| Feb. 17, 2005
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 UTSA heads to Las Cruces for Troy Cox Classic Complete Release | Live Stats (nmstatesports.com)
SAN ANTONIO - Coming off a 4-0 showing in winning the Fastpitch Express College Classic last weekend in San Antonio, the UTSA Roadrunners (4-5) travel to Las Cruces, N.M., to compete in the Troy Cox Classic hosted by New Mexico State on Friday-Sunday, Feb. 18-20, at Presley Askew Complex. The Roadrunners open the tournament against Loyola (Ill.) on Friday at 10 a.m. Central, followed by a noon matchup with Colorado State. A showdown with No. 18 Nebraska awaits Saturday at 10 a.m., before wrapping up the classic against New Mexico State on Saturday at noon and New Mexico on Sunday at 2 p.m. UTSA Roadrunners (4-5)
at
Troy Cox Classic
hosted by New Mexico State Friday-Sunday, Feb. 18-20
Presley Askew Complex - Las Cruces, N.M. Friday, Feb. 18
UTSA vs. Loyola (0-0) - 10 a.m.
UTSA vs. Colorado State (4-3) - 12 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 19
UTSA vs. #18/23 Nebraska (2-1) - 10 a.m.
UTSA vs. New Mexico State (6-5) - 12 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 20
UTSA vs. New Mexico (0-5) - 2 p.m.
All time Central Quick Hits
• With the 5-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 13, head coach Corrie Hill passed Chickie Mason as the school’s all-time winningest head coach in any sport with 183 victories.
• The Roadrunners have 15 home runs through nine games (1.67 avg.)
• Senior Krystal Gibson is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak.
UTSA vs. Troy Cox Classic Opponents Series History
vs. Loyola: Series tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: March 8, 2001 (San Antonio) • UTSA 8, Loyola 2
vs. Colorado State: Series tied, 3-3
Last Meeting: Feb. 15, 2004 (San Antonio) • UTSA 4, CSU 2 (8)
vs. Nebraska: Nebraska leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 16, 1996 (Arlington, Texas) • NU 3, UTSA 0
vs. New Mexico State: Series tied, 5-5
Last Meeting: Feb. 6, 2004 (San Marcos, Texas) • UTSA 5, NMSU 1
vs. New Mexico: UTSA leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: March 21, 2003 (Las Cruces, N.M.) • UTSA 10, UNM 5
UTSA Tidbits:
With the 5-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 9, head coach Corrie Hill passed Chickie Mason as the school’s all-time winningest coach with 183 victories … Krystal Gibson has at least one hit in all nine games this season for a team-best nine-game hitting streak … junior Jenny Garcia is riding a five-game hitting streak, while sophomore Aimee Murray is on a four-gamer … junior Jessica Rogers was named SLC Hitter of the Week after going 9-for-22 (.409) with four home runs, including a grand slam, one double, six runs scored, 12 runs batted in and a 1.000 slugging percentage … sophomore Ursula Mares was tabbed SLC Pitcher of the Week after going 2-1 with a 1.17 earned run average, 25 strikeouts and just two walks … UTSA is batting .314 with 45 runs scored in six day games (4-2 record) compared to a .191 average and just two runs in three night contests (0-3).
Last Time Out:
UTSA swept through the Fastpitch Express College Classic schedule to win the tournament for the first time last weekend in San Antonio. After a pair of opening-day run-rulings over Texas-El Paso (10-2) and Centenary (12-1), the Roadrunners downed North Texas, 9-0, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 5-0, to improve to 4-5 on the season.
Going, Going, Gone:
Under seventh-year head coach Corrie Hill, UTSA has emerged as one of the top power-hitting programs in the country. The Roadrunners have led the NCAA in home runs per game each of the past two seasons, hitting 1.45 per game (80/55 games) in 2003 and an NCAA-record 1.87 (101/54 games) last year. This year, UTSA has hit 15 home runs through the first nine games (1.67).
Hot Hitting:
Five Roadrunners have hit .400 or better over the last four games, led by Krystal Gibson’s .583 mark. Gibson has seven hits, including two doubles, seven runs and five RBI in the last four outings. Aimee Murray (.417, six RBI), Jennifer Davis (.417, four runs), Jessica Rogers (.400, four home runs, 11 RBI) and Jenny Garcia (.400, two doubles, one triple) all have at least four hits over that span.
Tough Slate:
The 2005 schedule is one of the program’s toughest in recent memory. UTSA opened with a three-game set at Arizona State, which received 26 votes in the USA Today/NFCA Preseason Top 25 Poll, and then played at No. 23 Texas A&M, now ranked No. 21 in the latest edition of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25. The Roadrunners also have two games apiece scheduled with No. 15/3 Texas and No. 18/23 Nebraska this season.
Change of Scenery:
Last year, Amanda Horton made a successful transition from pitcher as a freshman to third team all-conference designated player. Horton, who is a preseason second team All-SLC outfielder, saw the most innings (129.1) of any pitcher on UTSA’s staff two seasons ago, but earned a regular spot in the batting order midway through the 2004 campaign and finished with a .284 batting average, 13 home runs and 29 RBI. This year, sophomore Stevi Simpson, who was the No. 2 pitcher in 2004 with a 9-6 record and 3.40 ERA, has emerged as one of the top options at designated player with a .286 batting average.
Ring Of Fire:
UTSA’s one-two pitching punch of Ursula Mares and Amanda Nikolenko has heated up after a slow start to the 2005 campaign. Mares went 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA and 25 strikeouts against just two walks. She matched her career high with 10 punchouts in a 10-2 victory over UTEP and then fanned a career-high 11 Islanders in a 5-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Nikolenko also went 2-1 with a 2.19 ERA and 15 strikeouts. She hurled her first career shutout, striking out 10 and allowing just two hits in a 12-1 win over Centenary.
You Do The Math:
UTSA welcomes back 385 of the 452 hits (85 percent), 269 of the 329 runs (82 percent), 251 of the 310 runs batted in (81 percent) and 79 of the 101 long balls (78 percent) recorded in 2004.
Preseason Polls:
UTSA is the favorite to win the Southland Conference crown again in 2005 in both the head coaches and sports information directors preseason polls. The Roadrunners received all but one first-place vote in both polls. Sam Houston State was the runner-up pick in the coaches poll, while Texas State was the second choice by the SIDs.
All-SLC Accolades:
Seven Roadrunners were named to the 2005 Preseason All-SLC Team, including five on the first team. Seniors Krystal Gibson (1B) and Jennifer Davis (OF), junior Jessica Rogers (3B) and sophomores Aimee Murray (SS) and Ursula Mares (P) all were voted to the first squad, while juniors Amanda Horton (OF) and Jessica Els (C) made the second team.
Head Coach Corrie Hill:
Now in her seventh season at the helm of the UTSA softball program, Corrie Hill has emerged as one of the top offensive minds in fastpitch softball today and has turned the Roadrunners into one of the top programs in the region. In six years in San Antonio, Hill has tutored one All-American in Amanda Michalsky, seven all-region performers and 36 all-conference players, including 12 first-teamers. Hill guided UTSA to its first Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles in 2004, clinching the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth in the process. She was voted the SLC Coach of the Year as the Roadrunners racked up 37 wins and a 20-6 league mark. She now has the distinction of being the only SLC coach to win a league crown as a player (Texas-Arlington in 1989) and coach. UTSA also has taken over as the winningest program in conference history with a .583 winning percentage (189-135). Hill, who become the school’s all-time winningest coach with a 5-0 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 13, has averaged 30 wins per season in six years at UTSA and needs just 17 victories to reach 200 with the Roadrunners.
Up Next:
The Roadrunners travel west down I-10 again to El Paso for the UTEP Miner Invitational on Feb. 25-27.
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