| April 7, 2004 UTSA hits the road for series at Texas Southern, Northwestern State Complete Release Live Stats (Northwestern State games only) |
UTSA Roadrunners (25-14)
at
Texas Southern Lady Tigers (6-20)
Memorial Park - Houston, Texas
Games 40-41: Thursday, April 8 - 2 p.m.
UTSA Roadrunners (25-14, 13-5)
at
Northwestern State Lady Demons (21-21, 8-7)
Demon Diamond - Natchitoches, La.
Games 42-43: Friday, April 9 - 5 p.m.
Game 44: Saturday, April 10 - 1 p.m.
UTSA vs. Texas Southern History
UTSA vs. TSU: UTSA leads, 4-0
Last two meetings:
UTSA 19, TSU 0 (April 1, 2004 - San Antonio)
UTSA 18, TSU 0 (April 1, 2004 - San Antonio)
UTSA vs. Northwestern St. History
UTSA vs. NSU: Northwestern St. leads 26-19
Last three meetings:
UTSA 8, NSU 5 (April 27, 2003 - San Antonio)
NSU 16, UTSA 4 (April 26, 2003 - San Antonio)
NSU 8, UTSA 7 (April 26, 2003 - San Antonio)
Week In Review
UTSA continued top play some of its best softball of the year, winning all five games last week to extend its winning streak to 10. The Roadrunners routed Texas Southern in a doubleheader last Thursday, slugging an NCAA record-tying eight home runs in 18-0 and 19-0 run-rulings. UTSA got out the brooms for a conference sweep of Stephen F. Austin over the weekend, winning game one, 1-0, game two, 7-5, and game three, 3-0, to improve to 25-14 overall and 13-5 in the SLC. The 13-5 record puts the Roadrunners in sole possession of second place in the league standings behind Texas State (17-1) and the 25-14 record is UTSA's best 39-game start since the 1998 squad went 27-12.
Top Of The Charts
In 2003, UTSA slugged 80 home runs over 55 games for a 1.45 home runs per game average. That mark led the nation just ahead of NCAA Champion UCLA's 1.44 average. Roadrunners who hit 71 of those 80 home runs (89 percent) are back in uniform in 2004, led by senior Christy Brownlee, who hit a team-best 15.
Going, Going, Gone
The 2004 Roadrunners are well ahead of last year's NCAA-leading home run pace, belting 70 home runs through 39 games for a 1.79 average. Unofficially, UTSA leads the nation in total home runs and homers per game ahead of UCLA (49/1.63), Louisiana-Lafayette (53/1.47), Arizona (52/1.33) and LSU (49/1.16).
Early Risers
UTSA has struck for runs early and often in 2004. In the first three innings combined, the Roadrunners own a 144-55 advantage over their opponents through 39 games this year. The fourth inning has been friendly, as well, with the Roadrunners outscoring opponents 45-12. UTSA has outscored its foes 238-113 overall, an average of 6.1-2.9 per game.
No April Fool's Day Joke
On April 1, UTSA tied the NCAA single-game home run record with eight long balls in game one of a doubleheader against Texas Southern. If that was not enough, the Roadrunners belted eight more bombs in the nightcap to equal the mark twice in the same day. Senior Christy Brownlee slugged four of the 16 homers, two in each game, while sophomore Jessica Rogers hit three and junior Krystal Gibson and sophomore Stacey Gillespie lost two apiece. In an interesting bit of irony, I-35 rival Texas State set the record against Stephen F. Austin on March 2, 2002. One of the eight homers hit that day was by current UTSA assistant coach Stephanie Hughes. Almost lost in all the home run buzz is the fact that freshman pitcher Ursula Mares hurled her first career no-hitter in game one, the first no-no at UTSA since Denise Briggs in 2000.
Movin' On Up
Senior Christy Brownlee has developed into one of the top all-around players in school history during her career. The Galena Park native ranks in the top 10 on 20 of UTSA's 22 single-season or career offensive and defensive charts. She broke Michelle McElyea's school record for career home runs with her 38th career long ball against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 20 and now has upped that mark to 51. Brownlee broke three career records in the doubleheader sweep of Texas Southern on April 1. She moved past McElyea for first place on UTSA's career RBI (128) chart and ahead of former All-American Amanda Michalsky on the runs scored (142) and extra-base hits (85) lists. Other career rankings for Brownlee include second with second with 673 at-bats, second with 383 assists, third with 207 hits, third with 80 walks and sixth with 32 doubles. Brownlee's league-leading 18 homers this year is one back of the school record of 19 set by Michalsky in 1999.
League Leaders
UTSA has been one of the Southland Conference's top offensive clubs on a yearly basis since Corrie Hill took over the program in 1999. This year is no different as the Roadrunners lead the league in nine offensive categories as of April 5. The Roadrunners top the charts in batting average (.318), slugging percentage (.581), on-base percentage (.397), runs scored (238), hits (321), RBI (222), doubles (54), home runs (70), total bases (587) and sacrifice flies (11). UTSA also has the least strikeouts (169) in the league. The Roadrunners also top the charts in fielding percentage (.965), a category they ranked dead last (.939) in last year. In conference games only, UTSA also has made its mark on the offensive charts. The Roadrunners lead the league in batting average (.328), slugging percentage (.570) and on-base percentage (.409). UTSA dominates several categories with 112 runs scored, 29 more than Texas State (83), 150 hits, 27 more than Texas State (123), 107 RBI, 34 more than Texas State (73), 29 home runs, 18 more than Sam Houston State and Texas State (11) and 261 total bases, 72 more than Texas State (189).
At the Top
Several Roadrunners rank at or near the top of the latest Southland Conference list. Here's a look at UTSA players at the top of the league (stats as of April 5):
Player, Category (Stat)
Christy Brownlee, Home runs (18)
Christy Brownlee, Slugging pct. (.897)
Christy Brownlee, RBI (39)
Christy Brownlee, Total bases (96)
Jessica Rogers, Sacrifice flies (5)
Jessica Els, Runners picked off (8)
Weekly Honors
Christy Brownlee was named Southland Conference Hitter of the Week on Feb. 10 for her outstanding opening weekend in San Marcos. The senior was 5-for-15 (.333) with three homers and two doubles. She drove in nine runs and scored five herself in five games at the Bobcat Classic. Krystal Gibson picked up Hitter of the Week honors on March 9 after hitting .500 (6-for-12) in the three-game series against Texas-Arlington. She deposited a key three-run bomb in UTSA's 6-3 win in game one, posted a slugging percentage of .750, drove in five runs and did not strikeout. Brownlee garnered league honors for the second time on March 29 after batting 571 (4-for-7) with three home runs, eight RBI and three walks in the three-game series sweep of Southeastern Louisiana. She posted a slugging percentage of 1.857 (13 total bases) and an on-base percentage of .700 and was perfect in the field at second base. Brownlee was honored for the second straight week after batting .636 (7-for-11) with two doubles, four homers, eight runs, eight RBI, six walks and 1.909 slugging and .765 on-base percentages. She broke three school records - runs, RBI and extra-base hits - in a doubleheader sweep of Texas Southern.
Tough Slate
The 2004 schedule features three tournaments, including the annual UTSA Fastpitch Express College Classic on Feb. 13-15, several tough non-conference games and the always-competitive Southland Conference lineup. The Roadrunners also faced No. 13 LSU at the LSU Purple & Gold Challenge on Feb. 20-22. The schedule also features non-conference matchups with nationally-ranked Texas, Houston, Louisiana Tech, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas Southern. The Southland Conference Postseason Tournament is slated for April 30-May 2, in San Marcos, Texas.
Hill At The Helm
Entering her sixth season with the Roadrunners softball program, Corrie Hill has emerged as one of the top offensive minds in fastpitch softball today. In five seasons in San Antonio, Hill has tutored one All-American in Amanda Michalsky, five all-region performers and 28 all-conference players, including 15 first-teamers. Hill, who reached 200 wins for her career in a 5-4 victory over Texas-Arlington on March 6 and now has 212, has taken the power-hitting game to a new level at UTSA. During her first five seasons, the Roadrunners have rewritten the record books in nearly every major offensive category. Her teams have set 23 school records, including 12 offensive. Under Hill's direction, UTSA players have entered the top 10 list in all 22 offensive single-season and career categories kept. Current Roadrunners appear in 20 of those lists, including senior Christy Brownlee, whose name shows up in 18 different categories. She has coached the top 12 home run sluggers in school history. Hill has averaged 28 wins per season in her first five years at UTSA and needs 15 more victories to become the winningest coach in school history. In the last five seasons, UTSA has posted wins over a number of highly-regarded programs including Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oregon, Tulsa, Colorado State, Arkansas and Southwest Missouri State.