Feb. 23, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 23 Texas A&M softball team travels to Cathedral City, Calif. this weekend to play in the Cathedral City Classic. A&M (9-3) takes on No. 7 Washington (8-0), Long Beach State (7-2), Ohio State (4-6), No. 1 Georgia (10-0) and Northwestern (4-3).
The Aggies play their first game of the tournament against No. 7 Washington at 5 p.m. CST Thursday and immediately follow with Long Beach State at 8 p.m. They play a pair of games Friday against Ohio State and top-ranked Georgia beginning at 12 p.m. CST, and end the tournament with a contest against Northwestern Saturday at 12 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION Live stats and live audio will be provided for every game this season on AggieAthletics.com. Fans can listen to Sports Radio 1150 AM to hear all games live this weekend. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
LAST TIME OUT After sweeping the Aggie Classic last weekend, A&M performed a 6-0 shutout of Texas State to push the Aggies' winning streak to eight. Senior Rhiannon Kliesing hit her sixth home run of the season, going 1-for-1 on the night with three walks. Sophomore Mel Dumezich (5-2) picked up the win with the shutout, fanning 10 batters in seven complete innings.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON No. 7 Washington is 8-0 on the season after a three-game sweep at the San Diego Classic last weekend. The team was 50-9 overall and a conference-leading 17-4 in the Pac-10 in 2010. The Huskies finished the season at No. 5 with a 10th Women's College World Series appearance. Leading the team in 2011 is junior Niki Williams. She has started in all eight games and holds a .600 batting average, going 12-for-20 with 12 RBI and five home runs. Morgan Stuart follows closely with a .550 average, and ties with Williams for a team-leading 16 runs. Pitcher Kaitlin Ingelsby (4-0) maintains a 3.28 ERA. The freshman has thrown 21 strikeouts in as many innings pitched. Texas A&M is 3-4 against the Huskies.
SCOUTING LONG BEACH STATE The 49ers are 7-2 in 2011, spending last weekend at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas where they were 3-2. In 2010 the team was 26-26 overall and 10-11 in the Big West Conference. Junior Megan Denio leads the team this year with a .455 batting average, seven RBI and six runs on 10 hits. Erin Jones-Wesley (3-0) holds a 1.22 ERA in 23 innings pitched. She has struck out 26 batters and allowed four earned runs on 14 hits. The Aggies are 8-9 against Long Beach State. The teams most-recently met last season in San Diego, resulting in a 4-2 win for A&M.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE The Buckeyes kicked traveled to Mobile, Ala., last weekend for the South Alabama Tournament, returning home with a 4-6 overall record. OSU suffered three losses in the tournament, but defeated Southeastern Louisiana and Evansville. The team ended the 2010 season in the NCAA Tournament at 39-14 overall and 16-2 in the Big Ten Conference (2nd). Melissa Rennie is batting .538 this season, going 7-for-13 with a three home runs and six RBI. Alicia Herron is 15-for-32 with 11 runs scored and a .469 average. Kasie Kelly (2-1) has a 3.50 ERA in 36.0 innings, allowing 18 earned runs and striking out 18 batters. This is the tenth meeting between the Aggies and the Buckeyes, with A&M leading the all-time record 7-2.
SCOUTING GEORGIA The top-ranked Bulldogs are 10-0 in 2011, sweeping the Georgia Softball Classic at home last weekend. In 2010 the team was 50-13 overall and 18-8 in the SEC, ending the season ranked No. 3 in the nation with a WCWS Final Four finish. Junior Ashley Pauly leads the team this year with a .500 batting average, 9 RBI and five runs on 11 hits, including a triple and a home run. Morgan Montemayor (5-0) holds a 1.67 ERA in 21 innings pitched. She has struck out 24 batters and allowed eight runs on 16 hits. The Aggies are 1-3 against the Bulldogs.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN Northwestern is 4-3 on the season and spent last weekend at the San Diego Classic where three of their five games were cancelled for rain. The team was 25-23 overall and 10-8 in the Big Ten in 2010. Leading the Wildcats in 2011 is Emily Allard. She has started in all seven games and holds a .560 batting average, going 14-for 25 with six runs.. Pitcher Meghan Lamberth (4-0) maintains a 3.17 ERA. The sophomore right-handed pitcher has thrown 13 strikeouts in 17.2 innings pitched. Texas A&M is 4-3 against Northwestern.
ON DECK The Aggies continue their time on the road, traveling to Starkville, Miss. for the Bulldog Classic. The team will play four games against Mississippi Valley State, Memphis and host Mississippi State. A&M then returns to Aggieland for a six game home stand, including the Texas A&M Invitational.
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. 21 by ESPN.com/USA Softball, and 24th by USA Today/NFCA. A&M's remaining opponents appearing in the polls are No. 1/3 Georgia, No. 6/6 Oklahoma, No. 7/9 Washington, No. 11/12 Texas, No. 15/16 Missouri, No. 18/22 Nebraska, No. 18/19 Oklahoma State, No. 19/21 Texas Tech and No. 23/23 Houston. In addition, San Diego State and Baylor are receiving votes.
AGGIE CLASSIC The Aggies hosted UT Arlington, Wichita State, and Texas Southern in the Aggie Classic. A&M was 4-0 in the tournament, with two shutouts. Senior Rhiannon Kliesing led the team on the weekend, going 6-for-9 to post a .667 batting average. She hit three doubles and two home runs, scoring four runs and collecting nine RBI along the way. Freshman Cassie Tysarczyk added two home runs of her own, averaging .571 with four hits on seven at-bats, and earning five RBI. Pitchers Lindsey Sisk (4-1) and Mel Dumezich (4-2) were each 2-0 with one shutout in the Aggie Classic. Together they allowed only six runs.
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 on 95.1-3 The Zone HD, making it available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.