Feb. 10, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
The No. 19 Texas A&M softball team kicks off the 2011 season on the road this weekend against several top teams at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Friday the Aggies open with Cal State Fullerton followed by No. 14 Oregon. A&M will also face 16th-ranked Brigham Young, No. 1 Arizona, and Bradley. Three of five opponents this weekend are nationally ranked.
Coming off of its ninth-straight and 21st-overall NCAA Tournament appearance, the Aggies return 11 letterwinners from last year's 44-16 squad, including 2010 All-American Meagan May, two-time All-Big 12 first team honoree Rhiannon Kliesing and 2010 All-Central Region first team selection Mel Dumezich.
In 2010 May set the A&M and Big 12 records for home runs with 24 long balls. Kliesing posted a personal-best batting average (.365) with a team-second 62 hits, including 11 home runs. Dumezich led the pitching staff with a 1.96 ERA in 153.2 innings of work.
Head coach Jo Evans begins her 15th season at the helm of Aggie softball and carries with her an 858-481-2 career record, which ranks 16th among active Division I softball coaches.
Live stats and live audio will be provided for every game this season on AggieAthletics.com. Fans can listen to Sports Radio 1150 The Zone for Saturday's game vs. the top-ranked Wildcats, and Sunday's match-up with the Braves. In addition, the Aggies' first three contests will be broadcast live on KNDE-FM's HD3 channel, Play x REPlay (95.1-3 on the FM dial of an HD Radio), making it available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Log on to radioaggieland.com for more information.
A&M IN SEASON OPENERS
The Aggies are 29-3 in season openers and have won the first game of the season every year under Evans. The last time A&M lost a season opener was in 1994.
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
Texas A&M is ranked 19th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Preseason Poll, and was slated at No. 21 in the USA Today/NFCA rankings. The Aggies' 2010 opponents appearing in the polls are No. 1/2 Arizona, No. 4/3 Georgia, No. 9/7 Missouri, No. 6/9 Oklahoma, No. 11/10 Washington, No. 14/14 Oregon, No. 15/15 Texas, No. 20/16 BYU, No. 24/22 Ohio State, and No. 22/23 Oklahoma State. In addition, Nebraska, Texas Tech, San Diego State, Long Island and Northwestern are receiving votes.
ON DECK
The Aggies are on the road for their first seven games of the season and after returning from Tempe, Ariz., they head to Stephen F. Austin Wednesday for a double header against the Ladyjacks. The first game is set for a 2 p.m. first pitch, with the second contest to follow at 4 p.m. A&M's home opener is set for Friday, Feb. 18 against UT Arlington in the Aggie Classic. The team remains in the comfortable confines of the Aggie Softball Complex for five straight.
SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON
The Titans finished the 2010 season with a 14-39 overall record and were 9-12 in Big West play. The team graduated four seniors but retained eight starters, including senior Torrie Anderson. The two-time all-conference first team selection connected for 45 hits, including eight doubles and 11 home runs, to record a .287 batting average last season. Texas A&M is 16-18 against Fullerton. The teams last met in San Diego, Calif. in 2008, a 4-1 victory for the Aggies.
SCOUTING OREGON
The No. 14 Oregon Ducks finished the 2010 season in the same spot in the polls with a 36-21 overall record. They finished in a sixth-place tie in the Pac-10 Conference with an 8-13 record. The Ducks lost five players to graduation, but the 2011 team boasts a large returning group, including sophomore offensive standout Samantha Pappas who earned team highs last season in hits (64), home runs (11) and RBI (48). Texas A&M is 4-2 against Oregon.
SCOUTING BYU
Mountain West champion Brigham Young is coming off of the 2010 season with a 46-13 overall record and a 12-3 record in conference play. The Cougars graduated four seniors but return 11 letterwinners, including senior pitcher Paige Affleck who led the team in 2010 with a 2.35 ERA and a 32-9 win-loss record. The hurler fanned 222 batters in 247.1 innings of work. Sophomore slugger JC Clayton posted a .430 batting average in 186 at-bats, collecting 80 hits and 56 runs. Texas A&M leads the series against BYU 5-4. The Aggies lost the last two meetings against the Cougars at home in 2010.
SCOUTING ARIZONA
The WCWS Runners-up ended the 2010 season with a 52-14 record and a 13-8 record in conference play. The eight-time national champions made their 22nd trip to the Women's College World Series in 2010 before falling to UCLA in the WCWS final. The team returns seven starters, including senior offensive standout Brittany Lastrapes. She was named first team All-America for the second consecutive year after leading the team with a .413 batting average. Texas A&M is 10-24 against the No. 1 Wildcats.
SCOUTING BRADLEY
The Braves went 15-34 last year and finished 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 5-21 record. Bradley returns four starters. Senior Brittany Fairbair ended 2010 with four doubles, three triples and 19 runs, while junior Jackie Roth had 14 RBI and crossed the plate 13 times. This is the first meeting between the two teams.
BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
A&M was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Aggies received 54 points and finished behind preseason favorite Oklahoma (79), Missouri (71) and Texas (69). A&M was selected as the frontrunner for three consecutive years, from 2006-08, and was picked sixth last season. Oklahoma State placed fifth with 50 points, followed by Baylor (40), Texas Tech (33), Nebraska (26), Iowa State (15) and Kansas (13).
AGGIE SOFTBALL ON TV
The Aggies are one of four Big 12 teams to play in front of a national audience in 2011. A&M's contest against Texas on May 4 will air on FSN. The game is set for a 6:30 first pitch.
GET IT LIVE
Live streaming video will be available for every home game this season. Fans can log on to AggieAthletics.com to watch the action as it happens. Live audio and live stats are featured in every A&M game in 2010. Several contests will be aired on Sports Radio 1150 The Zone. Every other game will be broadcast live on AggieAthletics.com and on KNDE-FM's HD3 channel, Play x REPlay (95.1-3 on the FM dial of an HD Radio), making it available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
GAMEDAY PARKING
Parking is available for all home softball games in Lot 100 at Reed Arena and Olsen Field. Parking is free when there are no games at Reed or Olsen. During basketball and baseball games, parking will be $5. Arrive early to secure a space. For maps and schedules, log on to AggieAthletics.com.