UTSA Roadrunners (14-15, 9-6 SLC) vs. Central Arkansas Bears (15-18, 6-6 SLC)
Friday, March 27 ? 5/7 p.m. | Saturday, March 28 ? noon
Roadrunner Field (300) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 6-0
Last Meeting: UTSA, 13-5 (March 22, 2008)
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA (14-15, 9-6 SLC) will look to get back on thewinning track when it hosts Central Arkansas (15-18, 6-6 SLC) in athree-game Southland Conference series this Friday-Saturday, March27-28. First pitch in a Friday twinbill is slated for 5 p.m. atRoadrunner Field followed by a single game at noon Saturday.
On The Web: UTSA will provide live stats and audio for both games at goUTSA.com courtesy of Yahoo! Sports. In addition, live video streaming will be offered for the weekend at goUTSA.com (Rowdy Zone subscription required). Please visit goUTSA.com for the latest video streaming schedule.
Base Hits:
? UTSA leads the all-time series with Central Arkansas, 6-0, sweeping the Bears in Conway, Ark., last March and in San Antonio two years ago
? The Roadrunners have won 10 of their past 12 conference series dating back to last March
? UTSA played 19 of its first 27 games away from home but is two games into a season-long 11-game home stand
? Dating back to the 2004 season, UTSA owns a 67-29 record (.698) at Roadrunner Field
? The Roadrunners are 10-0 when they score five or more runs and 11-2 when leading after five innings
? Senior Leanne Risberg moved into sole possession of ninth place on the school’s career home runs chart with 28 after hitting two against UT Arlington on March 15
? Junior Rudi Cantu ranks second in UTSA annals with six career triples, one shy of Shannon Steadman’s school record set from 1993-96 ... Cantu also is tied for third with 28 career triples, 20 behind Steadman’s mark of 48
? Junior Kelly Cato (Feb. 24) and freshman Amber Anderson (Feb. 10) have earned SLC Hitter of the Week honors this season
? Fourth-year head coach Lori Cook picked up win No. 100 for her UTSA career in an 8-5 victory against UT Arlington on March 16
UTSA/Central Arkansas Series History: The Roadrunners lead the all-time series against Central Arkansas, 6-0. UTSA swept the Bears, 7-1, 6-0 and 13-5, on March 21-22, 2008, in Conway, Ark., and pounded UCA, 10-1, 7-2 and 14-6, in the first-ever matchups on March 17-18, 2007, in San Antonio.
Scouting Central Arkansas: The Bears enter the series at 15-18 overall and 6-6 in Southland Conference play. Rachel Baucom is the leading hitter with a .302 batting average, three doubles and 12 RBIs. Right-hander Holli Hill leads a pitching staff that is five-deep with a 9-10 record, 2.01 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 115 innings. Head coach David Kuhn is in his first season at the helm.
Last Time Out: UTSA dropped a doubleheader to UTEP at home on Tuesday. The Miners used a leadoff home run from Camilla Carrera in the top of the eighth inning to eke out a 2-1 victory in the lidlifter. UTEP pounded out 11 runs ? including six in the last two innings ? on 12 hits and took advantage of three Roadrunners errors in an 11-3 run-ruling in the nightcap.
Home Field Advantage: Dating back to 2004, UTSA boasts a 67-29 (.698) record at Roadrunner Field. The Roadrunners are 5-5 at the facility this season and have won seven of their last 13 at home dating back to last year.
Major Milestones: UTSA picked up victory No. 500 for the program in an 8-0 run-ruling at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 24. The Roadrunners now own an all-time record of 507-427-2. Additionally, fourth-year head coach Lori Cook earned win No. 100 with an 8-5 victory over UT Arlington on March 15. She now totes a UTSA career record of 103-92, including a 69-33 (.676) mark in Southland Conference games.
Putting In Extra Time: UTSA has played five extra-inning games this season and is 2-3 in those contests. The Roadrunners opened the season with a 4-3 loss to Tulsa in eight frames at the Aggie Classic, but outlasted Northwestern State, 2-1, in eight in the final game of the Getterman Classic the following weekend. Senior Leanne Risberg’s walk-off grand slam in the eighth lifted the Roadrunners to a 10-6 win over Sam Houston State on March 1, and UT Arlington edged UTSA, 5-3, in nine innings on March 15. On March 24, UTEP edged UTSA, 2-1, in eight frames.
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, a preseason first-team All-SLC pick who is hitting .308 with nine stolen bases, is tied for second on UTSA’s career triples list with six and ranks third with 28 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 a team-best .319 with eight doubles, three home runs and 19 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 .300 with two home runs and 11 RBIs and in the circle she owns a 5-5 record, 1.92 ERA, two shutouts and 63 strikeouts in 69.1 innings. 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 2.76 ERA, 8-7 record, one save and 65 strikeouts in 99 frames. Freshman Amber Anderson has pitched in seven games and is the team’s leading hitter with her .319 batting average, while freshman Morgan Luksa, who owns a 5.83 ERA in three appearances, has started three games at designated player and one in left field.
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-plus seasons as the third head coach in school history, Cook has posted a 103-92 record (.528), including a 69-33 (.676) 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 host Texas Tech in a non-conference contest at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 30. The Roadrunners then will face Houston Baptist in a doubleheader at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, before wrapping up the 11-game home stand with a three-game league set with Nicholls on Saturday-Sunday, April 4-5.
