Feb. 17, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
The No. 23 Texas A&M softball team opens the home portion of its schedule this weekend playing host to the 2011 Aggie Classic. A&M (4-3) welcomes Wichita State (2-3), UT Arlington (2-3) and Texas Southern (1-3) to the Aggie Softball Complex.
The Aggies play their first home game against UT Arlington at 2:30 p.m. Friday and immediately follow with Wichita State. They play a pair of games Saturday beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Texas A&M is holds a 67-14 all-time advantage over the Mavericks, and is 1-0 against the Tigers and 6-0 against the Shockers.
TICKETS
Tickets are available for purchase online at tickets.12thmanfoundation.com or by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE.
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.
PROMOTIONS
The A&M softball team will be hosting an autograph session after Friday's 5 p.m. game. Bring something to sign and meet the Aggies in the concourse after the last out.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats will be provided for every game this weekend on AggieAthletics.com. In addition, free live audio and live video are available for every A&M game on AggieAthletics.com. The Aggies' Friday and Saturday contests will be broadcast live in HD on 95.1-3 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.
LAST TIME OUT
The Aggies swept a double header at Stephen F. Austin, 4-3 and 9-0, Wednesday. Junior Natalie Villarreal was 5-for-7 on the day, and was 3-for-3 with three runs in game two. Senior Rhiannon Kliesing went 3-for-6, and hit a two-RBI home run in game one. Junior Lindsey Sisk (2-1) and sophomore Mel Dumezich (2-2) each picked up wins. Sisk fanned nine batters and only allowed one earned run. Dumezich struck out 10 of 25 batters faced and gave up no runs on two hits.
SCOUTING WICHITA STATE
Wichita State is 2-3 on the season after opening 2011 at the Gaucho Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif. The team was 23-31 overall and 10-14 in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2010. Leading the Shockers in 2011 is senior catcher Heather Gerritse. She has started in all five games and holds a .467 batting average, going 7-for-15 with two RBI. Brittney Osborne follows closely with a .429 average, and has a team-leading six RBI. Pitcher Katie Armagost (1-1) maintains a 1.00 ERA. The sophomore right-handed pitcher has throw 14 strikeouts in as many innings pitched. Texas A&M is 6-0 against WSU.
SCOUTING UT ARLINGTON
The Mavericks are 2-3 in 2011, kicking the season off at the Best Western Marina Grand Invitational in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 2010 the team was 29-25 overall and 16-12 in the Southland Conference. Freshman Stephanie Gonzalez leads the team this year with a .250 batting average, 1 RBI and one run on four hits. Callie Collins (1-0) holds a .91 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched. She has struck out 10 batters and allowed one run on two hits. The Aggies are 67-14 against the Mavericks.
SCOUTING TEXAS SOUTHERN
The Tigers kicked off the 2010 season with a double header at Houston-Victoria, and then played the U.S. Military Academy in Sugar Land, Texas, before taking on Sam Houston in Huntsville. TSU suffered three losses, but defeated Houston-Victoria in game two of the double header, 4-3. The team ended the 2010 season at 21-20 overall and 13-4 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Slugger Yesenia Torres is batting .636 this season, going 7-for-11 with a double and three RBI. Jackie Valderaz is 5-for-10 with two runs scored and a .500 average. Victoria Veyna (0-1) has a 4.59 ERA in 10.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs and striking out eight batters. This is the second meeting between the Aggies and the Tigers, with A&M leading the all-time record 1-0.
ON DECK
The Aggies play five straight at home and after the Aggie Classic this weekend they host Texas State for a 6 p.m contest Tuesday.
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
Texas A&M started the season ranked in the top 25 in both preseason national polls, and is currently ranked No. 23 by ESPN.com/USA Softball, and 25th by USA Today/NFCA. A&M's remaining opponents appearing in the polls are No. 2/4 Georgia, No. 6/6 Oklahoma, No. 8/10 Missouri, No. 10/11 Washington, No. 13/13 Texas, No. 20/20 Oklahoma State, No. 21 Nebraska and 24/21 Texas Tech. In addition, Ohio State and Baylor are receiving votes.
KAJIKAWA CLASSIC
The Aggies opened the season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., where three of their five opponents were nationally ranked. They came home with wins over Cal State Fullerton and Bradley, and fell to No. 14 Oregon, No. 16 BYU, and top-ranked Arizona. Junior Natalie Villarreal and senior Kelsey Spittler led the offense on the weekend. Villarreal hit .313 in five starts, going 5-for-16 with two doubles and two RBI. Spittler hit her career-first grand slam vs. Fullerton and added another homer vs. Bradley to bat .308 at the tournament. She was 4-for-13 with two runs and six RBI. Sophomore Mel Dumezich (1-2) led the Aggies from the circle in three complete games, earning the win over Bradley. She fanned nine batters in the 3-1 victory, and struck out 21 total in 19.1 innings of work.
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 AM. All other games will be broadcast live on AggieAthletics.com and in HD on 95.1-3 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.