| April 21, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4551 UTSA looks to extend 10-game winning streak at home against Louisiana-Monroe Series Notes | Live Audio (Saturday) | Live Stats
SAN ANTONIO - Riding a season-long 10-game winning streak, the UTSA softball team returns home from an eight-game road swing to host Louisiana-Monroe in a Southland Conference series this weekend at Roadrunner Field. First pitch in game one of a Saturday twinbill is set for 1 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at noon. UTSA Roadrunners (26-11, 16-5 SLC)
vs.
Louisiana-Monroe Indians (25-27, 8-13 SLC)
Saturday, April 22 • 1 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, April 23 • 12 p.m.
Roadrunner Field • San Antonio, Texas • UTSA has won 10 straight and 22 of its last 27 games
• The Roadrunners are 10-3 at home this season
• UTSA has won six straight meetings with Louisiana-Monroe Last Time Out:
UTSA used strong pitching, including junior Ursula Mares’ second career no-hitter, to shut down Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 3-0 and 3-1, in a doubleheader on Wednesday and improve to 26-11 on the year. Mares struck out seven and allowed just three baserunners in the opener to run her record to 8-6. Sophomore Amanda Nikolenko continued her impressive season with six scoreless frames in the second game, while senior Jessica Els and juniors Aimee Murray and Stevi Simpson had three hits apiece to lead the offense.
No Place Like Home:
UTSA has made Roadrunner Field a tough place to play for opponents. The Roadrunners are 42-7 (.857) at the facility since the beginning of the 2004 season and have won 37 of their last 41 home games. Additionally, UTSA is batting .358 as a team at home with 34 home runs and has out-scored its opponents, 97-37, in 13 games.
Scouting Louisiana-Monroe:
The Indians fell to 25-27 on the season with a doubleheader loss to Arkansas on Wednesday. Louisiana-Monroe is in seventh place in the SLC standings with an 8-13 record, having swept Stephen F. Austin in its last league series last weekend. Junior catcher Heather Williams leads the offense with a .329 batting average, 13 doubles, five home runs and 30 runs batted in, while junior second baseman Heather Hanson is hitting .327 with 29 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. Freshman right-hander Sammie Dillard leads a much improved pitching staff with a 12-9 record, 2.07 earned run average, 90 strikeouts and a .225 opposing batting average.
Series History:
UTSA leads the all-time series with Louisiana-Monroe, 30-16. The Roadrunners have won six straight meetings, out-scoring the Indians, 58-11, in those games. UTSA took a three-game series at ULM in 2005, winning 5-0, 10-2 and 11-3. ULM swept a three-game set from UTSA in 2003, but UTSA still holds a 13-6 advantage since 2000.
UTSA vs. Louisiana-Monroe Statistical Comparison
UTSA Category ULM
.315 Batting Average .251
127 Runs Scored 81
187 Hits 136
39 Home Runs 14
121 Runs Batted In 73
.572 Slugging Percentage .375
.380 On-Base Percentage .322
2 Stolen Bases 18
1.98 Earned Run Average 3.00
.256 Opposing Batting Average .274
145 Batters Struck Out .90
970 Fielding Percentage .962
* conference-only statistics used
Starting Early:
UTSA has outscored its opponents 39-10 in the first inning this season and 123-47 in the first three frames combined. The last time UTSA gave up a run in the first or second inning was on March 26 in an 11-4 win against Stephen F. Austin. On the season, the Roadrunners have crossed the plate 212 times and have limited foes to just 107 runs.
SLC Accolades:
UTSA has earned nine Aeropostale/SLC Player of the Week accolades this season. Amanda Nikolenko has been named Pitcher of the Week three times. Senior Mel Torres and freshman Brittany Cantu earned Hitter of the Week honors on Feb. 14 and March 7, respectively, while Catherine Garza garnered hitting honors on March 27. Juniors Aimee Murray and Ursula Mares swept hitter and pitcher awards on April 10 and junior Stevi Simpson picked up her first hitting accolade on April 17.
Going, Going, Gone:
UTSA has led the NCAA in home runs per game in each of the last three seasons. The Roadrunners are in the mix again with 63 in their first 32 contests (1.89 per game). Dating back to the beginning of the 2003 season, UTSA has slugged an amazing 354 home runs in 201 games (1.76 average). The Roadrunners lead the SLC in long balls and rank first nationally with 1.89 home runs per game, just ahead of Louisiana-Lafayette’s 1.81 mark. The Roadrunners trail only ULL (76) and Maryland-Baltimore County (72) in total long balls. Individually, senior Amanda Horton leads the league with 13 bombs and ranks 12th in the NCAA with 0.35 home runs per game.
UTSA In The NCAA Ranks:
Besides leading the NCAA in home runs per game with a 1.89 average, UTSA also leads the country in slugging percentage with a .584 mark through games of April 16. The Roadrunners are ninth in runs per game at 5.89 and 18th in batting average (.310). Individually, Horton is ranked 12th in home runs per game (0.35), while freshman Brittany Cantu is 21st (0.30). Horton also is ranked 25th in RBI per game with a 1.03 average.
Secret Weapon:
The Roadrunners have made a name nationally for their ability to hit the home run. Over the past three seasons, a vastly improved pitching staff may be the biggest key to being in the mix for a third straight conference title. This year, senior Hope Ortiz, junior Ursula Mares, sophomore Amanda Nikolenko have combined to produce a 2.47 ERA, while striking out 219 batters compared to only 68 walks. Nikolenko leads the staff in victories (16) and shutouts (3), while Mares owns a team-best 2.39 ERA, 102 strikeouts and a .244 opposing batting average. Ortiz began the season with 13 and one-third scoreless innings and has compiled a 2.17 ERA, 14 Ks and only three walks.
Conference Supremacy:
Over the past three seasons of SLC play, UTSA has recorded a 60-16 record (.789). In 2004, the Roadrunners posted a 20-6 mark en route to the program’s first-ever conference championship. Last year, UTSA went 21-5 to capture its second straight regular season crown. Off to a 16-5 start this season, the Roadrunners sit in second place behind Texas State (16-2) in the league standings. UTSA is the winningest program in the SLC in conference games only with an all-time record of 229-145 (.612).
RPI Update:
UTSA is 65th in the latest simulated National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) RPI according to warrennolan.com. The Roadrunners are one spot behind Texas State and have the 118th-toughest schedule in the country. UTSA has a 3-4 record against teams rated in the top 60, boasting wins against Houston (46) and Colorado State (60).
On Deck:
UTSA hits the road again for a non-conference doubleheader at Texas Tech next Wednesday, April 26.
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