April 23, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The 21st-ranked Texas A&M softball team battles No. 11 Missouri in a key Big 12 series this weekend at the Aggie Softball Complex. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m. and Sunday's Senior Day is televised nationally on ESPN at 2 p.m.
The Aggies (35-12, 6-5 Big 12) sit in fourth place in the conference and are two games back of third-place Oklahoma.
A&M enters the two-game series after dropping a 4-1 decision at No. 14 Texas Wednesday. The Aggies won the first game between the two teams, 1-0, and split the series with the Longhorns for the second straight year.
Mizzou (35-8, 5-5 Big 12) trails A&M and is tied for fifth place in the league. The team played three non-conference contests this week en route to an eight-game winning streak. Their last loss, coincidentally, was also at Texas.
AGGIE SOFTBALL ON TV SUNDAY
The A&M/Missouri contest Sunday airs nationally on ESPN. Beth Mowins will call the play-by-play and Jessica Mendoza will serve as the color analyst for the broadcast. The Aggies are one of just four Big 12 schools to have a regular season game televised on ESPN this season.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
If you're not able to tune into ESPN or ESPN3.com on Sunday, Texas A&M has you covered. Free live stats and live audio will be provided for both games this weekend on AggieAthletics.com. Saturday's game will include free video on AggieAthletics.com. In addition, fans can listen to the broadcasts live on Sports Radio 1150 The Zone, making them available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
PROMOTIONS
Saturday - Junior Aggie Club Day – Kids will have a chance to dunk Aggie Basketball players in a dunking booth; there will be an inflatable obstacle course, and Reveille will be on hand for photo opportunities.
Sunday - Senior Day - Fans are invited to stick around following Sunday's game as we honor our seniors, Macie Morrow, Alex Reynolds and Bailey Schroeder. Coach Evans will talk about each senior on the field and present them with a gift.
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.
ON DECK
The Aggies close out a short, three-game homestand with their final home game of the regular season on Wednesday. The Baylor Bears will travel to College Station for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. Baylor took the first game of the series by scoring the deciding run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning.
LAST TIME OUT
Texas A&M softball team scored the first run against No. 14 Texas, but gave up two long balls to fall 4-1 on Wednesday night at McCombs Field. The Aggies split the two-game series with the Longhorns for the second straight year. Spittler laced a two-out RBI triple off the right center fence to get A&M on the scoreboard first in the fourth. The Longhorns, however, answered in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run home run to left by Nadia Taylor. Then, after an Aggie error in the sixth, Lexy Bennett added to Texas' lead with a line-drive, two-run shot to left. Blaire Luna struck out 14 for the win in the circle.
LEADING THE WAY
Freshman Rebecca Arbino (18-8) leads the league with nine shutouts, while freshman Lauren Schwirtlich has a team-best .324 batting average with 12 hits.
WHO'S HOT?
Junior Lauren Schwirtlich leads the team hitting .360 with nine hits and three doubles. As a team, however, A&M is hitting a mere .143 with a 3.73 ERA. Arbino was credited with all three wins in the circle, shutting out two (UMass and Texas) opponents.
LAST TELEVISED GAME – May 2, 2009
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, at McCombs Field. In front of a crowd of 1,376 and in a game that was televised nationally by ESPN, Schroeder launched her second career grand slam with two outs in the fifth and in the next at bat, Reynolds hit her third homer this season to give the Aggies a 6-1 lead going into the final two-and-a-half innings. Arbino only got better as the game went on, retiring the Longhorns in order in the fifth and sixth, and fanning her first and second batters for the last two outs of the game and the win in the circle.
SCOUTING MISOURI
The Tigers are ranked No. 11/15 and have won eighth straight, including a sweep of Texas Tech - their last Big 12 opponent. Mizzou is hitting .296 as a team, but only .231 in conference games. They are a team that likes to run, recording 84-of106 stolen bases, which is second in the Big 12. Rhea Taylor is leading the offense overall with a league-best .438 batting average and 28-of-29 stolen bases. She also has 49 hits and 41 runs. Jenna Marston is second on the team with a .364 average, 14-of-19 stolen bases and a team-high 37 RBI's. She leads the team in league games hitting .414. Although the Tigers' ace in the circle, Chelsea Thomas, is out for the season, Kristin Nottelmann (13-6) has picked up the slack. She posts a 2.16 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 103.2 innings pitched. Ehren Earleywine is in his fourth season as head coach of Missouri where he has a 169-61 record.
VERSUS THE TIGERS
A&M holds a 28-21 advantage in the all-time series and was swept Missouri in Columbia last season. Mizzou was ranked 11th and run ruled the Aggies twice, 8-0 and 9-1. In the two games, Missouri hit five home runs, while A&M tallied five hits, three of which, however, were doubles. The Aggies plated their lone run in the top of the fifth inning of the second game. The A&M pitching staff struggled in the circle giving up 10 walks and hitting two batters in 10 innings. The Tigers struck out 10 and walked two. In the last 10 meetings, however, the two teams are even (5-5). Furthermore, the Aggies have won 13 straight in College Station, dating back to 1996. A&M holds a 17-4 advantage at home against Mizzou.