KINGSVILLE, Texas – Just past the midway point in their 2019 schedule and after enjoying a rare open weekend, the No. 11 Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team is preparing for their fifth Lone Star Conference series of the season, a three-game set at Hubert Field against the Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds in Kingsville, Texas.
The series was originally supposed to consist of one game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday, but due to weather, the series has been changes. The Javelinas and Greyhounds will play two games on Friday, with the first contest beginning at 6 p.m. The teams will then play once on Saturday with a first pitch time of 1 p.m.
TAMUK's time off came following a 4-2 week that included their fourth straight series victory over a conference opponent, as the Javelinas visited the Cameron Aggies and left having won two-of-three. At 9-3 in the LSC, the Javs are off to their best start in conference play since they won 12 of their first 14 in 2007. Overall, the team is 23-4 and in second place in the league, behind only 13-2 and eighth-ranked West Texas A&M.
"I'm a little nervous as to whether [the time off] was a benefit," said Nicholson. "When you're fighting injuries or your pitching staff is a little worn out, maybe a break is good for you, but when you're playing well, 10 days off makes you a little nervous. We'll see how we respond. We've had a good week of practice so far, so I'd expect us to come out and play well."
Over the last six games, five players are hitting .350 or better led by sophomore Anastasia Leibas (Del Valle, Texas) and her .455 clip. Her last six games have included five doubles, a homer and five RBIs, one of which came in the eighth inning against the Aggies, driving in what proved to be the winning run.
Senior Roxy Chapa (McAllen, Texas) has eight hits in her last 19 at-bats, including two long balls and senior Victoria Schoonard-Saborio (Elk Grove, Calif.) has seven hits in her last 17 trips to the plate. Schoonard-Saborio owns the team's best average over the last month, batting .415 in TAMUK's last 16 games, during which time her average has jumped from .154 to .313.
Those hot bats complimented a pitching staff that still resides at the top the conference with a 2.01 ERA, more than half-a-run better than second-place Tarleton's 2.74. That average also puts TAMUK 26th in Division II. Two of the most important factors in helping the Javs craft that ERA are 172 strikeouts, the nation's seventh-most and a total of only 27 extra base hits allowed, the fewest in the LSC.
Unlike the Javelinas, the Greyhounds were in action last weekend, but an excellent effort by Cameron left ENMU on the short end of a three-game sweep. Combined with three losses to A&M-Commerce in their previous series, they Greyhounds come to Kingsville having lost six straight and three games under .500 in conference play despite a 6-3 start. Overall, they own a mark of 10-13 and are in seventh place in the LSC.
ENMU is in the midst of stretch that has matched them against some the best arms the LSC has to offer. In their previous six games, they've face four of the league's top seven pitchers in terms of ERA and the result has been a lack of production from the Greyhound lineup. During their current six-game skid, the team has tallied eight runs and 25 hits and they scored in multiple innings in the same game only once.
Even with their recent struggles at the plate, coach Kira Zeiter is still piloting a club with a team batting average over .300. Zeiter, who is in her first year running the program, can also still pencil a pair of the LSC's top hitters into her lineup every day. Outfielder Iliana Mendoza has crafted a .426 average and infielder Elysa Rodriguez is hitting .381 and both players are in the top 10 in the conference in that category. Rodriguez's three strikeouts are tied for the second-fewest in the LSC among those with at least 50 at-bats.
For complete coverage of each game between TAMUK and ENMU, including live video, stats and postgame recaps, go to Javelinaathletics.com. Keep up with Javelina softball throughout the 2019 season by following @TAMUKSB and @JavelinaSports on Twitter, @JavelinaSports on Instagram, liking Javelina Sports on Facebook and visit Javelinaathletics.com.
