UTSA Roadrunners (26-24) at Texas Longhorns (35-16)
Thursday, April 30 (DH) ? 5/7 p.m.
McCombs Field (1,254) ? Austin, Texas
Series History: Texas leads, 26-4-1
Last Meeting: Texas, 10-2 (Feb. 10, 2008)
SAN ANTONIO ? Fresh off a sweep of Northwestern State to complete its regular season home slate, UTSA (26-24) will make the short trip up I-35 for a doubleheader against Texas (35-16) on Thursday, April 30. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
On The Web: UTSA will provide live stats at goUTSA.com. Texas will offer free live audio and video at texassports.com.
Base Hits:
? Texas leads the all-time series with UTSA, 26-4-1, including 17-2-1 in Austin
? The Roadrunners last defeated the Longhorns, 3-2, on Feb. 9, 2008, at McCombs Field
? UTSA has faced three other Big 12 Conference teams this season in Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas Tech (0-5 record)
? Texas assistant coach Corrie Hill was the head coach at UTSA from 1999-2005
? UTSA is 7-11 on the road, including 2-4 in April, and 9-14 in non-conference contests
? The Roadrunners are 14-1 when they score five or more runs, 17-3 when leading after five innings and 6-2 when tied after six frames
? 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 36 career stolen bases, 12 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: UTSA swept a three-game Southland Conference series from Northwestern State at Roadrunner Field last weekend. The Roadrunners rallied from two runs down in the opener as freshman Amber Anderson hit a solo home run and junior Kelly Cato provided a pinch-hit, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning to cap a 4-3 win. UTSA pounded a pair of Lady Demons pitchers for season highs of 13 runs and 17 hits in a 13-4 run-ruling in game two. In the finale on Sunday, sophomore Kristin Kappler hit a grand slam and Anderson drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth as UTSA rallied from a 6-2 deficit for an 8-6 victory.
UTSA/Texas Series History: The Longhorns lead the all-time series against the Roadrunners, 26-4-1, and they hold a 17-2-1 advantage in games played in Austin. The last UTSA victory was a 3-2 decision over the then-No. 22-ranked Longhorns on Feb. 9, 2008, at McCombs Field in a game that saw Dany? Holmes strike out seven in her first collegiate win and go 3-for-4 with two RBIs at the plate. The Roadrunners’ other win in Austin was a 3-1 decision on Feb. 21, 2001, while UTSA and Texas battled to a 1-1 tie on Feb. 22, 2000.
Scouting Texas: The Longhorns enter Thursday’s twinbill with a 35-15 overall record and were ranked in both the USA Today/NFCA and USA Softball/ESPN.com Top 25 Polls last week before dropping out this week. Junior Loryn Johnson (.419) and freshman Courtney Craig (.417) both are batting above .400. Johnson, a high school teammate of junior Rudi Cantu and freshman Amber Anderson at Alvin, has 13 doubles, seven home runs and a team-best 45 RBIs, while senior Desiree Williams is the top power hitter with 10 doubles and 12 home runs. Sophomore right-hander Brittany Barnhill is the top pitcher with a 22-11 record, 2.53 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 190.2 innings. Head coach Connie Clark is 504-241-3 in her 12th season at the helm. Assistant coach Corrie Hill was the head coach at UTSA from 1999-2005, where she posted a 221-180-1 ledger and two conference championships (2004-05).
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 519-432-2. 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 115-94, including a 77-37 (.675) mark in Southland Conference games.
Working Overtime: UTSA has played nine extra-inning games this season ? including four in the month of April ? and is 4-5 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. Cal State Bakersfield slipped past UTSA, 3-1, in eight innings on April 18.
SLC Race Coming Down To The Wire: With a 17-10 league record and the final weekend of the regular season on the horizon, UTSA finds itself in the middle of a tight race for the top six spots and automatic berth in the Southland Conference Tournament. The Roadrunners currently are tied with McNeese State for second place, but the Cowgirls own the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of their series win on March 7-8. Texas State has clinched the regular season crown and No. 1 seed with a 21-6 record, while Stephen F. Austin ? UTSA’s opponent this weekend ? is in fourth with a 16-11 mark. Sam Houston State and UT Arlington are tied for fifth place and the final two spots in the tournament at 15-12, while Nicholls (14-13) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (11-15) are still alive for postseason play.
SLC Accolades: Two Roadrunners 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, despite missing six 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 .356 with a pair of home runs and seven RBIs over her past 15 games and has recorded a hit in 12 of those games. For the season, the right fielder is hitting .303 with a team-best five round-trippers and 20 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 95 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. A preseason first-team All-SLC pick who missed three games due to injury after the collision with Risberg, she is hitting .304 with 17 stolen bases (on 18 attempts). She is tied for second on UTSA’s career triples list with six and ranks third with 36 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 .314 with 10 doubles, five home runs and a team-best 30 RBIs and was tabbed SLC Hitter of the Week on Feb. 10.
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 .292 with four home runs and 20 RBIs and in the circle she owns an 11-10 record, 2.42 ERA, three shutouts and 111 strikeouts in 127.1 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 2.73 ERA, 12-10 record, one save and 114 strikeouts in 159 frames and is batting .321 with a pair of home runs. Freshman Amber Anderson has pitched in eight games and is one of the team’s leading hitters with her .314 batting average, while freshman Morgan Luksa owns a 2-1 record, 4.16 ERA and 17 strikeouts against only six walks in 12 appearances and has started six games at designated player, two in right field and one in left.
Fountain Of Youth: With just one senior on the roster, UTSA is fielding a young squad this season. The four-person pitching staff is composed of two sophomores ? Dany? Holmes and Emily Humpal ? and two freshmen ? Amber Anderson and Morgan Luksa. Of the nine starting positions, five have been occupied by sophomores or freshmen, including more than 40 starts for sophomore Kristin Kappler at third base and freshman Ashley Kappler at second base.
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.
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 115-94 record (.550), including a 77-37 (.675) 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 conclude the regular season with a three-game league series at Stephen F. Austin on May 2-3.
