| April 25, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4551 UTSA puts 13-game winning streak on the line at Texas Tech Wednesday Game Notes | Live Audio & Stats:http://texastech.cstv.com SAN ANTONIO - The UTSA softball team will put its 13-game winning streak, the longest since 2000, on the line this Wednesday, April 26, with a non-conference doubleheader at Texas Tech. First pitch in game one is slated for 2:30 p.m. UTSA Roadrunners (29-11)
at
Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-31)
Wednesday, April 26 • 2:30 p.m. (DH)
Rocky Johnson Field • Lubbock, Texas
Series Record: UTSA leads, 8-5 • UTSA has won 13 straight and 25 of its last 30 games
• The Roadrunners have won nine straight and are 12-8 on the road this season
• UTSA has won three straight meetings with Texas Tech
Last Time Out:
UTSA swept its third straight Southland Conference series, taking care of Louisiana-Monroe at home, 8-4, 7-2 and 4-1, over the weekend. Sophomore right-hander Amanda Nikolenko was brilliant in the circle, earning her first save of the season in game one and picking up complete-game victories in the other two contests en route to her fourth SLC Pitcher of the Week honor of the year. Offensively, senior Amanda Horton (3-for-7, 2 HR, 7 RBI) and junior Stevi Simpson (5-for-8, 2 HR, 3 RBI) led a solid output.
Series History:
UTSA has won three consecutive meetings with Texas Tech and leads the all-time series, 8-5. The last time these two teams met was on Feb. 7, 2004, in San Marcos. The Roadrunners run-ruled the Red Raiders, 11-3, behind two home runs and three runs batted in from Christy Brownlee. Texas Tech’s last victory against UTSA (2-1) came in game one of a doubleheader on Feb. 18, 2001.
Scouting Texas Tech:
The Red Raiders fell to 18-31 on the year after dropping a Big 12 twinbill to No. 17 Nebraska over the weekend. Texas Tech has played a tough schedule this season, posting a 3-14 record against ranked opponents. Texas Tech’s last victory came on April 13 against North Texas, 3-1, in Denton. Elizabeth Eimen and Whitney Riley lead an offense that is batting .235 as a team. Eimen has a .283 average in 25 games, while Riley is hitting .291 with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs and 16 RBI. Erin Crawford leads a pitching staff that owns a combined earned run average of 2.80. Crawford is 11-16 with a 2.35 ERA, 115 strikeouts and 34 walks in 166.2 innings pitched. Julie Hauck (6-9, 2.86 ERA, 62 strikeouts) is the other regular starter. UTSA vs. Texas Tech Statistical Comparison
UTSA Category TTU
.312 Batting Average .235
231 Runs Scored 148
344 Hits 296
77 Home Runs 27
220 Runs Batted In 134
.574 Slugging Percentage .348
.380 On-Base Percentage .315
8 Stolen Bases 65
2.38 Earned Run Average 2.80
.267 Opposing Batting Average .261
248 Batters Struck Out 240
.959 Fielding Percentage .946 Starting Early:
UTSA has outscored its opponents 43-11 in the first inning this season and 136-50 in the first three frames combined. UTSA has given up just one run in the first or second inning over the last 16 games. On the season, the Roadrunners have crossed the plate 231 times and have limited foes to just 114 runs.
SLC Accolades:
UTSA has earned 10 Aeropostale/SLC Player of the Week accolades this season. Amanda Nikolenko has been named Pitcher of the Week four times, picking up her last honor on Monday. 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.
No Place Like Home:
UTSA has made Roadrunner Field a tough place to play for opponents. The Roadrunners are 45-7 (.865) at the facility since the beginning of the 2004 season and have won 40 of their last 44 home games. Additionally, UTSA is batting .355 as a team at home with 41 home runs and has out-scored its opponents, 116-44, in 16 games.
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 77 in their first 40 contests (1.93 per game). Dating back to the beginning of the 2003 season, UTSA has slugged an amazing 361 home runs in 209 games (1.73 average). The Roadrunners lead the SLC in long balls and rank first nationally with 1.93 home runs per game, just ahead of Louisiana-Lafayette’s 1.87 mark. The Roadrunners trail only Louisiana-Lafayette (88) and Maryland-Baltimore County (79) in total long balls. Individually, senior Amanda Horton leads the league with 13 bombs and ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA with 0.38 home runs per game, the same average with which Jessica Rogers captured last year’s national home runs title.
UTSA In The NCAA Ranks:
Besides leading the NCAA in home runs per game with a 1.93 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).
Streaky Numbers:
UTSA in the midst of a 13-game winning streak, the longest since the 2000 squad also won 13 straight. The Roadrunners have compiled some impressive numbers during this latest stretch. UTSA is hitting .306 as a team, led by Stevi Simpson’s gaudy .553 mark. The Roadrunners have out-scored their opponents, 67-23, during the streak, an average of 5.2-1.8 per game. The pitching staff boasts the most impressive stats with a 1.52 ERA, 89 strikeouts in 92.0 innings and a .238 opposing batting 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 2.38 ERA, while striking out 248 batters compared to only 69 walks. Nikolenko leads the staff in victories (18), ERA (2.32), strikeouts (120) and shutouts (3), while Mares owns a 2.40 ERA, 112 strikeouts, a .249 opposing batting average and the only no-hitter of the season last Wednesday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Ortiz began the season with 13 and one-third scoreless innings and has compiled a 2-0 record, 2.17 ERA, 14 Ks and only three walks.
Conference Supremacy:
Over the past three seasons of SLC play, UTSA has recorded a 63-16 record (.797). 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 19-5 start this season, the Roadrunners sit in second place behind Texas State (18-3) in the league standings. UTSA is the winningest program in the SLC in conference games only with an all-time record of 232-145 (.615).
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 119th-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). Texas Tech is rated 95th this week.
On Deck:
UTSA concludes the regular season at home with a three-game conference series against Texas-Arlington on Saturday-Sunday, April 29-30.
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