April 20, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
After taking a dramatic 1-0 victory over No. 14 Texas on April 7, the No. 21 Texas A&M softball team looks for a sweep of the 14th-ranked Longhorns in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at McCombs Field.
The Aggies (35-11, 6-4 Big 12) are the only blemish on the Horns' (35-9, 8-1 Big 12) conference record and come into the midweek matchup having won three straight games.
Texas' last Big 12 series against then-No. 12 Oklahoma was rained out over the weekend, but the team cruised past Baylor, 8-0, in five on April 14 and has won 11 of its last 12. The Horns' only loss in that stretch - Texas A&M.
The Aggies trail Texas in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown standings, 7.5 points - 5 points, but can earn another half point with a win on Wednesday.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats and free live audio will be provided for Wednesday's game on AggieAthletics.com. In addition, fans can listen to the broadcast live on Sports Radio 1150 The Zone making it 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 return home for their final weekend series of the season against No. 11 Missouri. Saturday's game is set for 1 p.m., while first pitch Sunday is at 2:04 p.m. and is televised nationally on ESPN. On Sunday, the three Aggie seniors, Macie Morrow, Alex Reynolds and Bailey Schroeder will be honored following the game.
LAST TIME OUT
Texas A&M was down to its last strike against Iowa State on Saturday before freshman Rebecca Arbino leads the league with nine shutouts, while Dumezich (11-1) posts the lowest ERA on the team at 1.76.
SCOUTING TEXAS
The Longhorns have won three straight, including a sweep of then-No. 7 Missouri at home. As a team Texas is hitting .324 with a 2.17 ERA and a .961 fielding percentage. Tallie Thrasher is hitting .405 with 26 RBIs and is one of three players (Courtney Craig and Shelby Savony) to tally 10 home runs this year. Nadia Taylor (.400) leads the team with 52 hits and in a very balanced offense, nine players have recorded 20 or more RBIs. Freshman Blaire Luna (22-5) is the mainstay in the circle with a 0.91 ERA, eight shutouts and 287 K's in 169.2 innings pitched. Taylor (.565), Brittany Chalk (.417) and Taylor Hoagland (.407) lead the team at the plate in Big 12 play, while Luna has stepped up her game in conference, posting a 0.50 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 56.0 innings pitched.
VERSUS THE LONGHORNS
The Aggies are 18-16 against Texas all-time and won the last meeting 1-0 in College Station. Last year the two teams split the series, each winning on the road. The last time A&M was in Austin, a six-run fifth inning that included a grand slam by Schroeder followed by a solo home run from Reynolds powered Texas A&M past Texas, 6-1, in a game that was televised nationally on ESPN.
RPI
The first NCAA softball RPI came out on April 13 and Texas A&M was ranked 19th. Alabama, Michigan Florida, Washington, and Georgia Tech round out the top five, while the Big 12 had five schools in the top 20. Texas was ranked sixth, Oklahoma seventh, Oklahoma State 10th and Missouri 13th. Nebraska (48), Iowa State (53), Texas Tech (55) and Baylor (64) are ranked further down on the list.
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
Texas A&M remained steady in the polls this week at No. 21 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 and No. 22 in the USA Today/NFCA poll. A&M's remaining ranked opponents are No. 7/8 Oklahoma State, No. 11/15 Missouri and No. 14/15 Texas. In addition, Baylor is receiving votes.
AGGIES IN EXTRA INNINGS
Texas A&M has had seven contests go to extra innings this season with its longest (10 innings) coming against Baylor on March 31. The Aggies post a 5-2 record in extra-inning games. Arbino is 3-1 past the seventh, Kliesing is 0-1, and Dumezich is 2-0.
EVANS APPROACHING 850 CAREER WINS
Head coach Jo Evans is approaching her 850th career win. One of the winningest active DI coaches in softball today, Evans is a win away with an 849-476-2 overall record. At the beginning of the season she ranked 15th in career victories among active DI coaches.