Softball | 2/27/2015 7:05:00 PM

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KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team (6-5) opens up the Lone Star Conference portion of their schedule this weekend with a tough series at No. 6 Angelo State (11-1).Originally scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday, weather forced the four-game slate to be moved to Saturday and Sunday. First pitch on Saturday will take place at 3 p.m. while Sunday's action begins at 12 p.m. with all four contests taking place at Mayer Field.
 
All-Time Series
The Rambelles own a 37-12 lead in the all-time series with Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Javelinas won the last meeting in 2014 to snap an 18-game skid to ASU. However, the Belles have come away with a victory in 25 of the last 27 meetings dating back to the 2007 campaign.
 
Scouting Texas A&M-Kingsville
Karri Smith paces the Blue and Gold at the plate with a .409 batting average while adding a home run and six RBI. Jaeleen Castro is also .400 and is tied for the team lead in RBI with eight. Also plating eight runs is Loren Donaldson. She, along with Haley Boyett and Valerie Ramirez, has bashed two homers apiece.
 
On the base path, Boyett is a perfect 4-for-4 in stealing bases. Both Stephanie Lugo and Castro have swiped two bases apiece.
 
Carlie Clark comes into the weekend with a staff-low 2.05 ERA spanning 13.2 innings. She has also struck out a team-high 17 with all coming at home. Bella Rosas enters with a 1-2 record, 2.80 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15.0 frames. Rounding out the pitching staff is Smith. Her five complete games are the most on the team, tied for the third most in the LSC. She comes into the series with a 3-2 mark, 3.93 ERA and has struck out 16 in 35.2 innings of work.
 
Scouting Angelo State
Angelo State will be playing their first games in two weeks and first at home since early February. Opening the year with 11 straight wins, the Rambelles suffered a 7-6 loss to Metro State in their final game of the LSC-RMAC Crossover in Canyon, Texas. ASU, the defending Lone Star Conference Tournament champions, were picked to finish second in the league's preseason poll.
 
Eight players are hitting over .300 for ASU with four coming with an average in the .400s and three batting better than .500. Madison Greenwell has a team-high .529 mark with two doubles and triples. She has scored 13 runs and driven in seven as well. Micherie Koria and Rachel Moore are hitting .517 and .512, respectively.
 
Moore is tied for the team lead with two home runs with Kelly Johnson and Kenedy Urbany. Urbany enters with a team best 13 RBI and Moore is right behind her with 12. Also hitting the ball out of the park once has been Tina Cisneros, Lauryn Donnelly and Camry Weinheimer.
 
On the base path, Koria has stolen the fifth most bases in the LSC with 10 bases. Greenwell is a perfect 8-for-8 while Ambra Hill hasn't been thrown out in six attempts.
 
As a team, the Rambelles are batting .395 and posted a .474 on-base percentage to lead the league in both categories. They have 37 extra-base hits with 22 being doubles, nine homers and six triples. ASU has also drawn 46 walks while striking out 30 times and are 29-for-31 swiping bags. They enter with a .956 fielding percentage having committed 15 errors.
 
The Rambelles have primarily used only two pitchers this year. Brandy Marlett is 5-1 with a 0.49 ERA and a save in seven appearances. She has started six games, completing all of them. Her 43.0 innings pitched and 40 strikeouts are the most on the staff. ASU's other hurler is Urbany, who enters the weekend 6-0 with a 1.27 ERA, four complete games and 19 strikeouts. Megan Granado tossed an inning of relief versus Colorado Mesa in her lone appearance.
 
As a staff, the Rambelles sport a LSC-low 0.82 ERA and .172 opponent's batting average while pacing the conference with five shutouts. Their pitchers have struck out 60 while giving up just 22 free passes. Opposing batters have recorded 47 hits off them with only six doubles, a triple and dinger.
 
K-Town
Carlie Clark has been a strikeout machine at home this season. All 17 of her strikeouts have come in the circle at Hubert Field. In the season opener against Texas A&M International, she struck out eight. She followed with nine versus Huston-Tillotson, including the first three batters of the game on the minimum nine pitches.
 
Bombs Away
TAMUK blasted four homers in the final game of the Southeastern Regional Invitational against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The home run total is the most by the Javelinas in a game since also hitting four at Eastern New Mexico on March 25, 2011.
 
Boyett Goes Yard Twice
Haley Boyett hit two dingers against the Bulldogs, half of TAMUK's total in the game. She is the first Javelina to hit two in a contest since Adela Gomez at Midwestern State on April 20, 2013. The school record is three off the bat of Sarah Norman at Southern Arkansas (Feb. 9, 2002).
 
Single-Game Caught Stealing Mark
Three times the Javelinas were thrown out trying to steal in the season opener against Texas A&M International. The mark tied the school's single-game school record. The last time the Blue and Gold were thrown out thrice in a game was February 1, 2008 versus Texas Woman's in San Antonio, Texas.
 
Season Openers
Texas A&M-Kingsville improved to 11-8 all-time in season openers after defeating Texas A&M International 4-2. They had previously lost two straight with the last win coming in 2012 versus Texas-Permian Basin (13-0, 5 innings).
 
Opening at Home
When beginning their year at Hubert Field, TAMUK is now 8-3. The Javelinas increased their winning streak to six straight dating back to 2004. Their last defeat in a season opener at home came against St. Mary's in 2003. This year was the first time the Blue and Gold began at home in four years.
 
Opening Series
The Javelinas improved to 31-25 all-time in their first series or tournament of a season with a doubleheader sweep of TAMUI. Last season TAMUK went 2-3 last season to begin the year at a tournament hosted by St. Mary's in San Antonio, Texas.
 
LSC Preseason Poll
Texas A&M-Kingsville was picked to finish eighth in the nine-team Lone Star Conference this year by head coaches, sports information directors and various media members and sports information directors. Last season the Javelinas were also picked eighth when the conference consisted of eight programs. This is the second time in three years the Blue and Gold have been picked to finish next to last in the LSC.
 
Live stats will be available for the games with links on the softball schedule page.
 
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