Games 40-42: at Texas-Arlington Game Notes.pdf

GAMES: 40-42 | AT TEXAS-ARLINGTON
April 14-15, 2017 | Arlington, Texas | Allan Saxe Field | 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 12 p.m.

GAME DAY INFORMATION
Television: None
Radio: 99.5 The Jag FM
    Talent: J.T. Crabtree
Live Stats: www.USAJaguars.com
Audio Stream: www.USAJaguars.com
Live Stream: www.utmavs.com
Twitter: @USAJagsSoftball

-- / -- South Alabama (24-15, 6-10 SBC)
JAGUARS
Batting Avg.: .273
Runs: 139
Runs Per Game: 3.6
Hits: 270
Home Runs: 16
Stolen Bases: 31
ERA: 2.29
Strikeouts: 231

-- / --  Texas-Arlington (20-19, 6-9 SBC)
MAVERICKS
Batting Avg.: .288
Runs: 176
Runs Per Game: 4.5
Hits: 301
Home Runs: 21
Stolen Bases: 46
ERA: 4.35
Strikeouts: 152

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS    
– South Alabama (24-15, 6-10 SBC) enters the weekend Sun Belt road series after being swept at home by Texas State.  The Bobcats held USA scoreless in all three outings, the first time the Jags have not scored a run in a three-game home conference series.
– The Jaguars currently have four players batting over .300 in their lineup – Kaleigh Todd (.384), MC Nichols (.366), Kristian Foster (.321) and Megan Harris (.313).
– Todd had her streak of 17-games reached safely and 10-game hit streak snapped in Sunday's finale, but she continues to rank among the conference leaders in hits (48, fourth), triples (3, tied-third), stolen bases (16, third), runs scored (33, sixth) and batting average (.384, fourth).
– Over her last 22 games, Todd has had a hit in all but four of those and had multi-hits nine times.  The junior second baseman has a team-best 16 multi-hit outings this spring.
– MC Nichols also sits just outside the Top 10 of the Sun Belt leaders in batting average, hitting a .366 clip.  Nichols' 34 hits are third-most on the Jag roster, one behind Foster (35).
– Like Todd, both Nichols (11) and Foster (10) have both had several multiple-hit outings.
– Senior outfielder Amanda Minahan paces the team in home runs (7) and RBI (31).  She is eighth in the Sun Belt in runs driven in.  
– Minahan currently has 24 career home runs as a Jag, which is tied with former Jag Haley Hopkins (2009-12) for fourth place on the program's all-time list.  Minahan is just four away from the all-time mark of 28 set by Christin Crocker (2009-12).
– Coming into the weekend, Minahan sits in fifth-place on South Alabama's career RBI list with 109.  She is two back of Kaitlyn Griffith (111) who is fourth and 27 back of Brittany Fowler's all-time mark of 136.
– Devin Brown (13-6) who missed the Texas State series due to illness, has recorded four-straight complete-games.
– The junior right-hander is tied for fourth in the Sun Belt in opposing batting average (.189), while also ranking among the conference leaders in several other categories – strikeouts (150, second), strikeouts looking (36, fourth), earned run average (1.85, fourth), hits allowed (88, fourth), runs allowed (35, tied-third) and earned runs allowed (34, sixth), among other categories.
– Brown also ranks among the NCAA leaders in shutouts (9, third), strikeouts (22nd), hits allowed (53rd), strikeouts per 7 innings (8.2, 41st) and ERA (86th).
– Senior pitcher Destin Vicknair has been solid in the circle this season as she holds a 10-8 record and a 2.43 ERA.  Vicknair has 11 complete games in her 19 starts, while also registering a total of three shutouts – two solo and one combined.  
– Vicknair has also seen time as the designated player in the Jaguar lineup as of late.  In her 10 games in that role this season, Vicknair is batting .304 with seven hits, while also walking five times in her 28 total plate appearances.
– With Brown unavailable for the Texas State series, Vicknair pitched all three games against the Bobcats and went the distance each one, allowing just nine runs during that stretch.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS    
– Texas-Arlington (20-19, 6-9 SBC) comes into the weekend series holding a half-game lead on the Jaguars in seventh place.  
– Entering Friday's games against USA, UT-Arlington has dropped three of its last four Sun Belt series, including last weekend's at Georgia State.  The Panthers took the doubleheader on Saturday only to see the Mavericks take the finale 7-3 on Sunday.
– UTA picked up the final game of the series thanks in part to a fifth-inning, pinch-hit grand slam by Bri Burchianti - her first home run of the season.
– The Mavs are led offensively by Krista Rude (.358), who ranks among the conference leaders in sacrifice hits (first, 11) and hits (tied-sixth, 44).  
– Freshman infielder Whitney Walton (.300) is also having a solid first collegiate season.  Walton is among the top 10 in the league in four different categories – runs scored (seventh, 31), total bases (tied-ninth, 64) and RBI (ninth, 29).  She also has seven home runs.
– Sara Mendoza is batting .306 and her nine doubles not only lead the club, but are tied for sixth in the league.  
– Laura Curry has four triples this spring – which and is hitting .325, while Alleen Garcia is hitting .345.
– In the circle, sophomore pitcher Sam Clakley (15-10) leads the team.  Clakley is first in the SBC in innings pitched (162.0), while she also ranks third in strikeouts looking (41), sixth in earned run average (1.99) and seventh in strikeouts (94).
– Clakely has gone the distance in 16 of her 25 starts and has five shutouts.
– As a team, UTA is the hardest team in the Sun Belt to strikeout as it only has 114 strikeouts this season.  The Mavericks' 46 steals are second most in the conference and they are also tied for second with South Alabama and Georgia Southern in the SBC in triples, and third in batting average (.288), runs scored (176), hits (301), strikeouts looking (65) and total bases (428).

THE SERIES    
– South Alabama and Texas-Arlington have met nine previous times with the Jaguars holding a 9-0 advantage in the all-time series.  
– USA also holds a 3-0 record on the Mavericks' home field.
– Last season, the Jags swept UTA in Mobile, defeating the Mavericks 6-1, 5-1 and 7-3.

LAST TIME THEY MET    
– South Alabama defeated Texas-Arlington, 7-3, in last season's series finale to claim its fourth-straight Sun Belt Conference series sweep, improving its league winning streak to 12 games.
– Kaleigh Todd set a new career high in hits to lead USA after going 4-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
– Devin Brown earned the win after striking out 13 Maverick batters for a second time in the series, with no walks and three runs (all earned) allowed on seven hits.
– USA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with Emily Messer and Todd scoring. Messer drew a lead off walk and stole second, followed by Todd, who singled and stole, with Messer coming around on an errant throw attempt to erase Todd on her steal attempt.  Amanda Minahan bunted Todd over to third, and Haleigh Lowe drew a walk to bring up Stephanie Pilkington, who lifted a sacrifice fly to left center to score Todd and double USA's lead to 2-0.
– The Jags scratched one across in the bottom of the fourth when Haleigh Lane singled to score Tucker Caraway from second.  Caraway pinch-ran for Pilkington, who led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on Kristian Foster's sacrifice bunt.
– USA put the game out of reach with a four spot in the bottom of the fifth to go ahead, 7-0.  Messer reached first on a Maverick fielding error, and then scored when Todd doubled down the left field line to give the hosts a 4-0 lead.  Minahan followed with a base hit to left to put a pair in scoring position.  Lowe drew a walk to load the bags, and Pilkington drew a walk to send Todd across the plate for a 5-0 Jaguar lead.  Foster drew another bases-loaded walk to make it 6-0, and Lane supplied a sacrifice fly to plate Minahan.
– Texas-Arlington put up three runs in the final two innings, beginning with a pair in the top of the sixth, but the Jaguars went on to pick up the four-run victory.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear.  All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub