March 11, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 21 Texas A&M softball team hosts the Aggie Invitational this weekend welcoming North Dakota State, Utah State and Wright State to the Aggie Softball Complex. The Aggies play a pair of games beginning at 3 p.m. both Friday and Saturday and finish the tournament with a single contest on Sunday at 12:15 p.m.
A&M enters the weekend with a 17-6 record after splitting a doubleheader against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday. The Aggies cruised by the Islanders in an 8-0 run-rule after falling 4-3 in the opener.
Freshman Rebecca Arbino leads the Aggies in the circle with a 2.45 ERA and three shutouts in eight wins.
Texas A&M's competition in its final home tournament of the season consists of a 2009 NCAA Super Regional team (North Dakota State) and a team that is the only blemish on No. 1 Washington's record (Utah State). The Aggies have never faced North Dakota State or Wright State in the history of the program.
TICKETS
Tickets are available for purchase online at tickets.12thmanfoundation.com or by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE.
PARKING
Parking for softball games is free and is available in the Reed Arena parking lots. Exceptions include days when there is conflict with home baseball games.
PROMOTIONS
STAYCATION – Fans may purchase general admission tickets for a discounted price of $3 with a minimum purchase of three events. Fans who already possess a ticket for one event, can take that ticket stub to any other event to receive a discounted $3 general admission ticket. This offer applies to all 19 events held at Texas A&M over spring break.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats and free live video will be provided for every game this weekend on AggieAthletics.com. In addition, free live audio is available for every Texas A&M game on AggieAthletics.com. Fans can listen to every A&M contests broadcast live on KNDE-FM's HD3 channel, Play x REPlay (95.1-3 on the FM dial of an HD Radio), making them available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Log on to radioaggieland.com for more information.
ON DECK
The Aggies are back on the road and spend spring break in San Diego, Calif., next week. A&M plays five games in three days at the San Diego Classic II. The team's opponents are No. 24 Massachusetts, Harvard, Long Beach State, UIC and San Diego State.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE
The 2009 Summit League Champion North Dakota State Bison are 11-7 in 2010 after finishing 3-2 at the Colorado State Classic in Fort Collins, Colo., last weekend. Senior Melissa Chmielewski leads the team in hitting with a .464 batting average, 13 runs and 33 RBIs on 26 hits, five of them home runs. Close behind is junior Nicole Rivera who posts a .410 average and 18 runs on 25 hits. On the mound, freshman Whitney Johnson posts an 8-5 record and a 2.70 ERA. The Bison were 38-20 last season and upset Oklahoma in the Norman Regional to advance as the true Cinderella team in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. This is the first meeting between Texas A&M and North Dakota State.
UTAH STATE
The Utah State Aggies are 8-5 this season. The team finished with a 3-2 record at the Colorado State Classic in Fort Collins, Colo. last weekend. Senior Rachel Evans is batting .323 with six runs on 10 hits this season. Senior Kate Greenough (3-3) leads the team from the circle with a 3.80 ERA after 31.1 innings of work. She had eight of the Aggies' 10 wins last season. The Aggies were 10-37 in 2009 and 3-17 in the Western Athletic Conference. Texas A&M leads the series versus Utah State, 11-6.
WRIGHT STATE
The Wright State Raiders are 6-10 in 2009. They recently returned from the Mississippi State Bulldog Classic in Starkville, Miss., where the team finished 1-3. Sophomore China Frost posts a .442 batting average with 23 hits and eight RBIs. Senior Kristen Bradshaw follows with a .375 average, 10 runs and nine RBI on 18 hits. The team totals a .293 batting average. Senior Melanie Heyne (2-4) leads the Raiders in pitching with a 3.42 ERA. Senior Sharon Palma led the team in strikeouts in 2009 with 133 in 176.2 innings of work. The Raiders were 34-21 in 2009 and 16-8 in the Horizon League. This is the first time Texas A&M and Wright State will meet.