SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA softball team (3-14) takes its first flights of the season, venturing beyond the state of Texas for the first time, heading to Tennessee for a five-game schedule at the Blues City Classic in Memphis. The Roadrunners will square off with North Dakota State, Memphis, SIU Edwardsville and Drake at the Tigers Softball Complex, Friday to Sunday, March 3-5.
North Dakota State is first on the itinerary, but due to expected weather, the meeting with the Bison is now set for a 5:30 p.m. matchup on Friday, March 3. It's a doubleheader day for UTSA, now meeting host Memphis in the nightcap in an 8:00 p.m. tilt slated for ESPN+. Rainy weather scheduled to sweep through the region and schedules should be expected to shift around.
About UTSA
The Roadrunners are looking to put everything together in Memphis over the weekend and break out of the current six-game losing skid. Of the losses in the stretch, five were decided in the final inning and four were one-run outcomes.
Coming off a very tough defensive field at the TXST Classic, the Roadrunners' scoring average saw a drop, coming down to 4.47 runs per game, while allowing 5.65 per outing. UTSA has been adept at getting aboard, logging a .371 on-base percentage with an average of 6.8 hits and 5.2 walks per game. Paced by a strong 1.5 doubles per game, UTSA has registered 38 extra base hits thus far, including 12 home runs.
Preseason All-Conference USA shortstop Kat Ibarra has emerged as a leader on offense and defense for the Roadrunners. She paces the squad with a .367 average, featuring a tie for the league lead with six doubles among her team-high 22 hits. Working from her leadoff position, Ibarra tops the squad with 14 runs. She's reaching base at a .449 clip. Defensively, Ibarra has the second-most defensive chances and leads in assists (25) and double plays (5), while finishing off all six of UTSA's caught stealing plays.
Now a secure part of the lineup either behind the plate or at first, SouthWestern Florida State College transfer Taylor Jensen is second among UTSA hitters with a .318 average, sitting in a tie for the team home run (3) lead, while chipping in eight RBI and six runs. Defensively, she's caught five runners stealing. Leading the team with 11 RBI, preseason All-CUSA utility Marena Estell is batting .294 with seven runs – in the circle, she holds a 2-2 record and 3.64 ERA through seven appearances.
Seeing the most time at pitcher, junior Jamie Gilbert has made 13 appearances and is 1-5 with a 5.81 ERA through a team-high 37.1 innings. Gilbert paces the Roadrunners with 26 strikeouts. Freshman Regan Smith holds the team's top ERA at 3.00 through nine outings.
UTSA in the rankings
The Roadrunners lead the entire NCAA in walks drawn at 89 free passes, topped by Lilly Hood's total of 11. Five other players have at least nine. UTSA remains steady at No. 20 nationally in doubles (25) behind Ibarra's lead (18th NCAA, 1st C-USA). Ibarra also lists at 26th in the NCAA in hits and 69th in total bases (33) The squad's .371 OBP comes in at 83rd nationally.
On defense, UTSA ranks 56th in double plays per game (0.41). Individually, Jensen's caught stealing count ranks 18th in the nation.
About the weekend's opponents
North Dakota State is 6-8 on the year, after wrapping up 2022 with a 30-23 record and a third-place finish in the Summit League. The Bison kicked off their season with 10 games in Mexico, taking in both sessions of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. Last week, they were 2-2 at Auburn's Plainsman Invite. The Bison are batting .224 as a team, scoring 2.28 runs per game and allowing 4.07 runs on a 4.20 ERA. Pacing the hitting effort, senior third baseman Carley Goetschius is hitting .417 with 17 base hits and team highs of 10 runs and eight RBI. In the circle, senior Paige Vargas leads the Summit with a 1.63 ERA, collecting a 4-3 record in 47.1 innings and nine appearances – she also has an NCAA 44th-best 45 strikeouts. Head coach Darren Mueller is in his 22nd season at NDSU with a record of 706-426 (.624). This will be the fourth meeting in the series, with UTSA trailing 1-2.
The host for the weekend, Memphis is 2-12 and are also sitting on a six-game losing streak. The Tigers were 16-38 a year ago in the final season under Natalie Poole. Memphis is hitting just .207 as a team with 1.93 runs per game, while allowing 6.64 runs on a 9.15 team ERA. Sophomore shortstop Aliana Zavala is leading the offensive effort with a .444 average after missing a few games – she ties for second for UM with eight hits. Super senior utility Kendall Lee has nine hits to lead the Tigers, producing a .321 average with five RBI and five runs. In the circle, junior Hallie Siems has eight starts in 10 appearances, registering an 8.82 ERA, 1-7 record and an NCAA 59th-ranked 42 strikeouts in 49 innings. Head coach Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro is in her first season after spending the last 12 seasons as the pitching coach at Alabama. The Tigers and Roadrunners are meeting for the first time.
SIU Edwardsville is 3-10 this season and finished 19-35 a year ago. The Cougars are hitting .263 with 3.08 runs on average, keeping games low scoring with 4.15 runs allowed and a 3.80 ERA. Sophomore shortstop Paige Rocha has a team-high .355 average, scoring a team-best 10 runs. Junior center fielder Lexi King is hitting .355 with a team-best 14 hits with six RBI, five runs and five doubles. On the pitching side, junior Sydney Baalman has a 2-3 record and leads SIUE with a 1.64 ERA in six appearances. Pacing the Cougars on outings, junior Kelsey Ray is 1-4 in eight outings, recording a 3.82 ERA with 29 strikeouts. Head coach Ben Sorden is in his first season in Edwardsville following pitching-coach stints at Michigan State and Indiana. This is the second series meeting, with SIUE up 1-0.
Fresh off a five-game week against Arizona and Arkansas, Drake is 2-8 on the year. Last season, the Bulldogs were 21-29 with a 14-12 finish in Missouri Valley Conference games. Drake is batting .236 with 2.9 runs per game, allowing 5.8 opponent runs and a 5.46 ERA. Leading the hitting effort, junior utility MaKayla Rice bats .412 with six runs and three RBI. Senior second baseman Aubree Beitzinger is hitting .303 with four RBI. Seven pitchers have made at least one appearance for Drake, topped by 20.1 innings in five appearances by sophomore Emma Dighton with a 3.79 ERA. Head coach Rich Calvert is in his 22nd season leading the Bulldogs with a record of 551-498 (.525). This will be the first meeting in the series.
Blues City Classic - UTSA Schedule (Tigers Softball Complex)
Friday, March 3
5:30 p.m. – UTSA vs. North Dakota State (rescheduled from 3:00 p.m.)
Stream: None
Live Stats: MEMPHIS
8:00 p.m. – UTSA at Memphis (rescheduled from 5:30 p.m.)
Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats: MEMPHIS
Saturday, March 4
11:30 a.m. – SIU Edwardsville vs. UTSA
Stream: None
Live Stats: MEMPHIS
7:00 p.m. – Drake vs. UTSA
Stream: None
Live Stats: MEMPHIS
Sunday, March 5
11:30 a.m. – UTSA vs. North Dakota State
Stream: None
Live Stats: MEMPHIS
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