UTSA Roadrunners (8-7, 3-0 SLC) vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats (8-8, 2-1 SLC)
Saturday, Feb. 28 ? 1/3 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, March 1 ? noon
Roadrunner Field (300) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 31-25
Last Meeting: UTSA, 6-4 [8 innings] (May 4, 2008)
SAN ANTONIO ? Fresh off a convincing sweep of TexasA&M-Corpus Christi, UTSA (8-7, 3-0 SLC) will host Sam Houston State(8-8, 2-1 SLC) in a three-game Southland Conference series this weekendat Roadrunner Field. First pitch in a Saturday doubleheader is slatedfor 1 p.m., followed by a single game at noon Sunday.
On The Web: UTSA will provide live stats for all three game and free audio for Sunday's contest will be available courtesy of Yahoo Broadcasts. Ed Suarez will call the action.
Base Hits:
? With the sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday-Wednesday, UTSA has posted its third 3-0 league start in the past six years and the first since 2006
? UTSA began the sweep of the Islanders with two consecutive shutouts, the first time that has happened to begin conference play since 2006
? UTSA’s current four-game winning streak is the longest since March 21-25, 2008
? The Roadrunners lead the all-time series with Sam Houston State, 31-25, and own a 13-10 edge in games played at Roadrunner Field
? The Roadrunners won the last meeting, 6-4, in eight innings as part of a 2-1 series win in Huntsville on May 3-4, 2008
? Fourth-year head coach Lori Cook needs three wins to reach 100 for her UTSA career
? UTSA is one win away from victory No. 500 for the program (499-412-2)
? Junior Kelly Cato was tabbed SLC Hitter of the Week on Tuesday after batting .833 (5-6) with two home runs and six RBIs in the North Texas doubleheader on Feb. 17
? Sophomore left-hander Dany? Holmes carries a 19.2 scoreless-innings streak into the weekend series
? Last year, Holmes became the first Roadrunner to earn all-conference honors at two different positions in the same season (2nd team pitcher, 3rd team catcher)
? Senior Leanne Risberg has 25 career home runs and will move into a tie for 10th place on UTSA’s all-time list with her next long ball
? Junior Rudi Cantu is riding a four-game hitting streak
UTSA/Sam Houston State Series History: The Roadrunners lead the all-time series against Sam Houston State, 31-25, including a 13-10 advantage in games played at Roadrunner Field. UTSA won the last meeting, 6-4, in extra innings as part of a 2-1 series victory on May 3-4, 2008, in Huntsville. The Bearkats won the last series in San Antonio, 2-1, on April 28-29, 2007. Head coach Lori Cook is 6-4 against Sam Houston State.
Last Time Out: UTSA swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 6-0, 8-0 and 6-1, on Tuesday-Wednesday at Chapman Field. Sophomore Dany? Holmes picked up two of the three victories in the circle, striking out 11 and allowing just six hits in 12 scoreless innings. Sophomore right-hander Emily Humpal collected the other win in a four-hit shutout in game two, while junior Rudi Cantu and freshman Amber Anderson both hit .333 with three RBIs to lead the offense.
Approaching 500: UTSA is approaching victory No. 500 for the program, as it carries a 499-412-2 record into the three-game series against Sam Houston State.
SLC Accolades: Two Roadrunners have earned Southland Conference Hitter of the Week honors in the first three weeks of the season. On Feb. 10, freshman Amber Anderson picked up the award after batting .588 with 10 hits, three runs, two doubles, a pair of home runs, five RBIs, a 1.059 slugging percentage and a .611 on-base percentage in the Aggie Classic on Feb. 6-8. On Feb. 24, junior Kelly Cato collected weekly accolades after batting .833 (5-for-6) with two home runs and six RBIs in the North Texas doubleheader on Feb. 10.
Alvin Express: A pair of Roadrunners ? junior Rudi Cantu and freshman Amber Anderson ? hail from Alvin, Texas, the hometown of Nolan Ryan. Cantu has been named all-conference in each of her first two seasons with the program, including first-team accolades at second base last year. Cantu, who is hitting .296 with six stolen bases, is a preseason first-team All-SLC pick this year and is tied for third on UTSA’s career triples list with five and fifth with 25 stolen bases. Anderson helped guide Alvin to the Class 5A State Championship last season, earning all-state and state tournament MVP honors. She is batting .380 with two home runs and 10 RBIs and was tabbed SLC Hitter of the Week on Feb. 10.
Brazoswood Buddies: Three of UTSA’s four starting infielders all hail from Brazoswood High School, located in Clute, Texas. Junior shortstop Kelly Cato and sisters Kristin, a sophomore third baseman, and Ashley, a freshman second baseman, Kappler all played for the Buccaneers, a traditionally-strong prep program.
Dual Threats: UTSA has several players who can contribute at the plate and in the circle, beginning with sophomore Dany? Holmes. The Sugar Land native became the first player in school history to earn all-conference honors at two different positions in the same season when she was named second team at pitcher and third team at designated player. Holmes is batting .364 with two home runs and eight RBIs and in the circle she owns a 4-2 record, 1.12 ERA and 38 strikeouts and a current 19.2 scoreless-innings streak. In fact, UTSA boasts four pitchers who also will see time at the plate. Sophomore Emily Humpal, a Corpus Christi native who transferred after her freshman season at Creighton, totes a 3.37 ERA, 3-4 record, one save, 27 strikeouts and has been in the lineup at first base three times. Freshman Amber Anderson has pitched in three games and is the team’s second-leading hitter with her .380 batting average, while freshman Morgan Luksa, who boasts a 2.80 ERA in two appearances, is expected to see time in the outfield this year.
SLC Preseason Polls: UTSA has been picked to finish third in the Southland Conference Preseason Polls by both the head coaches and sports information directors. The Roadrunners picked up one first-place vote and tallied 90 points in the coaches’ poll for third behind preseason favorite and defending SLC Tournament Champion Stephen F. Austin and defending regular season champ Texas State. UTSA garnered a pair of first-place votes and 84 total points in the SIDs’ poll for third behind SFA and Texas State.
Trio Named To Preseason All-SLC Team: Junior Rudi Cantu has been named to the Southland Conference Preseason First Team at second base, while senior outfielder Leanne Risberg and sophomore pitcher/designated player Dany? Holmes are second-team selections.
Head Coach Lori Cook: Head coach Lori Cook is in her fourth season at the helm of the program and is in her ninth year overall in the Alamo City. In her three seasons as the third head coach in school history, Cook has posted 97-77 record (.557 winning percentage), including a 63-27 (.700) mark in Southland Conference play. Under her direction, UTSA has won at least 18 conference games and finished in the top three in the league standings each season, captured one SLC regular season and one tournament crown and made one NCAA Tournament appearance. Fifteen Roadrunners have combined to earn 20 All-SLC accolades during her head coaching tenure. Prior to her promotion to head coach in September 2005, Cook spent one season as associate head coach after serving as assistant coach for three seasons and a volunteer assistant in 2001, all under Corrie Hill. A native of Napa, Calif., Cook also has coached at Baylor (1999-2000), Cosumnes River College (1996-98), Peanut (Italy) Softball Club (1995-96), Napa Valley College (1991-95), Cal State Hayward (1990-91). She played two seasons at Napa Valley College before finishing her collegiate career at Nebraska in 1989-90. Cook also played professionally overseas for Ronchi dei Legionari (Italy) in 1992.
Next Up: UTSA will travel to Lake Charles, La., for a three-game league set against McNeese State on March 7-8.
