UTSA Roadrunners (15-12) vs. Missouri Tigers (30-7)
Tuesday, March 25 ? 6 p.m. | Wednesday, March 26 ? 6 p.m.
Roadrunner Field (300) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series Record: Missouri leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Missouri, 12-4 (March 29, 2001)
UTSA Roadrunners (15-12) vs. New Mexico Lobos (14-10)
Thursday, March 27 ? 6 p.m.
Roadrunner Field (300) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series Record: UTSA leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: New Mexico, 4-3 (Feb. 20, 2005)
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA (15-12) steps out of league play for three homegames this week, beginning with a 6 p.m. Tuesday matchup against Big 12power Missouri (30-7). The Roadrunners and Tigers will play again at 6p.m. on Wednesday, while UTSA hosts New Mexico (14-10) at 6 p.m. onThursday.
Tuning In: Live stats and audio (Rowdy Zone subscribers) will be provided for all three games at goUTSA.com. Ed Suarez has the call.
Base Hits
? UTSA is 7-3 at Roadrunner Field this year and 67-18 (.788) since 2004
? Senior Amanda Nikolenko set the UTSA career strikeouts record (524) and tied the all-tie wins mark (61) against Central Arkansas on Saturday
? Freshman Dany? Holmes earned SLC Hitter of the Week honors after batting .500 with two home runs and eight RBIs last week
? Senior Lindsay Perry is riding an eight-game hitting streak
Scouting Missouri: The Tigers enter Tuesday’s game with a 30-7 record and have won 22 of their last 23 games. Rhea Taylor leads a potent offense with a .394 average, 36 runs and 34 stolen bases, while Lindsey Ubrun is batting .357 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs. Stacy Delaney leads a solid pitching staff with a 12-3 record, 1.30 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 102 innings. Head coach Ehran Earleywine is 70-31 in his second season at the helm.
Scouting New Mexico: The Lobos fell to 14-10 on the season after going 1-3 at the tough Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., last weekend. Gabriella Parra leads the offense with a .439 average, six doubles, four home runs and 22 RBIs, while Lindsey Elcess is hitting .406 with eight homers and 17 RBIs. Kelly Ninemire has seen the most work in the circle and owns a 9-7 record, 3.20 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 89.2 innings. Head coach Ty Singleton is 34-35 in his second season in Albuquerque.
Week In Review: UTSA fought back from a tough 9-4 loss at North Texas on Wednesday to sweep its third Southland Conference series of the year at Central Arkansas over the weekend. Freshman Dany? Holmes helped the Roadrunners to a 7-1 win in the opener, tossing a three-hitter and slugging a two-run homer, while senior Amanda Nikolenko hurled a complete-game shutout in a 6-0 victory in game two. UTSA rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the finale, scoring 11 runs in the sixth inning in a 13-5 run-ruling.
SLC Supremacy: UTSA is the winningest program in Southland Conference history, owning a 261-161 (.618) all-time record in conference games. Dating back to 2004, the Roadrunners are 92-32 (.742) in league play. UTSA won three consecutive SLC regular season crowns from 2004-06 and captured SLC Tournament titles in 2004 and 2006.
Tough Slate: UTSA is facing a tough schedule this year, including five teams that made the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Two teams are ranked in last week’s USA Today/NFCA Top 25 ? No. 11 Houston and No. 15 Baylor ? while Missouri and Texas State are receiving votes.
Career Record Watch: Senior Amanda Nikolenko has set four UTSA career pitching records this season ? wins (61), starts (95), innings (648.1) and strikeouts (524). The right-hander from Ashland, Mo., is within striking distance of the school marks for complete games (64/72) and shutouts (13/19).
A New Era: Lori Cook is in her third year as head coach with a career 79-57 record (.581). In her first season in 2006, UTSA went 37-14, won its third consecutive SLC regular season title with a 22-5 mark, won the SLC Tournament for the second time in three years and made its second NCAA Tournament appearance.
Up Next: UTSA travels to Thibodaux, La., for a three-game league series at Nicholls State this Saturday-Sunday, March 29-30.
