April 3, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
The 19th-ranked Texas A&M softball team travels to Columbia, Mo., this weekend for a two-game set at No. 11 Missouri. A forecast of rain and cold weather on Sunday has forced the games into a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m. The second game will begin 15 minutes following the conclusion of game one.
The Aggies (23-12, 1-2 Big 12) are coming off of a Big 12 loss to No. 22 Texas on Wednesday. A&M fell behind early, but came back to take the lead in the fourth inning before the Longhorns hit a pair of two-run home runs in the fifth to seal the 5-3 victory.
The Tigers (31-5, 4-2 Big 12) dropped to third place in the Big 12 standings after splitting a midweek doubleheader at Kansas. Mizzou picked up its sixth straight win with an 8-0, six-inning shutout in game one before the Jayhawks used a four-run seventh inning to upset the Tigers, 4-1, in the nightcap.
A&M holds a 28-19 advantage in the all-time series and swept Missouri at the Aggie Softball Complex last season. The two teams, however, are even (5-5) in the last 10 meetings.
Follow Texas A&M on the road this weekend with free live audio and live stats on AggieAthletics.com. In College Station, fans can also tune in to Sports Radio 1150 The Zone for the first game of the doubleheader at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
RECAP
The Aggies shook off the rust on Wednesday after a 10-day layoff, but still dropped their second consecutive Big 12 contest after giving up a pair of two-run home runs to Texas in the fifth inning.
The Longhorns jumped to a one-run lead in the top of the first, but A&M answered with two outs in the bottom of the third with an RBI single from sophomore Rhi Kliesing.
Junior Bailey Schroeder's go-ahead RBI single in the fourth put the Aggies up 2-1, but Desiree Williams and Loryn Johnson hit two-run blasts in the fifth. Kliesing closed the Horns' lead to two in the sixth with a solo homer, but A&M could not push any more runs across in the contest.
Senior Erin Glasco went 3-for-3 and Kliesing was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
WHAT'S UP NEXT
A&M returns to College Station for a four-game home stand beginning with a twin bill on Wednesday, April 8 at 5 p.m. against Oklahoma State. Texas Tech travels to the Aggie Softball Complex for a two-game weekend series before the Aggies host Baylor in a single midweek game on April 15.
LEADING THE WAY
A&M is led offensively by second baseman Holly Ridley posts a .321 average with 34 hits, 24 runs, eight doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 24 RBIs and a .651 slugging percentage. Kliesing has a team-high 25 RBIs and Glasco is hitting .300. Kliesing also leads the team in the circle with a 14-8 record, four shutouts and 141 strikeouts.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
Under the direction of third-year head coach Ehren Earleywine, the No. 11 Tigers have already reached the 30-win mark with at least six weeks of season left. Mizzou won six straight before dropping the second game of a doubleheader to Kansas on Wednesday.
Missouri was picked to finish second in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma and is currently in third place.
Shana White (.463) leads a Tiger squad that is hitting .329. White and Rhea Taylor have 24 and 18 stolen bases each. Taylor posts a .419 batting average with 39 hits and 32 runs. Maria Schweisberger (.423) is the third player hitting above .400. Miceala Minner has a team-high six home runs and 34 RBIs.
Chelsea Thomas and Stacy Delaney split time in the circle. Thomas (10-2) totals seven shutouts and 72 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched while Delaney (7-2) has four shutouts and has fanned 71 batters in 70 innings.
VERSUS THE TIGERS
A&M holds a 28-19 advantage in the all-time series and swept Missouri at the Aggie Softball Complex last season. In the series, Ridley hit 3-for-5 with two RBIs while Spittler went 4-for-6. The two teams, however, are even (5-5) in the last 10 meetings. The Aggies have never swept a Big 12 series in Columbia, but split three times in 2001, 2003 and 2007.
A&M IN THE POLLS
The Aggies jumped up one spot to 19th in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll and also moved up to 21st in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll. A&M's highest ranking was No. 5 the first two weeks of the season. The Ags' remaining 2009 opponents appearing in the polls are No. 22/25 Texas, No. 10/12 Oklahoma and No. 11 Missouri. Oklahoma State and Nebraska also received votes.
MORROW'S SHORT-LIVED RETURN
On March 7 against Kent State, junior Macie Morrow hit a foul ball that struck her in the face directly off the bat. The shortstop from Sugar Land, Texas, returned to the starting lineup to open Big 12 play against Nebraska and made an impact hitting .400 with two hits, two walks, two runs and an RBI. Unfortunately, that is the last action Morrow will see this season as she had season-ending surgery on Friday, March 27. Morrow ended the 2009 season on a seven-game hitting streak.
SWITCHING IT UP
With Morrow out of the lineup Ridley became the starting shortstop, a position she played her entire freshman year. Schroeder came off the bench to get the nod in right field and has done a phenomenal job as hitting .367 with 11 hits, 11 runs and six RBIs this season.
HITTING STREAKS
Glasco and Schroeder are on four-game hitting streaks. Ridley recorded a team-high 11-game hitting streak earlier this season in which she tallied six doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs. Morrow ended her season on a seven-game stretch, while Spittler, Kliesing and Glasco have all had hits in as many as six consecutive games this season.