SAN ANTONIO ? Off to its best league start since 2006, the UTSA softball team (10-8, 5-1 SLC) will travel to Lake Charles, La., to face McNeese State (9-15, 5-1 SLC) in a three-game Southland Conference series this weekend. First pitch in a Saturday doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. at Cowgirl Diamond followed by a single game at noon Sunday. Fourth-year head coach Lori Cook needs just one win for her 100th career victory.
McNeese State, which hosts the SLC Tournament in May, will share live stats at goUTSA.com.
UTSA leads the all-time series against McNeese State, 36-20, and has won six of the last eight meetings. The Roadrunners won all three contests last year in San Antonio, but the Cowgirls took two-of-three in the last series held at Cowgirl Diamond. UTSA still holds a 14-10 advantage in Lake Charles.
The Roadrunners swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and took two of three games from Sam Houston State last week in recording the best six-game SLC record since the 2006 squad went 6-0 en route to a third straight regular season championship.
Freshman Amber Anderson leads a UTSA offense that is hitting .304 as a team with a .410 batting average, six doubles and 15 RBIs, while junior Kelly Cato is batting .389 with three round-trippers and 11 RBIs. Sophomores Dany? Holmes and Emily Humpal lead a pitching staff that totes a 2.83 ERA and 2:1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio. Holmes is 5-3 with a 1.61 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 52.1 innings, while Humpal is 4-4 with a 3.19 ERA and 32 Ks in 57 frames.
The Cowgirls dropped a 3-2 decision to Southern Miss on Tuesday night, but shares second place in the league with UTSA. Under the direction of first-year head coach Natalie Poole, McNeese State has played six ranked teams this season. Lindsay Langner leads the offense with a .297 batting average and six stolen bases, while Dani Price is hitting .250 with 12 RBIs. Bethany Stefinsky (5-8, 4.59) and Michelle LaVoie (3-2), 4.75) are the top two arms on a pitching staff that has struggled to a 5.65 team ERA.
