UTSA Roadrunners (18-17, 11-7 SLC) vs. Nicholls Colonels (25-11, 11-4 SLC)
Saturday, April 4 ? 1/3 p.m. | Sunday, April 5 ? noon
Roadrunner Field (300) ? San Antonio, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 31-25
Last Meeting: Nicholls, 3-2 [10] (May 8, 2008)
SAN ANTONIO ? Winners of four of the last six games, UTSA (18-17, 11-7 SLC) will host Nicholls (25-11, 11-4 SLC) in a key Southland Conference series this weekend at Roadrunner Field. First pitch in a Saturday doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m., followed by a single game at noon Sunday.
On The Web: UTSA will provide live stats and audio for all three games at http://goUTSA.com and http://sports.yahoo.com/top/collegebroadcast/teams/tak?sport=soft. Rowdy Zone subscribers will have access to live video streaming, also at http://goUTSA.com.
Base Hits:
? UTSA leads the all-time series with Nicholls, 31-25, and has won four of the last six and 12 of the past 15 meetings
? The Roadrunners have won 11 of their past 13 conference series dating back to last March
? UTSA played 19 of its first 27 games away from home but is concluding a season-long 11-game home stand this weekend
? Dating back to the 2004 season, UTSA owns a 71-31 record (.696) at Roadrunner Field
? The Roadrunners are 12-1 when they score five or more runs and 14-2 when leading after five innings
? Senior Leanne Risberg, who carries a seven-game hitting streak into the series, is tied for eighth on the school’s career home runs chart with 30
? 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 32 career stolen bases, 16 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/Nicholls Series History: The Roadrunners lead the all-time series against Nicholls, 31-25, and have won four of the last six and 12 of the past 15 meetings. The Colonels won the last matchup, 3-2, in 10 innings in the first round of the 2008 Southland Conference Tournament in San Marcos, but UTSA has taken five of the last six in San Antonio.
Scouting Nicholls: The Colonels have won six straight games entering this weekend’s series and stand at 25-11 overall and 11-4 (T-2nd) in Southland Conference play. Megan Gaspard (.288), Danielle Clayton (.281) and Kodi Butler (.278) boast the top three batting averages, while Audrey Wood leads the squad with three home runs and 22 RBIs. Wood and Lacey Gros, both right-handers, make up a solid pitching staff that has a combined nine shutouts, 1.76 ERA and 239 strikeouts. Head coach Jenny Parsons is in her fifth season at the helm.
Last Time Out: UTSA swept a doubleheader from Houston Baptist on Tuesday, winning game one, 3-2, on a bases-loaded, walk-off single by junior Rudi Cantu and taking the nightcap, 10-3, behind two home runs and five RBIs from freshman Caitlyn Ivy. Sophomore Emily Humpal earned the victory in game one, striking out six and allowing two runs on six hits in her 12th complete game of the year. Freshman Morgan Luksa picked up her first win of the season in the second game, fanning three and surrendering three runs on six hits.
Home Field Advantage: Dating back to 2004, UTSA boasts a 71-31 (.696) record at Roadrunner Field. The Roadrunners are 9-7 at the facility this season and have won 11 of their last 19 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 511-425-2. 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 107-87, including a 71-34 (.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.
Senior Standout: UTSA’s lone senior ? Leanne Risberg ? has heated up at the plate over the past week. The New Orleans, La., native carries a seven-game hitting streak into this weekend’s series with Nicholls and is batting .476 (10-for-21) with two home runs and six RBIs in that stretch. For the season, the right fielder is hitting .314 with a team-best five round-trippers and 19 RBIs, including .339 with all five homers and 15 RBIs in league play. She is tied for eighth place on UTSA’s career home runs chart with 30 and 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 is hitting .325 with 13 stolen bases (on 14 attempts), is tied for second on UTSA’s career triples list with six and ranks third with 32 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 .321 with eight doubles, three home runs and 21 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 .315 with three home runs and 13 RBIs and in the circle she owns a 6-6 record, 2.36 ERA, two shutouts and 67 strikeouts in 80 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 2.86 ERA, 10-8 record, one save and 75 strikeouts in 117.1 frames. Freshman Amber Anderson has pitched in eight games and is one of the team’s leading hitter with her .321 batting average, while freshman Morgan Luksa owns a 1-0 record, 4.81 ERA and nine strikeouts against only one walk in six appearances and has started five 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 107-87 record (.552), including a 71-34 (.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 make the short trip up I-35 to face rival Texas State next Friday-Saturday, April 10-11.
