| May 3, 2005
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 Conference champion Roadrunners face McNeese State in first round of SLC Tournament Complete Release | Live Stats | Listen Live Official SLC Softball Tournament Web Site | Bracket SAN ANTONIO - Coming off a title-clinching sweep of Sam Houston State last weekend, the UTSA softball team travels to Hammond, La., for the Southland Conference Tournament hosted by Southeastern Louisiana on Friday-Sunday, May 6-8. The Roadrunners (40-16) are the No. 1 seed for the second straight year and will face 6-seed McNeese State (28-32) on Friday at 11 a.m. The winner advances to face the loser of 3-seed Texas State and 4-seed Northwestern State on Saturday at 11 a.m., while the loser faces elimination on Friday at 6:30 p.m. against the loser of 2-seed Sam Houston State and 5-seed Texas-Arlington. Southland Conference Tournament
Friday, May 6-Sunday, May 8
North Oak Park • Hammond, La. Friday, May 6
G1: UTSA (40-16) vs. McNeese St. (28-32) - 11 a.m.
G2: Sam Houston St. (26-23) vs. Texas-Arlington (17-24) - 1:30 p.m.
G3: Texas State (25-25) vs. Northwestern St. (35-26) - 4 p.m.
G4: G1 loser vs. G2 loser - 6:30 p.m. Base Hits
• UTSA has won the past six meetings wth McNeese State and leads the overall series, 32-16
• The Roadrunners went 4-0 in the 2004 SLC Tournament and own a 10-12 all-time record in the event
• UTSA has an NCAA-best 100 home runs through 56 games (1.79 avg)
• The Roadrunners have a 140-101 all-time record versus the five tournament opponents, including an 8-7 mark in tournament action
UTSA Tidbits:
UTSA has won 34 of its past 40 Southland Conference regular season games and 38 of the last 44 league contests including last year’s conference tournament … the Roadrunners have won five straight and 14 of their last 15 games overall … UTSA has slugged an NCAA-leading 100 home runs through the first 56 games for an average of 1.79 per game … last year, UTSA hit a SLC record 101 home runs in 54 contests for an NCAA record 1.87 average … the 2005 squad already has broken team single-season records for runs scored (365), hits (532), RBI (339), total bases (927), sacrifice flies (14) and hit by pitch (32) … junior Jessica Rogers broke the school’s single-season RBI record of 52 with her 53rd RBI in the 5-0 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on April 16 … Rogers surpassed the career RBI standard of 136 set by Christy Brownlee with five in a 9-1 victory at Texas-Arlington on April 23 to give her 137 for her career … Rogers became the sixth player in school history to reach 200 hits with, fittingly, a three-run home run that tied the SLC single-season home run record of 22 set by Brownlee in 2004 … senior Krystal Gibson was the fifth Roadrunner to reach 200 hits 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 … Gibson broke the career putouts record in a 3-2 win over Sam Houston State n April 30 … 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 … Davis needs just one hit to reach 200 for her career … 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 swept Sam Houston State in a three-game series last weekend at Roadrunner Field en route to capturing its second straight Southland Conference regular season title with a 21-5 mark. Jessica Els hit two home runs and Aimee Murray added a third as UTSA edged the Bearkats in the opener, 3-2. Amanda Nikolenko hurled a complete-game, five-hit shutout and Amanda Horton hit two solo homers in a 3-0 victory in game two. Murray hit another solo home run and Jennifer Davis drove in the game-winner on an RBI-single, while Nikolenko shined again as UTSA held off a late rally for a 2-1 win in the finale on Sunday. Power Supply:
UTSA has launched 100 home runs in 56 games this year, or twice as many as every conference foe except for McNeese State, which hit 52. Eight Roadrunners have more homers than Texas-Arlington has hit as a team (five). UTSA’s starting infield of Krystal Gibson (nine), Mel Torres (nine), Jessica Rogers (22) and Aimee Murray (11) has combined for 51 long balls, or one less home run than McNeese. Early Bird Gets The Worm:
UTSA has struck early and often for runs in the 2005 campaign. The Roadrunners have outscored their opponents, 167-64, in the first three innings combined, including a 68-18 margin in the third frame, and own a 365-159 advantage overall. The Roadrunners own more than a 2:1 margin over their opponents in runs scored in each of the first six innings this season. UTSA vs. 2005 SLC Tournament Field
McNeese State Series History
UTSA leads 32-16 overall and 3-1 in the SLC Tournament
Last Meeting: UTSA 5, McNeese State 1 (March 13, 2005 • San Antonio)
Sam Houston Series History
UTSA leads 26-20 overall and 1-0 in the SLC Tournament
Last Meeting: UTSA 2, Sam Houston State 1 (May 1, 2005 • San Antonio)
Texas State Series History
Texas State leads 27-22 overall, but UTSA leads 1-0 in the SLC Tournament
Last Meeting: UTSA 12, Texas State 3 (March 25, 2005 • San Marcos)
Northwestern State Series History
Northwestern State leads 28-24 overall and 6-2 in the SLC Tournament
Last Meeting: UTSA 8, Northwestern State 2 (March 23, 2005 • San Antonio) Texas-Arlington Series History
UTSA leads 27-19 overall and 1-0 in the SLC Tournament
Last Meeting: UTSA 10, Texas-Arlington 1 (April 24, 2005 • Arlington) SLC Tournament History:
UTSA owns an all-time record of 10-12 in the Southland Conference Tournament, highlighted by a 4-0 run to the title last year. The Roadrunners defeated Nicholls State, 6-3, and Texas-Arlington, 6-3, in 10 innings before downing Sam Houston State, 6-0, and Northwestern State, 11-3, to win the 2004 SLC Tourney in San Marcos. UTSA has played in seven of the nine tournaments since the league brought the event back in 1996 and made a run to the championship game in 2000 before losing to Northwestern State, 4-3. In the SLC Tourney record book, Ursula Mares shares the standard for most victories with four set last year in being named the Tournament MVP, while UTSA set team records for runs (29) and RBI (28) last year. Four Roadrunners made the all-tournament team last year: Christy Brownlee (2B), Jessica Rogers (3B), Aimee Murray (SS) and Mares (P). Tough Slate:
The 2005 schedule is one of the program’s toughest in recent memory as the Roadrunners have played five teams that have been ranked in at least one of the two major polls this year. UTSA opened with a three-game set at Arizona State, which is receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 and then played at No. 23 Texas A&M (now No. 5/4) in the same week. UTSA also has played two games against Texas (No. 6/8), Nebraska (RV/No. 24) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a team that was ranked No. 25 in the NFCA Top 25 and has received votes in both polls earlier this season. RPI Update:
As of April 30, UTSA was rated 64th in the latest Rating Percentage Index found online at www.warrennolan.com, down slightly from its highest rating of 54th three weeks ago. The Roadrunners have played several highly-rated opponents such as Texas A&M (4), Texas (6), Arizona State (21) and Nebraska (30) and are 9-11 against teams in the top 100, which also includes Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (44), Houston (62), Albany (71), Sam Houston State (86), Colorado State (90) and Texas State (93). League Honors:
A UTSA player was named Southland Conference Hitter or Pitcher of the Week seven times this season, including four of the last six 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 17 of 56 games at home, posting a 16-1 mark at Roadrunner Field. The Roadrunners are 16-12 in true road games and 8-3 in neutral site contests. 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 there as two players with the last name Garcia (Jenny and Laura) are on the roster. Chart Climbing:
Several Roadrunners are making their way up the school’s career record book in several different categories. Krystal Gibson broke the career mark for putouts in an April 30 victory Sam Houston State and is within reach of the school record for doubles (45/record: 46), extra-base hits (88/record: 92) and walks (87/record: 89). Having broken the career RBI record of 136 with her 137th on April 23, Jessica Rogers has 50 career home runs and has her sights set on the career mark of 55 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 deep into the 2005 campaign, Jessica Rogers already has broken the school single-season record for RBI with 62 and matched the home run mark of 22. Jennifer Davis is just two triples shy of the single-season standard of five held by Shannon Bonner, while Mel Torres is three doubles back of Amanda Michalsky’s mark of 17. 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. The 2005 team already has broken single-season records for runs scored (365), hits (532), RBI (339), total bases (927), sacrifice flies (14) and hit by pitch (32). UTSA is on pace to shatter the batting average record of .312 (currently .340), slugging percentage mark of .582 (.592) and on-base percentage standard of .382 (.397). 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 10 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:
Three Roadrunner regulars are batting .400 or better since the beginning of April (19 games). Jessica Rogers leads the way with a .484 mark, 23 RBI, 15 runs, four doubles, one triple and seven home runs. Stacey Gillespie is batting .440 with 12 runs, 11 RBI, four doubles, one triple and two round-trippers, while Jennifer Davis is hitting .431 with 18 RBI, 14 runs, five two-baggers and four home runs. Additionally, Amanda Horton has a .386 batting average, seven homers and 16 RBI, while Aimee Murray (.381), Jessica Els (.373), Jenny Garcia (.350) and Mel Torres (.349) have contributed to a UTSA offense that is batting .373 as a team during the stretch. Ring Of Fire:
UTSA’s three-armed pitching staff of Ursula Mares, Amanda Nikolenko and Hope Ortiz have heated up the pitching circle since the beginning of April, posting a combined ERA of 1.84 and a 17-2 record. Ursula Mares owns a 1.74 ERA, 8-1 record, 57 strikeouts, 15 walks and a .178 opposing batting average in 11 appearances. Amanda Nikolenko is 7-1 with a 1.86 ERA, 47 strikeouts and 11 walks in 10 appearances, while Hope Ortiz is 2-0 with a 2.21 ERA in three outings. Bearing Down:
Boasting an 18-2 record in the last 20 games, UTSA has stepped it up defensively with a .984 fielding percentage. The Roadrunners have turned six double plays and committed just eight errors in 494 chances going back to a 12-3 win at Texas State on March 25. Senior Sidekicks:
UTSA’s senior duo of Jennifer Davis and Krystal Gibson has made its mark on the Roadrunner softball program the past five years. Combined, the two have played in 428 games (401 starts), scored 245 runs, driven in 235 runs and collected 428 hits, including 68 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 tied the SLC single-season record with her 22nd home run on April 23, giving her a 0.39 average for 56 games. That number would rank ninth on the all-time NCAA list, her 22 home runs would be tied for the 16th-best season in NCAA history and her 50 career bombs would currently rank 18th. Rogers, who leads the SLC in five different categories, also is ranked nationally in RBI per game (third/1.15), slugging percentage (12th/.817), toughest to strike out (21st/20.0), a category she led the nation in last season, and batting average (45th/.400). Horton Heats Up:
After a slow start to the 2005 campaign, Amanda Horton has heated up the batter’s box over the last 20 games. The 2004 third team all-conference designated player began the season in an 0-17 slump but has batted .400 with 16 RBI, one triple, seven home runs and a .911 slugging percentage since late March. Dating back to the Nicholls State series on April 9-10, the West, Texas, native is 15-for-35 with 15 RBI and all seven of her long balls. Don’t Call Me Ernie:
Sharing the surname with one of the world’s top golfers, Ernie Els, junior Jessica Els has emerged with the third-highest batting average on the team, a career-best .366 mark. The Cy-Fair High School product is hitting .442 with four home runs over the last 14 games and has zero errors in that stretch from her catching position. A New Season:
Entering conference play on March 12 hitting just .137, Stacey Gillespie has treated the SLC slate like a new season. The Round Rock High School product sports a .439 batting average in 26 league games and is errorless in 41 chances in center field. 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 100 home runs through the first 56 games (1.79 avg). 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.
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