KINGSVILLE, Texas – For the first time in program history, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team has won 22 of its first 25 games and they'll be attempting to take that momentum with them on a road trip that begins with a Friday doubleheader against Eastern New Mexico that is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. at the Greyhound Softball Field in Portales, N.M., followed on Sunday by two more games with the No. 6 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs at Schaeffer Park in Canyon, Texas.
The Javs most recent homestand ended with an 11-5 loss to Oklahoma Christian, but it marked the first time all year TAMUK allowed more than five runs in a game. Coach Craig Nicholson's pitching staff continues to sport the best ERA in the Lone Star Conference, with a 1.47 mark that also ranks eighth in the nation.
Freshman Carissa De Los Santos (Kingsville, Texas), sophomore Beth Montes (San Antonio, Texas) and junior Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) are all inside the top six in the LSC in ERA, led by De Los Santos' 0.72. Montes and De Los Santos have a combined 75 strikeouts compared to only 11 walks in nearly 85 innings pitched. As a team, the Javelinas have not issued a walk in their last four games.
TAMUK's top-of-the-order hitters have led the way for an offense that has scored the third most runs in the conference. Senior Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas), junior Jory Cervantes (Pflugerville, Texas) and sophomore Kayla Gonzales (San Antonio, Texas) are all in the top 20 in the LSC in runs scored and Gonzales is also tied for fifth in RBIs with 28.
Kelly continues to sit atop the league leaderboard in steals with 24, a total that's surpassed by only one player in all of Division II, and she still has yet to be caught on the basepaths. Cervantes has swiped 11 bags and also owns her team's second-highest batting average at .407. Both Cervantes and Kelly also own on-base percentages over .450 and are the Javs' top two players in terms of walks.
The Greyhounds and Lady Buffs have had very different seasons so far in 2022, with ENMU, under first-year coach Amanda Fefel, off to an 8-16 start with a 1-7 LSC record. Fefel's team has had to run the gauntlet in the first month of LSC play, as their doubleheader with TAMUK will be their fifth straight twin bill against a ranked opponent.
WT owns a 14-7 mark, but they've had a similarly difficult slate so far in conference action that's led to a 3-5 LSC record. The Buffs have yet to win consecutive games in conference play in 2022.
The WT lineup has swung the bat to the tune of a .350 batting average through 21 games, third-best in the LSC and the Buffs have swatted 26 homers. No one in coach Michael Mook's lineup has swung a hotter bat than sophomore Brittni Rufus, who is leading the LSC with a .515 batting average. Rufus had at least one hit in each of her team's first 16 games and she also has yet to draw a walk in nearly 70 at-bats.
Follow all the action in Portales and Canyon through Javelinaathletic.com, where links can be found to live video and up-to-the-minute stats, as well as a recap at day's end. Stay current with Javelina softball by following @TAMUKSB and @JavelinaSports on both Twitter and Instagram, liking the Javelina Sports Facebook page, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
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