| April 21, 2005
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 UTSA looks to keep pace in SLC with three-game set at Texas-Arlington Complete Release Live Stats (click on Gametracker links on schedule at bottom of page) Live Audio (All three games) SAN ANTONIO - The UTSA softball team will put a 10-game Southland Conference winning streak on the line when they travel to Arlington, Texas, for a three-game series at Texas-Arlington. Games one and two are scheduled for Saturday, April 23, at 2 p.m. at Allan Saxe Field. The finale will be Sunday at 1 p.m. The Roadrunners are coming off a three-game sweep at Louisiana-Monroe and are 35-15 overall and in a first-place tie with Sam Houston State in the conference at 16-4. The Mavericks won two-of-three games from Stephen F. Austin last weekend and are 16-22 overall and sit alone in fifth place in the SLC at 12-11. UTSA Roadrunners (35-15, 16-4 SLC)
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Texas-Arlington Mavericks (16-22, 12-11 SLC) Allan Saxe Field • Arlington, Texas
Game 1: Saturday, April 23 - 2 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, April 23 - 4 p.m.
Game 3: Sunday, April 24 - 1 p.m. Series History:
UTSA leads 25-18
Last Meeting: UTSA 6, UTA 3 (10 inn.) - May 1, 2004 • San Marcos, Texas
Base Hits
• UTSA has won three of its past four meetings with UTA
• The Roadrunners have won 29 of their past 34 conference games
• UTSA has an NCAA-best 89 home runs through the first 50 games (1.78)
• Junior Stacey Gillespie shared SLC Hitter of the Week honors with UTA’s Autumn Petrino this week, UTSA’s seventh award of the season
UTSA Tidbits:
UTSA has won 29 of its past 34 Southland Conference regular season games and 33 of the last 38 league contests including last year’s conference tournament … UTSA has won 10 of its past 11 road games … the Roadrunners are 12-1 in the month of April … in last year’s record-setting season, UTSA posted a 14-1 record in April … UTSA has slugged an NCAA-leading 89 home runs through the first 50 games for an average of 1.78 home runs per game … junior Jessica Rogers broke the school’s single-season RBI record of 52 set by Michelle McElyea in 2000 with her 53rd RBI in the 5-0 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on April 16 … Rogers currently has 57 RBI and is within four of the career record of 136 held by Christy Brownlee … senior Krystal Gibson became the fifth player in school history to reach 200 hits for her career with a single in the top of the sixth in a 7-1 loss at No. 4 Texas on March 9 … with her next double, Gibson will tie the UTSA career record of 46 … senior Jennifer Davis posted a school-record five hits in the 11-4 win over Western Michigan on March 6 and has been tabbed SLC Hitter of the Week twice this season … sophomore Ursula Mares struck out a school-record 14 batters in the 13-0 win over Albany on Feb. 25 … with the 5-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 13, head coach Corrie Hill surpassed Chickie Mason as the school’s all-time winningest coach … Hill reached 200 wins for her UTSA career with an 8-6 decision over Northwestern State on March 22.
Last Time Out:
UTSA went 5-0 on a road trip in northern Louisiana last week, winning a doubleheader at Louisiana Tech, 6-3 and 10-2, and sweeping a three-game Southland Conference series at Louisiana-Monroe, 5-0, 10-2 and 11-3. For the week, the Roadrunners hit .406 as a team with 42 runs on 63 hits, eight doubles, eight home runs and 39 RBI. The pitching staff posted a 5-0 record with a 1.87 ERA, 30 strikeouts and just five walks. UTSA also made just two errors in 120 chances. Stacey Gillespie led all hitters with a .786 average, while juniors Jessica Els (.500), Jessica Rogers (.450) and senior Jennifer Davis (.467) all hit above .400.
Scouting Texas-Arlington:
The Mavericks enter this weekend’s series at 16-22 overall and 12-11 in the conference. Dee Jay Nelson leads the team in hitting with a .310 batting average, five doubles and 22 RBI, while Autumn Petrino and Katie Jones are both hitting .299. Jill Garro is the ace of a solid pitching staff, boasting an 11-11 record, 2.15 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 149.2 innings. Head coach Debbie Nichols-Hedrick is 212-232-2 in her ninth season at UTA.
Statistical Comparison:
Here is a look at how UTSA and Texas-Arlington compare in several major statistical categories (conference rankings):
UTSA- Category - UTA
.339 (1st) - Batting Average .238 (6th)
336 (1st) - Runs Scored - 108 (10th)
476 (1st) - Hits - 229 (10th)
310 (1st) - Runs Batted In - 95 (10th)
89 (1st) - Home Runs - 5 (10th)
112 (4th) - Walks - 77 (10th)
244 (6th) - Strikeouts - 162 (10th)
20 (8th) - Stolen Bases - 33 (6th)
2.86 (3rd) - Earned Run Average - 3.19 (4th)
289 (2nd) - Batters Struck Out - 195 (8th)
.964 (2nd) - Fielding Percentage - .963 (3rd)
2004 Texas-Arlington Series Rewind:
The Roadrunners scored four runs in the top of the 10th inning to hold on for a 6-3 victory in the second round of the SLC Tournament in San Marcos. Aimee Murray hit a two-run home run and Krystal Gibson followed with a solo shot in the decisive frame. UTSA also won two-of-three games from Texas-Arlington in a conference series played at Roadrunner Field. The Roadrunners took game one, 6-3, behind a three-run home run from Gibson, a two-run blast off the bat of Jessica Rogers and a solo shot by Christy Brownlee. UTSA took the nightcap, 5-4, holding off a seventh-inning rally from the Mavericks after leading 5-1. UTA scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to break a 1-1 tie in winning game three, 2-1, behind a strong pitching performance from Lauren Hebert.
Early Bird Gets The Worm:
UTSA has struck early and often for runs in the 2005 campaign. The Roadrunners have outscored their opponents, 153-64, in the first three innings combined and own a 336-150 advantage overall.
SGP Reunion:
Three former South Grand Prairie High School standouts have been reunited in uniform at UTSA. Jennifer Davis, Jessica Rogers and Mel Torres all had outstanding careers for the Warriors and have continued that trend at UTSA.
Name Game:
UTSA has four players named Jessica (Els, Ellison, Rogers, Saenz), three named Jennifer (Davis, Garcia, McQueen) and two named Krystal (Gibson, Guevara) and Amanda (Horton and Nikolenko). The similarities do not stop with the first names as there are two players with the last name Garcia (Jenny and Laura) on the roster.
Tough Slate:
The 2005 schedule is one of the program’s toughest in recent memory as the Roadrunners have played four teams ranked in at least one of the two major polls this week. UTSA opened with a three-game set at Arizona State, which is ranked No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 and is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25, and then played at No. 23 Texas A&M (now No. 6/5) in the same week. UTSA also has played two games against Nebraska (RV/No. 24) and Texas (No. 3/4).
RPI Update:
As of April 20, UTSA was rated 59th in the latest Rating Percentage Index found online at www.warrennolan.com. The Roadrunners have played several highly-rated opponents such as Texas (3), Texas A&M (5), Arizona State (22) and Nebraska (23) and are 8-12 against teams in the top 100 (also includes Texas A&M-Corpus Christi [44], Houston [62], Albany [66], Texas State [88] and Colorado State [97].
League Honors:
A UTSA player has been named Southland Conference Hitter or Pitcher of the Week seven times this season, including the last three weeks. Stacey Gillespie shared Hitter of the Week honors with UTA’s Autumn Petrino on April 18, her first career award. Jennifer Davis received her second Hitter of the Week honor on April 11 (also on March 8), while junior Jenny Garcia was named Hitter of the Week for the first time of her career on April 4. Krystal Gibson shared the hitting honor with Northwestern State’s Shay Hunt on March 28, while Jessica Rogers and Ursula Mares swept Hitter and Pitcher awards on Feb. 15.
Road Warriors:
The Roadrunners might seek an official name change to the Roadwarriors for the 2005 campaign. UTSA has played just 14 of 50 games at home, posting a 13-1 mark at Roadrunner Field. The Roadrunners are 14-11 in true road games, including six straight victories, and 8-3 in neutral site contests. With at least eight games remaining, UTSA has just three home games left on the schedule against Sam Houston State on April 30-May 1.
Chart Climbing:
Several Roadrunners are making their way up the school’s career record book in several different categories. Krystal Gibson appears on 10 different career charts and is within reach of the school record for doubles (45/record: 46), extra-base hits (88/record: 92), RBI (126/record: 136), walks (84/record: 89) and putouts (1,158/record: 1,172). Jessica Rogers, a junior with 48 career home runs and 132 RBI already, has her sights set on the career marks of 55 and 136 held by Christy Brownlee. Jennifer Davis is one triple shy of the school record of seven set by Shannon Steadman.
Single-Season Record Watch:
As UTSA continues its amazing offensive production well into the 2005 campaign, Jessica Rogers already has broken the school single-season record for RBI with 57 while a few other single-season records could be in jeopardy as well. Rogers is two home runs shy of matching the school and SLC record of 22 set by Christy Brownlee last season, while Jennifer Davis is just two triples shy of the single-season standard of five held by Shannon Bonner (1993).
Record-Setting Roadrunners:
Speaking of school records, the 2004 squad staked its claim to 10 team single-season and eight single-game marks, including an NCAA record 10 home runs and 64 total bases in a 26-1 win at Texas Southern.
Single-Game Standouts:
This season, two Roadrunners have broken school single-game records already. Ursula Mares struck out 14 Albany batters on Feb. 25 to eclipse the former mark of 13 shared by Paige Whitley and Angela Graham. On March 6, Jennifer Davis went 5-for-5 in an 11-4 victory over Western Michigan, breaking the former standard of four held by many. The single-game home run record of two has been matched seven times this year, as well.
Tournament Trifecta:
UTSA won three titles in four tournaments played this season. The Roadrunners claimed the Fastpitch Express College Classic title on Feb. 11-13 in San Antonio and the UTEP Miner Invitational on Feb. 25-27 in El Paso with perfect 4-0 records. UTSA and Houston both ended the Hyatt Regency Cougar Classic on March 4-6 in Houston with just one loss, but the Roadrunners owned the tiebreaker with a 3-0 win in the only head-to-head meeting.
Spring Is In the Air:
Five Roadrunner regulars are batting .400 or better for the month of April (13 games). Jessica Rogers and Stacey Gillespie lead the way with .500 averages, while junior Jenny Garcia is hitting .462. Sophomore Aimee Murray (.429) and Jennifer Davis (.410) are also above .400 this month.
Ring Of Fire:
UTSA’s three-armed pitching staff of Ursula Mares, freshman Amanda Nikolenko and junior Hope Ortiz have heated up the pitching circle over the last three weeks. Mares is 6-0 with a 1.89 ERA, 42 strikeouts, just six walks and a shutout in 37 innings. She owns a 9-1 record and 2.24 ERA in conference games. Nikolenko is 4-1 with a 2.48 ERA and 28 strikeouts, while Ortiz is 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA in April.
Senior Sidekicks:
UTSA’s senior duo of Jennifer Davis and Krystal Gibson has made its mark on the Roadrunner softball program the past four years. Combined, the two have played in 416 games (389 starts), scored 239 runs, driven in 230 runs and collected 417 hits, including 67 home runs. The two appear on 23 of UTSA’s single-season or career lists as Gibson is on pace to break several career records, while Davis set the single-game mark for hits in a game with five on March 6.
Rogers On Record Pace:
Jessica Rogers is on a record-setting pace for hitting the long ball this season. The 2004 Southland Conference Softball Student-Athlete of the Year already has a national-best 20 long balls through the first 50 games (0.40 per game). Last year, Rogers hit 17 home runs, which was the third-best season on school record, but she already has surpassed her own standard and is within two of the UTSA record of 22 set by Christy Brownlee last season. Additionally, the 0.40 home runs per game average would rank in a tie for seventh on the all-time NCAA list. Her 20 home runs would be tied for the 24th-best season all-time, while her 48 career bombs would rank 21st. Rogers, who leads the SLC in five different categories, also currently is ranked nationally in RBI per game (seventh/1.12), slugging percentage (18th/.786) and toughest to strike out (27th/19.2), a category she led the nation in last 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 89 home runs through the first 50 games (1.78 per game). In the record-setting 2004 season, the Roadrunners had 96 long balls through 50 contests. 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. 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 more than 30 wins per season in seven years at UTSA. Hill won her 200th game as head coach of the Roadrunners with an 8-6 decision over Northwestern State on March 22.
Up Next:
UTSA hosts Sam Houston State in a huge three-game series that will conclude the regular season for both teams. Games one and two will be Saturday, April 30, at 1 p.m., followed by the final home game for UTSA’s senior class of Jennifer Davis, Jessica Ellison, Krystal Gibson and J.J. McQueen on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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