April 9, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 20 Texas A&M softball team hosts No. 11 Oklahoma this weekend for a two-game series at the Aggie Softball Complex. Saturday's game is set for 2 p.m., while first pitch on Sunday is thrown at noon.
The Aggies (32-9, 4-2 Big 12) sit in third place in the conference after a big win against No. 16 Texas on Wednesday and have won three of their last four games, including two straight after returning to their home field.
The Sooners (29-9, 3-2 Big 12) come off of a 3-2 loss at No. 12 Oklahoma State on Wednesday. OU is 3-2 in its last five games, splitting with conference foe Missouri and taking two close contests at Iowa State before its midweek loss.
The Aggies are 19-4 at home this season and are led by freshman Rebecca Arbino holds an 18-6 record and posts a Big-12-best nine shutouts.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats and free live audio will be provided for both games this weekend on AggieAthletics.com. In addition, fans can listen the broadcasts live on Sports Radio 1150 The Zone, making them both available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
PROMOTIONS
Attention young softball fans! Wear your little league softball jersey to every Big 12 Aggie softball game this year and get in free! Also, don't forget to enter your name into a drawing near the 12th Man Team Rewards table for a chance to win a clinic with the Fightin' Texas Aggie softball team at the end of the year.
ON DECK
The Aggies close out their five-game homestand on Wednesday with a contest against Sam Houston State. The game begins at 6:30 p.m. and is the second meeting between the two teams this year. A&M won 2-1 in Huntsville, Texas, early in the season thanks to a solo home run by Macie Morrow.
LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Macie Morrow from third in just the second Aggie hit of the game, while Arbino threw a two-hit shutout to tally her ninth blank of the season. The Aggies snapped the Longhorns' eight-game winning streak and shutout their second straight opponent at home. A&M also raised the State Farm Lone Star Showdown trophy and gained half a point in the standing.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
The Sooners hold a 4-3 mark on the road this season, but have a pitching staff with the lowest ERA in the Big 12 at 1.57. Keilani Ricketts (18-8) is their go-to hurler with a 1.38 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 147.1 innings pitched. She holds her opponents to a .158 batting average, while the staff as a whole keeps their opponents down to a .191 average. Oklahoma is hitting .283 and is led by Amber Flores with a .406 batting average, 41 hits, 43 runs, a .762 slugging percentage and a conference-best .567 on base percentage. Jessica Shults has a team-high 12 home runs and 48 RBIs, while Brianna Turange leads the team with 16-of-19 stolen bases. Patty Gasso is in her 16th season at the helm of OU softball with a record of 756-249-2.
VERSUS THE SOONERS
Oklahoma holds the advantage in the all-time series, 37-28, and won both games last year in Norman, 7-3 and 3-1. Since 2004, A&M leads the Sooners by a narrow margin, 8-7, with seven of those games being determined by two runs or less.
SPITTLER NAMED TWO-TIME NSCA ALL-AMERICAN
Texas A&M junior outfielder Kelsey Spittler was recently named an All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive time by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). From Caldwell, Texas, Spittler was nominated by Aggie strength and conditioning coach Raychelle Ellsworth and was recognized for her dedication to strength training.
ARBINO SHUTING 'EM DOWN
Not only does Arbino lead the Big 12 in shutouts, the sophomore right-hander is among the nation's elite in the category as well. The Clovis, Calif., native ranks fifth in the nation with nine shutouts on the year. No. 1 Washington's Danielle Lawrie leads the country with 12 shutouts.
200-PLUS CAREER K'S
Arbino struck out six against Stephen F. Austin on April 6 and three more against Texas on April 7 to put her career strikeout count over the 200 mark at 203. Kliesing is nearing 350 career K's and has currently fanned 347.
3-4-5
A&M's three, four and five hitters (May, Kliesing and Reynolds) have accounted for 118 of 223 RBIs (52.9 percent), 27 of 40 home runs (67.5 percent), 34 of 71 doubles (47.9 percent) and 129 of 242 hits (53.3 percent) this season.