UTSA Roadrunners (22-21) vs. Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (24-20)
Saturday, April 18 ? 3/5 p.m. | Sunday, April 19 ? noon
Roadrunner Field (300) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series History: First meetings.
SAN ANTONIO ? It will be a battle of the Roadrunners as UTSA(22-21) takes on Cal State Bakersfield (24-20) in a three-gamenon-conference series this weekend at Roadrunner Field. First pitch ina Saturday doubleheader is slated for 3 p.m., followed by a single gameat noon Sunday.
On The Web: UTSA will provide live stats and audio for all three games at goUTSA.com.
Base Hits:
? This will be the first meeting between UTSA and Cal State Bakersfield, an NCAA Division I Independent in its third year of a five-year transition from Division II that will eventually play in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference
? Dating back to the 2004 season, UTSA owns a 73-32 record (.695) at Roadrunner Field
? UTSA is 11-8 overall at home this year, including 3-4 against non-conference opponents
? The Roadrunners are 12-1 when they score five or more runs and 16-2 when leading after five innings
? Senior Leanne Risberg is tied for eighth on the school’s career home runs chart with 30 and she ranks seventh with 55 extra-base hits
? 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 third with 34 career stolen bases, 14 behind Steadman’s standard of 48
? Junior Kelly Cato (Feb. 24) and freshman Amber Anderson (Feb. 10) have earned SLC Hitter of the Week honors this season
Last Time Out: Playing without the services of senior Leanne Risberg and juniors Kelly Cato and Rudi Cantu due to injury, UTSA split a non-conference doubleheader at Houston Baptist on Wednesday. Sophomore Dany? Holmes struck out eight batters in a two-hit shutout and freshman Amber Anderson slugged her fourth home run of the season to lift the Roadrunners to a 1-0 victory in the lidlifter. The Huskies took advantage of a pair of UTSA errors, plating three unearned runs en route to a 4-1 win in the nightcap.
UTSA/Cal State Bakersfield Series History: The weekend series will mark the first meetings between UTSA and Cal State Bakersfield, the only two teams in NCAA Division I with the nickname Roadrunners. Cal State Bakersfield is in its third year of a five-year transition to NCAA Division I. Currently an NCAA Division I Independent, the Roadrunners will compete in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference beginning in 2010-11.
Scouting Cal State Bakersfield: The Roadrunners enter the weekend series with a 24-20 record on the season. They are riding a five-game winning streak dating back to an 8-0 victory over South Dakota on April 4. Justeen Maeva leads an offense that is hitting .288 as a team with a .371 batting average, eight doubles, four home runs and 28 RBIs. Danielle Lyman (.349) and Kelli Bailey (.346) also are hitting above .340 and Bailey leads the tam with 13 doubles. Shawna Truan (8-7, 2.63), Brittany Johnson (10-9, 2.91) and Katie Chavez (6-4, 3.71) lead a pitching staff that has registered a combined 3.04 ERA and 134 strikeouts. Head coach Kathy Welter is 947-412-3 in her 24th season at the helm.
Home Field Advantage: Dating back to 2004, UTSA boasts a 73-32 (.695) record at Roadrunner Field. The Roadrunners are 11-8 at the facility this season and have won 13 of their last 22 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 515-429-2. 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 111-91, including a 74-37 (.667) mark in Southland Conference games.
Working Overtime: UTSA has played eight extra-inning games this season and is 4-4 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. The Roadrunners played three consecutive extra-inning affairs in early April. Nicholls used an Audrey Wood homer in the eighth for a 3-2 victory on April 4, while freshman Amber Anderson singled home junior Rudi Cantu with the winning run in a 3-2, 11-inning win on April 5. On April 10 in the first game of the Texas State series, freshman Caitlin Ivy’s bases-loaded single pushed the winning run across in a 3-2 win in nine 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.
Senior Standout: UTSA’s lone senior ? Leanne Risberg ? has heated up at the plate over the past month, but has missed the past three games due to injury after colliding with junior Rudi Cantu in the outfield in game two of the Texas State series on April 10. The New Orleans, La., native is batting .368 with a pair of home runs and six RBIs over her past 12 games and has recorded a hit in 11 of those games. For the season, the right fielder is hitting .303 with a team-best five round-trippers and 19 RBIs. She is tied for eighth place on UTSA’s career home runs chart with 30 and ranks seventh with 55 extra-base hits. Her 94 RBIs are just five shy of the top 10 list.
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 has missed the last three games due to injury after the collision with Risberg, is hitting .310 with 15 stolen bases (on 16 attempts). She is tied for second on UTSA’s career triples list with six and ranks third with 34 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 .305 with nine doubles, four home runs and a team-best 24 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 .286 with three home runs and 14 RBIs and in the circle she owns an 8-7 record, 2.14 ERA, three shutouts and 98 strikeouts in 111.1 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 2.83 ERA, 11-10 record, one save and 99 strikeouts in 141 frames. Freshman Amber Anderson has pitched in eight games and is one of the team’s leading hitter with her .305 batting average, while freshman Morgan Luksa owns a 1-0 record, 4.00 ERA and 12 strikeouts against only three walks in eight appearances and has started six games at designated player, two in right field and one in left.
SLC Preseason Polls: UTSA was 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 was named to the Southland Conference Preseason First Team at second base, while senior outfielder Leanne Risberg and sophomore pitcher/designated player Dany? Holmes were 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 111-91 record (.550), including a 74-37 (.667) 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 Waco to face Baylor on Tuesday, April 21, before closing out the home slate with a three-game Southland Conference series against Northwestern State on Saturday-Sunday, April 25-26.
