· Game notes (.pdf)
SAN ANTONIO — After playing 18 straight road games to start the season, UTSA (7-11, 2-1 SLC) hosts Texas-Arlington (11-8, 2-1 SLC) in a three-game Southland Conference series this weekend at Roadrunner Field. First pitch in the Saturday doubleheader is set for 1 p.m., followed by a single game at noon Sunday.
UTSA Roadrunners (7-11, 2-1) vs. Texas-Arlington Mavericks (11-8, 2-1)
Saturday, March 3-4 • 1 p.m. (DH)/Noon
Roadrunner Field (300) • San Antonio, Texas
Audio: goUTSA.com (Saturday's first game and Sunday, both for free)
Live Stats: goUTSA.com (all three games)
Series Record: UTSA leads, 32-19
Last Meeting: UTSA 8, Texas-Arlington 3 (May 7, 2006)
Series History: UTSA leads the all-time series with Texas-Arlington, 32-19, and has won seven straight and 10 of the last 12 meetings. The Roadrunners swept the Mavericks in all five meetings last season, including a thrilling 7-5, nine-inning win in the semifinal round of the SLC Tournament, followed by an 8-3 decision in the championship game. The last UTA victory (4-2) was on April 23, 2005.
Scouting The Mavericks: Texas-Arlington took 2-of-3 games from Texas State earlier this week to move to 11-8 on the season and 2-1 in the league. Katie Jones (.475), Heather Fortenberry (.463) and Dee Jay Nelson (.408) lead an offense that is hitting .320 as a team. Fortenberry is 4-0 with a 2.41 earned run average to lead a solid pitching staff that owns a combined 3.46 team ERA. Head coach Debbie Nichols-Hedrick is 256-266-2 in her 11th season.
SLC Supremacy: UTSA is the winningest program in Southland Conference history, owning a 234-146 (.616) all-time record in conference games. Dating back to 2004, the Roadrunners are 65-17 (.793) in league play, including a 22-5 mark last season. UTSA also is 10-2 in SLC Tournament games over the last three years, winning two-of-three titles (2004, 2006).
Tough Slate: UTSA has played a tough schedule in 2007, with two games against teams ranked in the top five of this week’s ESPN.com/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Polls. The Roadrunners faced No. 3/5 Alabama in the CenturyTel Classic and No. 5/4 Texas A&M at the Aggie Classic. UTSA will face three more teams (Baylor, LSU and Texas) that made the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
Making History: Junior right-hander Amanda Nikolenko tossed the eighth no-hitter in school history in a 10-0 victory over Rutgers on Feb. 16 at the Aggie Classic. The Ashland, Mo., native struck out five and allowed just two walks and a hit batter in becoming the fifth different Roadrunner to hold a team hitless in 16 seasons of softball.
Up Next: UTSA hosts St. John’s at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6.
