KINGSVILLE, Texas – After a 14-1 start to the season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team is set to tackle the most difficult part of their schedule and that stretch begins with three games in Stephenville, Texas against the No. 8 Tarleton State Texans, who'll host the Javelinas for a series on Saturday and Sunday at the Texan Softball Complex. Originally, the series was schedule for Friday and Saturday, but each game was pushed back one day.
The Javelinas had their 14-game, season opening win streak snapped in their series finale against Texas Woman's, when they were handed a narrow, 6-5 loss. That streak still represented the best start in program history, as well as the program's longest win streak since 2005.
In order to stay hot, TAMUK will have to match wits with a team that's won its last five games against the Javs and has taken the last five series in Stephenville between these teams. Overall, the Texans own a 49-33 edge over their rivals from Kingsville.
In 2019, however, TSU will have to deal with a Javelina squad that's been fueled, in large part, by fresh blood. Freshman Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) had her own season-opening win streak snapped against the Pioneers, but still owns a 7-1 record. No one in the Lone Star Conference can top that win total and her 1.29 ERA ranks her fourth. Her 63 strikeouts are 24 more than anyone else in the LSC.
One of the three players in the conference with a better ERA than Castillo is her teammate Breanna Smith (San Antonio, Texas). She allowed just one earned run in two starts during the previous week, while earning two more wins to move to 5-0 this season. Her ERA stands at 1.03 in 40 2/3 innings.
At the plate, the Javs are hitting .322 , the fourth-best average in the league and a mark fueled by the top of the their order. Freshmen Amber Reyes (Edinburg, Texas), Veronica Chavez (Tempe, Ariz.) and Jory Cervantes (Pflugerville, Texas) are all hitting above .400, led by Reyes' .429, which has her at 12th in the LSC. Cervantes and sophomore Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas) have helped fuel TAMUK's aggressive approach on the bases. Kelly and Cervantes are 1-2 in the conference in steals, with Kelly's 15 and Cervantes' eight helping the Javelinas total 27 swipes, the most in the conference this year.
The Texans enter this weekend's meeting in a state similar to that of the Javelinas. They recently had an 11-game win streak snapped in their series finale against Cameron on Saturday and they'll enter Friday night's tilt at 11-2 with a 2-1 conference mark identical to TAMUK's.
On the strength of a group of returners that included 2018 LSC Pitcher of the Year Jordan Withrow and a 2018 campaign that saw the Texans advance to the NCAA Regional Final, TSU was ranked 14th in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll. A year ago, Withrow was an honorable mention All-American, winning 26 games with a 2.34 ERA and an LSC-best 252 strikeouts. This season, Withrow's presence has been complimented by Julia Wernet and Tristan Bridges, who've combined to go 7-1 with a 1.66 ERA in 13 appearances.
The Texan lineup has been paced by Lexi Grimaldo and Georgia Capell, the top two hitters on the roster in terms of average and OPS. Grimaldo is hitting a scorching .414 while Capell's average is at .372. Her 15 RBIs have her in the top 10 in the conference and she leads Tarleton in homers (3), doubles (6) and runs scored (12). A season ago, when TSU visited TAMUK, Capell went 6-for-12 in three games at Hubert Field with a pair of doubles, three runs scores and four RBIs.
Links to live stats as well as tickets are available on Javelinaathletics.com. Keep with Javelina softball throughout the 2019 season by by following @TAMUKSB and @JavelinaSports on Twitter, @JavelinaSports on Instagram, liking Javelina Sports on Facebook and visiting Javelinaathletics.com.
