Feb. 12, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
After a come-from-behind, 14-inning win at Sam Houston State on Wednesday, the fifth-ranked Texas A&M softball team heads to Baton Rouge, La., this weekend for the Easton Tiger Classic hosted by No. 21 LSU.
The Aggies face Sam Houston State (3 p.m.) on Friday and Ohio State (11 a.m.) and the Tigers (2 p.m.) on Saturday. Stay logged on to AggieAthletics.com for Sunday's game times and opponents as they are part of bracket play and are yet to be determined.
On Wednesday, A&M was down 1-0 against Sam Houston before senior Holly Ridley launched a solo home run in the top of the seventh to even the score. It was not until seven innings later that either team would score again, and it was junior Alex Reynolds who crossed the plate after senior Erin Glasco laced an RBI double to left center.
Sophomore Rhi Kliesing threw all 14 innings to earn her third win of the season. She struck out 11 to match a career high mark. Reynolds went a game-best 3-for-6.
The Aggies play the second of 12 straight road games on Friday and have their first televised game of the year on Saturday against LSU. It will be broadcast locally in Baton Rouge, La., on Cox Sports Network (cable channel 37).
Live stats and free live audio are available for every game this weekend on AggieAthletics.com. The online broadcast begins approximately 10 minutes prior to first pitch.
HOW MANY INNINGS?
A&M's 14-inning win was the longest Aggie softball game since March 4, 1994 when the Aggies went 15 innings in a 3-2 win against McNeese State.
AGGIE STATS
Kliesing leads the Aggies batting .400 with six hits, seven RBIs, five runs, three home runs and four walks. Junior Macie Morrow (.333) and sophomore Natalie Villarreal (.375) are hitting over .300. Morrow has five hits, including a double and a home run, while Villarreal tallies six hits, a double and a home run.
SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON STATE
The Bearkats (4-1) opened their season by winning the Domino's Pizza/SHSU Invitational last weekend. They outscored Texas Southern and Houston Baptist 32-1. After dropping their first game of the year to A&M in 14 innings on Wednesday, the Bearkats will be looking for revenge. Lead-off batter and shortstop Hailey Wiginton is hitting .500 with three doubles and two triples. The pitching staff holds a 0.19 ERA and the team has a .351 batting average.
VERSUS THE BEARKATS
A&M leads the all-time series 77-13 after picking up a hard-fought, 2-1 victory over SHSU on Wednesday. The Aggies face the Bearkats three times this season, with the second meeting on Friday and the third on April 22 at the Aggie Softball Complex.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes are 4-1 after opening their season in Las Cruces, N.M. Their only loss came from the host school, New Mexico State. OSU outscored its opponents 47-11 and hit nine home runs for a .362 team batting average. Four players are hitting over .400 with Rebecca Schultz leading the way with a .556 average (5-for 9). Rachael Shepherd hit three home runs. The Ohio State pitching staff has an ERA of 1.93, while its opponents are hitting .228. The Buckeyes were 33-23 last season.
VERSUS THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State and Texas A&M have met seven times and A&M came out victorious every contest.
SCOUTING LSU
The Tigers are ranked 21st and bring a 4-2 record into the weekend. Their losses came in Hawaii at the hands of then No. 10 Oklahoma (8-0) and UAB (5-3). Kristen Shortridge leads the team with a .429 average. She has nine hits, seven runs and a home run and is a threat to steal going 5-for-6 in stolen bases. The pitching staff has a 3.90 ERA, while the team is batting .268. LSU advanced to the NCAA Regionals last year and ended with a 44-18 record.
VERSUS THE TIGERS
A&M and LSU have only faced each other three times and the Aggies lead the series 3-0.
AGGIE CONNECTIONS
Bearkat assistant coach Selena Collins was a former A&M All-American and head coach Bob Brock was at the helm of Aggie softball from 1982-1996. Collins was a four-year starter from 2000 to 2003. Besides being an All-American, she earned Big 12 Player-of-the-Year, Big 12 All-Conference and NCAA Midwest All-Region honors, and finished her college career as Texas A&M's all-time leader in RBIs and home runs. A Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Brock led A&M to national titles in 1982, 1983 and 1987 and compiled a 688-255 record as an Aggie.
FRESH FACES
There were several new faces on the diamond to kick off the 2009 season. Freshman Rebecca Arbino made her first college start in the circle and picked up her first win. The Clovis, Calif., product held UTSA to one run, also collecting her first strikeout. Broussard started in all five games at both first base and designated player collecting four hits, three RBIs and her first career home run. Freshman Kelsea Orsak started all five games in centerfield and added a hit, while sophomore Kara Rau tallied her first single as a pinch hitter against UTSA.
EIGHT ROUND-TRIPPERS
The Aggies already hit eight homers this season with the first long balls of the year coming from Kliesing (3), Ridley (2), Villarreal, Morrow and Broussard A&M claims the most bombs of any Big 12 school. Kliesing's three almost match her season total (4) from 2008.
A&M IN THE POLLS
The Aggies are ranked fifth for the second straight week in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll and moved down three spots to No. 13 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. A&M's 2009 opponents appearing in the polls are No. 3/7 Oklahoma, No. 10/12 Arizona, No. 14/15 Houston, No. 17 Missouri, No. 20/21 LSU and No. 25 Kansas. Baylor, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Texas also received votes.
BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
A&M was selected to finish third in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Oklahoma was chosen as the preseason favorite followed Missouri, the Aggies, Texas, Nebraska and Baylor. Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas Tech and Iowa State filled the remaining spots in the preseason rankings.
AGGIE SOFTBALL ON TV
The Aggies are slated to have two regular season games televised: Feb. 14 at LSU (Cox Sports Television) and May 2 at Texas (ESPN). The Big 12 Tournament Championship game on May 10 will be broadcast on FSN.
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