KINGSVILLE, Texas – For the final time in the 2020 season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team will dive into a weekend of games that will not include any Lone Star Conference contests and instead brings the Javelinas to Dahlonega, Ga. for the first time for five games in three days at the Captain D's Surf and Turf Classic at Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium.
The Javs will start the festivities on Friday with a 3 p.m. contest against the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers, then play twice on Saturday, first at 11 a.m. against the No. 7 North Georgia Nighthawks, then at 1 p.m. when they'll meet UWP again. On Sunday, TAMUK and UWP will square off for final time at 9 a.m. before the Javelinas finish the weekend with an 11 a.m. game with UNG.
Sophomore Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) has taken on the role of workhorse for the Javelina pitching staff, as she's coming off a week in which she started all four games for the Blue and Gold. Her total of 80 2/3 innings pitched is the sixth-highest total in the nation and her nine complete games puts her tied for seventh. Despite this workload, the sophomore from Kingsville still owns the LSC's second best ERA at 1.48 and second-highest strikeout total with 76. In 14 total appearances, Castillo has allowed more than two earned runs just once and she's also handed out just four walks in her last 32 2/3 IP.
Castillo will be leading the Javelinas into matchups against two squads that boast a couple excellent pitching staffs of their own. UNG can lay claim to the third-best ERA in the nation at 0.82 and senior Kylee Smith just collected her conference's fourth pitcher of the week award this season. In 76 innings, Smith has allowed only two earned runs for a 0.18 ERA that leads the nation. Her 141 strikeouts are also 35 more than anyone else in Division II. Smith and her fellow hurlers are supported by a lineup that includes five players batting over .300, led by utility player Olivia Sinquefield's .361.
UWP also had one of their pitchers claim some recent hardware, with senior right-hander Allison Hausl being named pitcher of the week in the Great Lakes Athletic Conference. Hausl is one of four pitchers who've helped the Rangers craft a 2.00 ERA over their first 11 games and their most dominant thrower has been another senior, Alyssa McClelland. In a team-high 33 IP, her ERA stands at 1.48 and she has yet to allow more than two earned runs in a game in 2020. Those numbers include a one-hitter in her second start of the season, on 2/22 vs. Findlay.
In a tournament where runs could be at a premium, one of TAMUK's advantages will be having the nation's best base stealer at the top of their lineup. Junior Loren Kelly's (Rockport, Texas) 29 thefts this year are five more than anyone else in the country and she's picked up 11 steals in her team's last five games. TAMUK's left fielder is already more than halfway to the record-setting total of 41 she posted as a sophomore and she also will enter the weekend on a seven-game hitting streak.
Fans can follow the Javelinas in Dahlonega via links to live stats for every game on Javelinaathletics.com and recaps will be published at the end of each day. You can keep up with everything related to Javelina softball all season long by following @TAMUKSB on Twitter, @JavelinaSports on Twitter and Instagram, like Javelina Sports on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
