on-base machine for SFA as she leads the team with a .368 average on the year, while leading the team in slugging percentage with a .421% for the season, and ranking second on the team in OPS with an .850 mark. Brittany Coe leads the team with a pair of doubles, while slashing .304/.860/.391 mark for the campaign and is second on the team in RBIs with four. Madison Nguyen's speed on the base paths has rewarded her with four runs scored on the season, which is tops on the team, while tying for the team lead in stolen bases with two. Lexi Benson's patience at the plate has seen her draw seven walks while tying for the team lead in RBIs with Emily Land as both have five apiece.
Stephen F. Austin vs. Texas Tech University
Date: Friday, February 23rd
Time: 9:00 a.m. CST
Field: Lovelace Stadium
Series: Tied 2-2
Red Raiders at a Glance:
The Texas Tech Red Raiders enter the UNT Tournament sporting a 7-3 record on the 2024 season. The Red Raiders are led by head coach Craig Snyder who is coming off a historic first season as coach of the Red Raiders that saw them set the program's single-season home run record at 74 as a team, while compiling a 31-22 record last season. The Red Raiders have yet to play at home this season as they have played three away contests and five neutral games, with the Red Raiders most recently seeing their five-game win streak snapped by Texas State to close out the Texas State Tournament.
Arianna Villa has been a force to be reckoned with for opposing pitchers as she currently leads Tech with a .370/1.115/.630 slash line for the season leading the team with ten hits that includes two doubles, a triple, one homerun, and four driven in, while drawing a team-high six walks. Riley Love leads the squad with two long balls on the year, while driving in a team-high eight RBIs and compiling a .296/.951/.630 slash line. Carson Armijo has had no trouble finding open grass in the outfield as she has crushed a team-high five doubles on the season, which has rewarded her with seven RBIs on the year.
Maddy Wright has been the ace of the Texas Tech rotation as she has pitched to the tune of a 2.57 ERA going 2-1, while striking out seven hitters. Maddie Kuehl has formed a nice compliment to Wright as she owns a 3.10 ERA for the campaign while punching out 18 hitters in 20.1 innings thrown. Meanwhile, Dee McClarity has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage that has seen her record 46 putouts and turn four double plays this season.
These two schools will meet for the first time in almost six years as these two programs last met in May of 2018. The last meeting saw the Lumberjacks lose a 1-0 heart breaker to the Red Raiders in the opening game of the Conway Regional at the National Invitational Softball Championship.
Stephen F. Austin vs. University of New Mexico
Dates/Times: Friday, February 23rd at 11:30 a.m. CST, and Saturday, February 24th at 9:00 a.m. CST
Field: Lovelace Stadium
Series: SFA leads 3-0
Lobos at a Glance:
The University of New Mexico Lobos travel to Denton carrying a 3-9 record on the season, with a 3-3 neutral record, and an 0-6 road record. This will be the second time this season the Lobos will travel to Texas for a tournament as they are coming off the ACU Tournament last week that saw them play ACU, Houston Christian, and Marist. Over the course of the tournament, the Lobos went 2-3, with both wins seeing the Lobos score double-digit runs. The Lobos are led by former SFA Lumberjack head coach Nicole Dickson, who is entering her second season with the Lobos.
Keyannah Chavez leads the Lobos amassing a .469/.514/.656 slash line as she has hit two doubles, two triples, and recording 15 total hits this season to total 21 total bases. Ashley Archuleta has been a consistent presence on the base paths for the Lobos as she holds a .303/.439/.364 slash scoring six runs, and drawing a team-high eight walks. Chloe Yeatts has been the power hitter for the Lobos as she has mashed two homeruns this season, resulting in a team-leading nine RBIs, and hitting a pair of doubles. The Lobos have no fear stealing bases as they are a near perfect 24-25 on stolen bases this season with Ashley Archuleta leading the bunch as she is 6-6 on stolen base attempts this season.
McKenna Guest has been the go-to pitcher for the Lobos on the season as she has thrown 34.2 innings, starting six games, throwing three complete games, and striking out 31 hitters. Amber Linton has made seven appearances on the season, drawing a start in two games, pitching in 19.2 innings and punching out 18 hitters. Chloe Yeatts owns a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage this season as she leads University of New Mexico with 54 putouts, while Rachael Hathoot has 27 assists to lead all Lobos.
This match-up will feature the first time these two programs will square off since 2017. SFA has won the previous three match-ups between the two schools, with SFA sweeping a two-game meeting with the Lobos in 2017 as pitching helped limit the Lobos to a single run in both games with SFA scoring eight runs combined between the two wins.
Stephen F. Austin vs. University of Minnesota
Date: Saturday, February 24th
Time: 2:00 p.m. CST
Field: Lovelace Stadium
Series: First Meeting
Gophers at a Glance
The University of Minnesota Gophers make the long trip to Texas carrying a 4-3 record on the season that saw them outlast Georgia Tech 12-11 in a barn burner win in their most recent game. The Gophers had their final three games of the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational cancelled that would have seen them play three ranked teams in no. 9 Stanford, no. 4 Georgia, and no. 12 LSU. The Gophers are led by head coach Piper Ritter who is no stranger to the Gophers softball program as she spent the previous 13 years as pitching coach for the Gophers softball team, before being named the eighth head coach in program history in 2020. The Gophers have made 10-consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Jess Oakland has been a do-it-all hitter for the Gophers as she has slashed .440/.500/.720 on the year, leading the team with two homers, nine RBIs, and total bases with 18. The Gophers showcase a lineup that has no shortage of hitting as four other players have averages over .300 on the season as Breezy Burnett, Taylor Krapf, Maddy Ehlke, and Sydney Strelow all have an average over .300, an on-base-percentage over .370, and a slugging percentage over .350. Taylor Krapf leads the charge with three doubles, while Sydney Strelow's patience has resulted in five walks this season, and Breezy Burnett is a perfect 3-3 on stolen base attempts this year.
Sydney Schwartz has been tough on opponent hitters this season as she has pitched to the tune of a dazzling 2.17 era on the year, going 2-2, and striking out 14 hitters in 19.1 innings. Bri Enter has been a constant presence in the circle for the Gophers as she has started in four games, throwing one complete game, and throwing 21.0 innings that has seen her strike out 13 batters. Taylor Krapf has recorded 41 putouts this season, while Jess Oakland, Sydney Strelow, and Kayla Chavez all have over 15 assists.
This Saturday matinee match-up will feature the first time these two programs have faced each other, as the Lumberjacks will look to end the second day of the tournament on a high note as they look to stump the Gophers to begin the series history.
Stephen F. Austin vs. University of North Texas
Date: Sunday, February 25th
Time: 2:00 p.m. CST
Field: Lovelace Stadium
Series: UNT Leads 16-5
Mean Green at a Glance
The hosts of the Tournament, the UNT Mean Green will carry a 3-5 overall record with them into this weekend looking to snap a two-game losing skid. The Mean Green dropped two games to no. 14 ranked Missouri in the Tracy Beard College Classic before splitting a two-game set with South Dakota State. The Mean Green are led by head coach Rodney DeLong who is entering his sixth season as manager of the Mean Green, with UNT recording a winning record in five consecutive seasons under DeLong.
Rylee Nicholson has been a hitting machine for the Mean Green this season as she owns a .333/1.100/.600 line this season while hitting one homerun, and drawing a team-high five walks. Nicholson is a threat to steal whenever she gets on base as she is a perfect 6-6 on the campaign. Tatum Sparks has taken advantage of her opportunities with runners in scoring position this season as she leads the team with five RBIs, and adding one homerun and one double to her season stats. Seven different Mean Green players have hit a homerun this season, while seven different players have also recorded a double.
McKenzie Wagoner and Skylar Savage have formed a dynamic pitching duo for the Mean Green as both have thrown over 15 innings this season, combining for 21 punch outs, with each pitcher throwing a complete game. Kailey Gamble leads the team with 48 putouts defensively while Cierra Simon and Tatum Sparks both have over 15 assists this season.
Sunday afternoon's match-up will feature the 22nd meeting between these programs with the Mean Green dominating the competition lately as they have won the last nine meetings between the two schools. The most recent game, saw UNT claim a 6-1 home win over SFA at home back in April of 2022.
Stephen F. Austin at a Glance:
SFA will come into this tournament looking to carry over their confidence from their last game which saw them score 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth to turn a 5-1 deficit into a commanding 11-5 win over the visiting Sam Houston Bearkats. Ironically, it was the first time in eight years that SFA had scored double-digit runs in an inning when they scored 11 in the top of the seventh in 2016 to comeback and stun the Bearkats 14-11 in the Southland Conference Tournament. SFA will carry a 2-8 overall record into this weekend, however, six of those losses have been by two or less runs as SFA will look to carry over their offensive explosion from their previous win and look to flip the script on some heart-breaking early season losses.
Ellie Vance was a nuisance for Sam Houston pitchers in the Tuesday night doubleheader as she tallied four hits between the two games, while walking once, driving in one run, and stealing one base. In addition to her offensive production, Vance was stellar on defense as she robbed multiple Bearkats of hits and turned some nifty defensive plays to get SFA out of innings. Madison Nguyen and Brittany Coe each knocked a pair of hits against Sam Houston. Madison Nguyen flashed some web gems of her own against Sam as she made a sprinting catch in foul territory to record a superb out, before following that out with a sprawling catch on a shallow blooper to left field to take away another hit from the Bearkats. In the second game of the doubleheader, the SFA offense was led by a three-headed monster of Alexis Telford, Kylie Bishop, and Emily Land as they combined for seven hits. Bishop finished the second game 3-4 batting with two runs scored and an RBI, Alexis Telford went 2-4 with a double, scoring twice and driving in one, while Emily Land cleaned up the base paths as she went 2-3 from the dish with a team-high three RBIs and scoring one run. Between the two games, SFA combined for 20 hits, 14 runs, and drew nine free passes as a team.
Aydenne Brown drew the start in the first game of the doubleheader throwing 6.2 innings, while Alexis Telford drew the start in the second game that saw her throw five innings. Brooke Gainous came in as a reliever in both games and proceeded to throw 2.1 perfect scoreless innings as she set down seven consecutive batters between her two appearances and lowered her season ERA to 3.09 on the campaign. All three Lumberjack starters own an era under four for the season, while Alex Dubose's 39 putouts and Ellie Vance's 18 assists both lead the defensive effort for SFA.
On the season, Kelby Robbins has been an on-base machine for SFA as she leads the team with a .368 average on the year, while leading the team in slugging percentage with a .421% for the season, and ranking second on the team in OPS with an .850 mark. Brittany Coe leads the team with a pair of doubles, while slashing .304/.860/.391 mark for the campaign and is second on the team in RBIs with four. Madison Nguyen's speed on the base paths has rewarded her with four runs scored on the season, which is tops on the team, while tying for the team lead in stolen bases with two. Lexi Benson's patience at the plate has seen her draw seven walks while tying for the team lead in RBIs with Emily Land as both have five apiece.
Stephen F. Austin vs. Texas Tech University
Date: Friday, February 23rd
Time: 9:00 a.m. CST
Field: Lovelace Stadium
Series: Tied 2-2
Red Raiders at a Glance:
The Texas Tech Red Raiders enter the UNT Tournament sporting a 7-3 record on the 2024 season. The Red Raiders are led by head coach Craig Snyder who is coming off a historic first season as coach of the Red Raiders that saw them set the program's single-season home run record at 74 as a team, while compiling a 31-22 record last season. The Red Raiders have yet to play at home this season as they have played three away contests and five neutral games, with the Red Raiders most recently seeing their five-game win streak snapped by Texas State to close out the Texas State Tournament.
Arianna Villa has been a force to be reckoned with for opposing pitchers as she currently leads Tech with a .370/1.115/.630 slash line for the season leading the team with ten hits that includes two doubles, a triple, one homerun, and four driven in, while drawing a team-high six walks. Riley Love leads the squad with two long balls on the year, while driving in a team-high eight RBIs and compiling a .296/.951/.630 slash line. Carson Armijo has had no trouble finding open grass in the outfield as she has crushed a team-high five doubles on the season, which has rewarded her with seven RBIs on the year.
Maddy Wright has been the ace of the Texas Tech rotation as she has pitched to the tune of a 2.57 ERA going 2-1, while striking out seven hitters. Maddie Kuehl has formed a nice compliment to Wright as she owns a 3.10 ERA for the campaign while punching out 18 hitters in 20.1 innings thrown. Meanwhile, Dee McClarity has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage that has seen her record 46 putouts and turn four double plays this season.
These two schools will meet for the first time in almost six years as these two programs last met in May of 2018. The last meeting saw the Lumberjacks lose a 1-0 heart breaker to the Red Raiders in the opening game of the Conway Regional at the National Invitational Softball Championship.
Stephen F. Austin vs. University of New Mexico
Dates/Times: Friday, February 23rd at 11:30 a.m. CST, and Saturday, February 24th at 9:00 a.m. CST
Field: Lovelace Stadium
Series: SFA leads 3-0
Lobos at a Glance:
The University of New Mexico Lobos travel to Denton carrying a 3-9 record on the season, with a 3-3 neutral record, and an 0-6 road record. This will be the second time this season the Lobos will travel to Texas for a tournament as they are coming off the ACU Tournament last week that saw them play ACU, Houston Christian, and Marist. Over the course of the tournament, the Lobos went 2-3, with both wins seeing the Lobos score double-digit runs. The Lobos are led by former SFA Lumberjack head coach Nicole Dickson, who is entering her second season with the Lobos.
Keyannah Chavez leads the Lobos amassing a .469/.514/.656 slash line as she has hit two doubles, two triples, and recording 15 total hits this season to total 21 total bases. Ashley Archuleta has been a consistent presence on the base paths for the Lobos as she holds a .303/.439/.364 slash scoring six runs, and drawing a team-high eight walks. Chloe Yeatts has been the power hitter for the Lobos as she has mashed two homeruns this season, resulting in a team-leading nine RBIs, and hitting a pair of doubles. The Lobos have no fear stealing bases as they are a near perfect 24-25 on stolen bases this season with Ashley Archuleta leading the bunch as she is 6-6 on stolen base attempts this season.
McKenna Guest has been the go-to pitcher for the Lobos on the season as she has thrown 34.2 innings, starting six games, throwing three complete games, and striking out 31 hitters. Amber Linton has made seven appearances on the season, drawing a start in two games, pitching in 19.2 innings and punching out 18 hitters. Chloe Yeatts owns a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage this season as she leads University of New Mexico with 54 putouts, while Rachael Hathoot has 27 assists to lead all Lobos.
This match-up will feature the first time these two programs will square off since 2017. SFA has won the previous three match-ups between the two schools, with SFA sweeping a two-game meeting with the Lobos in 2017 as pitching helped limit the Lobos to a single run in both games with SFA scoring eight runs combined between the two wins.
Stephen F. Austin vs. University of Minnesota
Date: Saturday, February 24th
Time: 2:00 p.m. CST
Field: Lovelace Stadium
Series: First Meeting
Gophers at a Glance
The University of Minnesota Gophers make the long trip to Texas carrying a 4-3 record on the season that saw them outlast Georgia Tech 12-11 in a barn burner win in their most recent game. The Gophers had their final three games of the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational cancelled that would have seen them play three ranked teams in no. 9 Stanford, no. 4 Georgia, and no. 12 LSU. The Gophers are led by head coach Piper Ritter who is no stranger to the Gophers softball program as she spent the previous 13 years as pitching coach for the Gophers softball team, before being named the eighth head coach in program history in 2020. The Gophers have made 10-consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Jess Oakland has been a do-it-all hitter for the Gophers as she has slashed .440/.500/.720 on the year, leading the team with two homers, nine RBIs, and total bases with 18. The Gophers showcase a lineup that has no shortage of hitting as four other players have averages over .300 on the season as Breezy Burnett, Taylor Krapf, Maddy Ehlke, and Sydney Strelow all have an average over .300, an on-base-percentage over .370, and a slugging percentage over .350. Taylor Krapf leads the charge with three doubles, while Sydney Strelow's patience has resulted in five walks this season, and Breezy Burnett is a perfect 3-3 on stolen base attempts this year.
Sydney Schwartz has been tough on opponent hitters this season as she has pitched to the tune of a dazzling 2.17 era on the year, going 2-2, and striking out 14 hitters in 19.1 innings. Bri Enter has been a constant presence in the circle for the Gophers as she has started in four games, throwing one complete game, and throwing 21.0 innings that has seen her strike out 13 batters. Taylor Krapf has recorded 41 putouts this season, while Jess Oakland, Sydney Strelow, and Kayla Chavez all have over 15 assists.
This Saturday matinee match-up will feature the first time these two programs have faced each other, as the Lumberjacks will look to end the second day of the tournament on a high note as they look to stump the Gophers to begin the series history.
Stephen F. Austin vs. University of North Texas
Date: Sunday, February 25th
Time: 2:00 p.m. CST
Field: Lovelace Stadium
Series: UNT Leads 16-5
Mean Green at a Glance
The hosts of the Tournament, the UNT Mean Green will carry a 3-5 overall record with them into this weekend looking to snap a two-game losing skid. The Mean Green dropped two games to no. 14 ranked Missouri in the Tracy Beard College Classic before splitting a two-game set with South Dakota State. The Mean Green are led by head coach Rodney DeLong who is entering his sixth season as manager of the Mean Green, with UNT recording a winning record in five consecutive seasons under DeLong.
Rylee Nicholson has been a hitting machine for the Mean Green this season as she owns a .333/1.100/.600 line this season while hitting one homerun, and drawing a team-high five walks. Nicholson is a threat to steal whenever she gets on base as she is a perfect 6-6 on the campaign. Tatum Sparks has taken advantage of her opportunities with runners in scoring position this season as she leads the team with five RBIs, and adding one homerun and one double to her season stats. Seven different Mean Green players have hit a homerun this season, while seven different players have also recorded a double.
McKenzie Wagoner and Skylar Savage have formed a dynamic pitching duo for the Mean Green as both have thrown over 15 innings this season, combining for 21 punch outs, with each pitcher throwing a complete game. Kailey Gamble leads the team with 48 putouts defensively while Cierra Simon and Tatum Sparks both have over 15 assists this season.
Sunday afternoon's match-up will feature the 22nd meeting between these programs with the Mean Green dominating the competition lately as they have won the last nine meetings between the two schools. The most recent game, saw UNT claim a 6-1 home win over SFA at home back in April of 2022.
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/ Softball2.1.24 | Axe 'Em Insider Ep. 24 x Softball
Friday, February 02
Softball - Stephen F. Austin - 02/22/2017: Stephen F. Austin
Wednesday, February 22
Softball - Stephen F. Austin - 02/22/2017: Stephen F. Austin
Wednesday, February 22
SFA Completes Epic Comeback: SFA Softball
Thursday, May 12
