April 12, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
The No. 22 Texas A&M softball team (30-11, 3-4 Big 12) heads to Huntsville Wednesday to face Sam Houston State (15-4, 7-10 Southland) in a nonconference contest. First pitch at the Sam Houston State Softball Complex is set for 6:30 p.m.
In March the Aggies run-ruled the Bearkats, 10-1, in five innings at the Aggie Softball Complex. Senior Rhi Kliesing went 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI, and senior Kelsey Spittler had a bases-clearing double. Redshirt junior Lindsey Sisk had the win, allowing only one run by SHSU.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats and live audio will be provided for every game this season on AggieAthletics.com. Fans can listen to Wednesday's game live in HD on 95.1-3 The Zone HD. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
LAST TIME OUT
The Aggies dropped a pair of games at No. 12 Missouri last weekend. A&M fell to the Tigers, 6-3 on Saturday before Mizzou took a 3-0 decision in Sunday's game. Junior Kelsea Orsak was .333 on the weekend with two singles and a run scored. Redshirt junior Natalie Villarreal plated two runs.
A&M is currently ranked seventh in the conference. Kliesing leads the offense, hitting .373 on the season and leading the team with 14 home runs, 43 RBI, 88 total bases and 33 walks. Villarreal is close behind. She is batting .370 and tops the team stats in hits (44), doubles (12), runs (36) and at-bats (119). In the circle, Sisk (14-4) and sophomore Mel Dumezich (16-7) combine for a 2.04 ERA. Sisk posts a 1.86 individual ERA on the season in 21 appearances, fanning 86 batters in 124 1/3 innings of work. Dumezich has allowed 43 earned runs in 136 innings for a 2.21 ERA. She has thrown 155 strikeouts in 20 complete games, earning eight solo shutouts.
SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON STATE
The Bearkats are 15-24 on the season and 5-7 in Southland Conference play. The team dropped a three-game series, 2-1, to McNeese State last weekend in Lake Charles, La. SHSU was 21-28 in 2010. Leading the Bearkats in 2011 is sophomore Kim Damian, hitting .410 on the season in 27 games with 17 runs on 34 hits, including six doubles and two long balls. Senior Hailey Wiginton (.325) leads the team with 126 at-bats, 31 runs, 41 hits, eight doubles, seven home runs, 70 total bases and 11 walks. Tomi Garrison (12-12) heads the pitching staff with a 2.69 ERA. She records 27 appearances on the season, throwing three solo shutouts in 16 complete games. The junior has struck out 99 batters in 150.2 innings in the circle, while giving up 58 earned runs on 162 hits. A&M leads the all-time series against Sam Houston State, 84-13, and hasn't lost a game to the Bearkats since February of 1995.
HOME RUNS GALORE
The Aggies have tallied 55 home runs this season, including five grand slams, in 39 games. The team sits at 10th in the nation in the most recent NCAA statistical rankings in home runs per game with a 1.42 average. Kliesing is 9th in the nation with 14 home runs and is 22nd in home runs per game, individually. Of A&M's 19 players, 12 have gone yard in 2011 to stand at second 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 two categories (through games April 12) - home runs per game (10) and slugging percentage (21). Individually, Kliesing sits at ninth in home runs, 22nd in slugging percentage, 18th in walks, 17th in on base percentage and 22nd in home runs per game. Dumezich ranks fifth in the nation in shutouts and 18th in victories. May is seventh in sacrifice flies and 21st 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 Missouri last weekend and is out indefinitely.
ON DECK
A&M hosts No. 12 Nebraska this weekend in a two-game conference series. Game one Saturday will start at 4 p.m., while first pitch Sunday is slated for noon.
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. 23 by ESPN.com/USA Softball and No. 22 by USA Today/NFCA. A&M's remaining opponents appearing in the polls are No. 3/4 Texas, No. 12/15 Nebraska, No. 15/14 Oklahoma, No. 19/21 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Texas Tech. In addition, Texas Tech is receiving votes.
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.