April 7, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
The No. 20 Aggies (30-9, 3-2 Big 12) travel to Columbia, Mo., this weekend to continue conference play in a two-game series at No. 12 Missouri (30-5, 5-1 Big 12). First pitch Saturday at University Field is set for 1 p.m. Sunday's contest is slated for an 11 a.m. start.
In 2010, A&M fell to the Tigers, 14-1 in five innings before upsetting Mizzou in front of a national audience on ESPN. Senior Rhi Kliesing hit a walk-off, RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to win the game and sophomore Meagan May pounded her 18th and 19th home runs of the year to set the school's single-season home run record.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats and live audio will be provided for every game this season on AggieAthletics.com. Fans can listen to this weekend's games live on Sports Radio 1150 AM. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
LAST TIME OUT
The Aggies dropped a 4-3 decision at No. 5 Texas Wednesday. Never taking the lead in 6 ½ exciting innings, the Longhorns scored the walk-off run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh. Freshman Amber Garza had a home run and picked up two RBI on the night. Sophomore Mel Dumezich had an RBI single and fanned seven batters from the circle, twice striking out the final batter to hold runners in scoring position.
A&M is currently ranked sixth in the conference. Junior Natalie Villarreal leads the team in hitting, collecting 12 doubles, a triple and four home runs in 43 hits for a .381 average. Kliesing tops the team with 14 bombs, 43 RBI, 87 total bases and 30 walks drawn, batting .378 on the season. Redshirt junior Lindsey Sisk (14-3) holds a 1.82 ERA from the circle in 20 appearances, shutting out five opponents and fanning 86 batters in 119 1/3 innings of work. Dumezich (16-6) records a 2.06 ERA this season in 19 complete games. She has tallied eight solo shutouts, striking out 150 opponents in 129 innings in the circle. Together, the pair has allowed only 85 total runs in 2011, compared to 239 scored by the Aggies.
SCOUTING MIZZOU
The No. 12 Tigers are 30-5 on the season and 5-1 in Big 12 play. Sitting at second in the conference, the team is undefeated at home and split games with No. 17 Baylor last weekend in Waco, losing to the Lady Bears, 3-2 on Saturday, before shutting them out, 6-0, Sunday. Missouri was 51-13 overall and was 11-7 (5th) in Big 12 games in 2010. The team finished the season at the Women's College World Series (WCWS) ranked No. 8 in the nation. Leading the Tigers in 2011 is junior Ashley Fleming, hitting .412 on the season with 37 runs on 40 hits, including 11 doubles, a triple and nine long balls. She also leads the team with 38 RBI, 80 total bases and has stolen 12 bags in as many attempts. All-American Rhea Taylor is batting .373 with 30 runs on 38 hits. The senior standout has four doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs this season. Redshirt sophomore Chelsea Thomas (15-3) and junior Kristin Nottelmann (12-1) are leading the team from the circle. Thomas holds a 0.56 ERA in 13 complete games with seven solo shutouts and three saves in 112 innings pitched. She has fanned 180 batters and allowed only nine earned runs on the season. Nottelmann's 1.92 ERA is on 21 earned runs in 76.2 innings of work. She tallies 89 strikeouts on the season with three solo shutouts and two saves of her own. A&M leads the all-time series against Missouri, 29-22.
HOME RUNS GALORE
The Aggies have tallied 55 home runs this season, including five grand slams, in 39 games. The team sits at 9th in the nation in the most recent NCAA statistical rankings in home runs per game with a 1.42 average. Kliesing is sixth in the nation with 14 home runs and is 16th in home runs per game, individually. Of A&M's 19 players, 12 have gone yard in 2011 to lead the Big 12 in long balls. Undefeated at home, the Aggies have cleared their own fence 33 times, including three times in the one-run victory over No. 15 Baylor. The team also had a solo bomb against top-ranked Arizona early in the season.
WHERE DO THE AGGIES RANK NATIONALLY?
The Aggies are ranked in the top 25 in the most recent RPI standings in four categories (through games April 3) - home runs per game (9), slugging percentage (17), win-loss percentage (22) and scoring (23). Individually, Kliesing sits sixth in home runs, 14th in slugging percentage and 16th in home runs per game. Dumezich ranks fifth in the nation in shutouts and 18th in victories. May is sixth in sacrifice flies and 23rd in RBI per game.
MAY INJURED
May, a 2010 All-American, fractured her right middle finger March 23 in the first inning of the game against Sam Houston State. She was not in the lineup against Texas Wednesday and is out indefinitely.
ON DECK
A&M returns to the Lone Star State to take on host Sam Houston State Wednesday in Huntsville. First pitch at the Sam Houston State Softball Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m.
TIME CHANGE
The game at Kansas on Saturday, April 30, has been rescheduled for a 4 p.m. start to accommodate the KU Athletic department. Sunday's game remains at noon.
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. 20 by both ESPN.com/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA. A&M's remaining opponents appearing in the polls are No. 5/7 Texas, No. 11/13 Nebraska, No. 14/15 Oklahoma, No. 16/12 Missouri, No. 21/21 Oklahoma State and No. 24/24 Texas Tech.
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' contest at home against Texas on May 4 will air live on FSN. The game is set for a 6:30 first pitch.
GET IT LIVE
Live audio and live stats are featured in every A&M game in 2011. 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.