SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA softball team will head to Beaumont, Texas, for a Tuesday contest against Lamar on the docket at 4 p.m. inside the LU Softball Complex.
The 'Runners (11-26, 3-9 The American) and Cardinals (23-12, 9-3 Southland) previously met at Roadrunner Field, with Lamar claiming a 4-2 victory. Despite the result, sophomore Madi Hays shined with a 2-for-3 afternoon featuring a home run, and senior Jamie Gilbert performed well, fanning four over four innings in relief without allowing an earned run.
UTSA carries momentum into the contest, as the Roadrunners earned a series victory against Memphis last time out, marking the program's first since taking 2-of-3 from UTEP in March of 2023. For their troubles, sophomore Reagan Smith and senior Taylor Jensen were named to the American Athletic Conference's Weekly Honor Roll.
Smith was stellar in the circle, first tossing a complete game in a rule-rule win over the Tigers and later twirling 3.2 frames without allowing an earned run in the series finale. On the week, she saw 8.2 innings of action and posted a 0.81 ERA. Jensen, meanwhile, was phenomenal at the plate, maintaining a .500 AVG and a 1.315 OPS across the contests, going 5-for-10 with two doubles, five RBIs, and three walks.
Jensen remains a league leader, catching eight base runners stealing, and sophomore Sophie Campbell also tops the AAC with three sacrifice flies. Senior Jamie Gilbert ranks highly in several statistics, including pitching appearances, with 23 trips to the circle, sitting second in the league and 14th in the NCAA. Her fourteen starts and 90 innings pitched each check in at fourth in The American, and her 71 strikeouts are fifth. Additionally, freshman Iliana Saucedo's 7.0 K/7 represents the fourth-best ratio in the conference.
The Cardinals have been red-hot as of late, winning seven of their last 10, and boast the most victories in the Southland. Lamar's success has been in large part due to stellar pitching, with Emma Wardlaw and Karyana Mitchell shining the circle. Both hold ERAs under 2.00, with Wardlaw managing a 9-2 record and Mitchell boasting a 10-3 mark.
Shenita Tucker plays a significant role offensively, leading the way with a .371 AVG and stealing 22 stolen bases for the seventh-most in the NCAA. She also tops the squad with 43 hits and 29 runs, while Veronica Harrison has driven in the most runs, plating 23.
Keep up with UTSA Softball all season long on goutsa.com, and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSASB, X (Twitter) @UTSASoftball, and on Instagram @utsasoftball.
-UTSA-