Softball | 3/6/2015 1:35:00 PM

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KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team (6-7, 0-2 LSC) is back home for the first time in 17 days this weekend when they host Texas A&M-Commerce (11-7, 0-0 LSC) for a four-game series. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. while the twinbill on Sunday is scheduled for 12 p.m. with all the games being played on Vernie and Blanche Hubert Field.
 
Promotions
The two games on Saturday are the Javelinas' Diabetes Awareness games. All donations collected during the day will be donated to the American Diabetes Association. Donations can also be made at diabetes.org.
 
Live Stats
Live stats will be available for all four games. Links can be found on the softball schedule page.
 
Sponsors
Saturday: EmbroidMe
Sunday: Hertz
 
All-Time Series
This weekend will be the first ever meeting between the two programs. Texas A&M-Commerce is playing their first season in school history this year.
 
Scouting Texas A&M-Kingsville
Following a 3-for-5 performance at the plate in San Angelo, Texas last weekend, Loren Donaldson leads the Javelinas with a .400 batting average. She also shares the team lead in home runs (2) with Hayley Boyett and Valerie Ramirez and RBI (8) with Jaeleen Castro. Second on the squad in hitting is Castro at .353. Also hitting over .300 this season are Karri Smith (.346), Rachael Longoria (.345) and Boyett (.302).
 
Boyett's four stolen bases are the most on the squad and she has yet to be thrown out this season. Stephanie Lugo, Castro and Ramirez have all swiped two bags apiece as well.
 
On the rubber, three pitchers have started this season for the Blue and Gold. Smith (3-3, 3.77 ERA) has completed all six games she has started this season and paces the staff with 42.2 innings pitched and 20 strikeouts.
 
Carlie Clark is 2-1 with a team-low 3.59 ERA and one of the squad's two shutouts. She has struck out 17, all coming at home, in 13.2 innings. Also starting four games has been Bella Rosas (1-3, 3.68 ERA). Shyenne Hicks has made three appearances out of the bullpen while sporting a 6.56 ERA and three strikeouts in 5.1 frames.
 
Scouting Texas A&M-Commerce
Texas A&M-Commerce will be playing their first game since Feb. 22 in San Antonio, Texas as part of the St. Mary's Tournament. The Lions were scheduled to host Cameron last weekend but the series was canceled because of inclement weather. In their last game, TAMUC lost to Texas A&M International 4-3.
 
Luci Ponce comes in hitting a team-high .434. She also paces Texas A&M-Commerce with 20 RBI, 15 runs and four home runs while going a perfect 5-for-5 stealing bases. Johnna Sturm is second with a .381 batting average while Magen Lynch is close behind at .378. Both have hit a homer and driven in seven runs.
 
Along with Ponce, Monica Cherry and December Rivers have started every game this year. Cherry is hitting .350 with two home runs, 11 RBI and has scored 15 times. Rivers enters with a .276 average, two homers and 13 RBI. Also with multiple dingers this year is Aundria Romero with three.
 
The Lions lead the Lone Star Conference with 57 stolen bases. Three players have swiped at least 10 bags, paced by Cherry's 14. Lynch is second with 12 and Baylea Higgs has been successful 11 times in 12 attempts.
 
As a team, TAMUC is batting .303 with a .424 on-base and .466 slugging percentages. They have recorded 142 base knocks with 27 going for doubles, 15 leaving the yard and two turning into triples. The Lions have drawn 80 walks and been plunked 19 times while striking out on 87 occurrences. In the field, they have a .971 fielding percentage while committing just 14 errors.
 
Their top two hurlers in the circle are Selena Rima and Aundria Romero. Rima is 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA and a staff-high 42 strikeouts. She has appeared in 11 games, starting seven of them, while throwing two complete games and picking up a save. Romero enters the weekend with a 6-2 mark, five complete games and two shutouts. Her 55.2 innings are the most on the squad while she has also struck out 35. Both Cyanne Fernandez (0-2, 9.33 ERA) and Emma Neuweiler (1-1, 5.66 ERA) have made five appearances.
 
As a staff, the Lions come in with a 3.33 ERA in 117.2 innings. They have recorded four shutouts while striking out 85, issuing 50 free passes and hitting only five batters. Opponents are batting .270 against them with 20 doubles, 11 homers and a triple.
 
Winning February
Texas A&M-Kingsville completed February with a 6-5 record. It was the first time they have finished the first month of the season with a winning record since 2009 when they went 14-6. The 2012 Javelinas came close, going 8-8 in the first month of the season.
 
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.
 
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