KINGSVILLE, Texas – After winning seven of their first 12 contests in the Lone Star Conference, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team (14-9, 7-5) will take a quick break from league play to visit the No. 7 Southern Arkansas Muleriders on Monday for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. in Mangolia, Ark. Then they'll travel to Monticello, Ark. for a pair against the Arkansas-Monticello Bison on Tuesday, with the first game starting at 1 p.m.
This two-day expedition marks TAMUK's first visit to the Natural State since 2011. It has been almost exactly seven years since the Javs played consecutive doubleheaders in Arkansas, although 2011's road trip took them, first, to Ouachita Baptist, then to Henderson State. Craig Nicholson's edition of the Javelinas will be trying to duplicate the success of those visits, which saw the team sweep both doubleheaders. Combined, Kingsville owns an 11-5 record against these two programs, included a 9-3 mark versus the Muleriders.
One of the biggest stories for the Hoggies over the last month has been freshman Loren Kelly's (Rockport, Texas) work at the plate. The Rockport native is riding a 16-game hitting streak that dates back to her team's Feb. 16th matchup against Angelo State. Over the course of those games, Kelly's batting average has jumped from .192 to .363 and she's moved into the LSC's top 10 in hits, with 29, and steals, with nine.
In the circle, sophomore Breanna Smith's (San Antonio, Texas) nine wins put her in the conference's top five, but senior Sarah Gilbert (Chipley, Fla.) has been Nicholson's hottest hurler of late, and she continued to impress in her last start. Against Texas Woman's University, Gilbert tossed her second shutout of the season, as the Pioneers managed just five hits and one walk and the Javelinas picked up a 3-0 win. Gilbert also entered the final game of the series against TWU in relief and gave up only one earned run in 3 2-3 innings. Over her last 38 innings, only three earned runs have come across, an earned run average of 0.55 and TAMUK's senior pitcher now owns the LSC's third-best ERA among those with at least 50 innings at 2.07. Together, Smith and Gilbert have thrown more innings than any other teammates in the conference.
The entire Javelina pitching staff will be tested when they face a Southern Arkansas (19-3, 10-2) squad that is ranked seventh in the country and features a lineup that leads the nation in home runs and slugging percentage and also tops the Great American Conference in hitting, runs scored, and walks. The biggest bat in coach Jason Anderson's lineup is wielded by senior outfielder Brooke Goad. Her 13 homers put her in the top five nationally and she's also in the nation's top 10 with 31 RBIs. At one point, Goad put together a streak of six straight games with at least one long ball. She is also one of three Muleriders with a batting average over .400.
In addition, Southern Arkansas can claim the top ERA in the GAC, with a mark of 2.43. Right-hander Brooke Ford-Nelson has allowed only four earned runs in 29 innings and owns a 0.97 ERA and a 5-2 record, but fellow righty Victoria Taylor has been SAU's most active pitcher. She leads the team with 55.1 innings and possesses a 7-0 record.
Arkansas-Monticello (2-15, 2-8) lies at almost the complete opposite end of the spectrum. With two wins and 15 losses and a 2-8 conference mark, the Bison are 11th out of 12 teams in the GAC and their .237 batting average places them last and their 46 runs scored are by far the conference's fewest. The Bison have totaled at least five runs only thrice in 17 games.
Among those with at least 30 at-bats, Ashton Curry's .293 is the team's highest BA and Maranda Clendenin isn't far behind at .283. Senior Aubree Head has been the most productive player so far for coach Alvy Early. She leads the squad with nine RBIs and seven runs scored. Freshman Jewels Carol has only seen 24 at-bats to this point, but she's also amassed 10 hits for an average of .417.
Five different players have spent time in the circle for coach Early in 2018, but Abigail Leonards has spent the most time there. She'll be trying to improve upon a 2-6 record and a 4.62 ERA. Her best outing of the season came on Feb. 25th against Southeastern Oklahoma, when she threw seven innings of three run ball in an extra inning loss.
At end of both doubleheaders, Javelinaathletics.com will have a complete recap of all the action at both sites. To keep up with the Javelinas all season long, visit Javelinaathletics.com, follow @TAMUKSB on Twitter, like /JavelinaSports on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina athletics YouTube channel.
