March 26, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 17 Texas A&M softball team opens Big 12 play this weekend when it hosts the Kansas Jayhawks in a two-game series at the Aggie Softball Complex. The games are scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday.
The Aggies (27-7) have won 11 of their last 12 games with their only loss coming at the hands of No. 8 Georgia Tech. A&M rode a season-high, 11-game winning streak before falling to the Yellow Jackets 4-0 on Wednesday.
The Aggies' are led offensively by freshman Rhi Kliesing (.367) records 36 hits, six home runs, 29 RBIs and a .483 on base percentage.
Freshman Rebecca Arbino leads A&M with 100 strikeouts in 118.2 innings pitched.
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.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats, free live audio and video will be provided for this weekend's games on AggieAthletics.com. In addition, fans can listen to the 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 face their first Big 12 road test at No. 25 Baylor on Wednesday. First pitch against the Bears is at 6:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Texas A&M gave up four runs early and lost 4-0 to No. 8 Georgia Tech on Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets scored one in the first and three in the second, and despite each team tallying six hits, Tech held the Aggies scoreless through seven for the victory. A&M left 11 runners stranded in the game. In relief, Dumezich tossed five and two-thirds innings, did not allow a run, gave up two hits, walked three and fanned five.
SCOUTING KANSAS
The Jayhawks (14-15) recently returned from the San Diego Classic II, where they went 3-3 in the tournament. KU was picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 and posts a .269 team batting average. Freshman Rosie Hull hit .650 in San Diego and jumped her average up to a team-high .443, while senior Sara Ramirez provides the power with six home runs and 19 RBIs. Alex Jones has a .372 average after going 4-for-4 against UIC last weekend. Junior Allie Clark (5-3) posts a team-best 2.97 ERA in the circle. Kansas went 21-31 in 2009, finishing ninth in the Big 12 with a 6-11 conference record.
VERSUS THE JAYHAWKS
The Aggies are 42-18 in the all-time series vs. the Jayhawks. Texas A&M has won 14 of the last 15 games between the two teams, but fell last year at Kansas, 4-1. Kliesing struck out seven and hit a solo home run to tally the team's only score, but the Aggies committed three errors in the game and were out-hit 6-2. A&M enjoys a 16-6 advantage at home against KU.
A FIRST ON WEDNESDAY
A&M played its second-highest ranked opponent in No. 8 Georgia Tech Wednesday and the Yellow Jackets shutout the Aggies for the first time all season. That's pretty impressive figuring two of No. 3 Missouri's and No. 9 Stanford's three losses, and two of No. 5 Alabama's seven losses have been blanks. What's even more is that Texas A&M is in good company with only one shutout loss this year. Several top 10 programs, including No. 2 Arizona, No. 6 UCLA and No. 8 Georgia Tech each have been shutout just once.
BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
From Spring, Texas, May earned her second Big 12 Player of the week honor after leading Texas A&M with four game-winning hits – a three-run home run against Harvard, an RBI double versus Long Beach State, a two-run home run against UIC and an RBI double in the ninth inning that cracked open a scoreless game against San Diego State, who is receiving votes in both polls. Six of May's seven hits on the weekend were for extra bases, including 4-of-7 for home runs. In fact, the freshman blasted two homers for the first time in her career in the Aggies' game against UIC. May led the team with 21 total bases, 11 RBIs, five runs, and a 1.167 slugging percentage. She also recorded two career-high, four-RBI performances versus Harvard and UIC. Her outstanding weekend moved May into Texas A&M's individual season records ranked fifth with 14 home runs, seventh with 15 doubles and eighth with 45 RBIs. May leads the Big 12 in hits (43), home runs (14), walks (24), RBIs (45), total bases (100) and slugging percentage (1.020).
THE AMAZING ARBINO
Arbino threw a career-best 27 scoreless innings and went 4-0 for the second straight week to lead Texas A&M in the circle. She did not allow a run (0.00 ERA) and gave up only three walks and one extra base hit (a double). Arbino held her opponents to a stifling .121 batting average and tallied two nine-inning shutouts against No. 25 UMass and San Diego State, who was receiving votes in both polls. Arbino shutout UMass for just the second time all season and San Diego State for the fourth time all year and first time in 14 games. She threw four innings of hitless relief work against Long Beach State and gave up just two hits with six K's against Harvard. She won nine in-a-row and only gave up two runs and five walks over the nine-game stretch in which she owned a 0.25 ERA, six shutouts and held opponents to a .148 batting average. Arbino has the most shutouts (seven) in the Big 12 which is a career-high.
WINNING STREAK
The Aggies were on an 11-game winning streak March 9-21, which was their longest stretch this season and also their longest run since the team went on a 17-game winning streak from April 16, 2008 to May 30, 2008.
WHERE DO THE AGGIES RANK NATIONALLY?
The NCAA statistics came out this week and the Aggies are ranked in the top 25 in several categories (through March 21) – doubles per game (7), WL percentage (15), fielding percentage (16), slugging percentage (24) and scoring (25). Individually, May sits third in home runs, fourth in slugging percentage, ninth in home runs per game and RBIs per game, 11th in doubles per game and 15th in on base percentage. Arbino ranks third in the nation in shutouts, sixth in victories and 22nd in walks allowed per seven innings.
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
Texas A&M is ranked 17th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 this week and No. 19 in the USA Today/NFCA poll. A&M's remaining ranked opponents are No. 3/4 Missouri, No. 9/12 Oklahoma, No. 15/16 Texas, No. 15/16 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Baylor. In addition, Texas Tech is receiving votes.
A HOME RUN COMPARISON
Texas A&M has blasted 35 home runs in 33 games this season, already putting them at their season total of 35 homers in 54 games last year.