April 15, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -
On a 17-game home winning streak that dates back to April of 2010, the No. 22 Texas A&M softball team (31-11, 3-4 Big 12) hosts No. 12 Nebraska (31-6, 3-3 Big 12) in two-game conference series this weekend. Saturday's game is slated for a 4 p.m. start, and first pitch Sunday will be thrown at noon.
The Aggies split games with the Huskers in a 2010 doubleheader, defeating NU, 6-3, in a come-from-behind win before falling, 8-3 at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. A month later, the 19th-ranked Aggies knocked the Huskers out of the Big 12 Championship with a 5-0 shutout in the quarterfinal round at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats and live audio will be provided for every game this season on AggieAthletics.com. Fans can listen to Saturday's game live in HD on 95.1-3 The Zone HD, and can follow the action Sunday on Sports Radio 1150 AM. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
LAST TIME OUT
The Aggies kicked a three-game losing streak with a win at Sam Houston State. After falling behind by a run in the first inning, A&M plated three runs in the top of the second to take the lead. A zinger through the right side by redshirt junior Natalie Villarreal picked up two RBI. Sophomore Mel Dumezich capped the win at 4-1 with a leadoff solo bomb in the top of the fourth before a diving, third-out catch in the seventh by junior Kelsea Orsak in right-center field ended the game.
A&M is currently ranked seventh in the conference. Villarreal leads the Aggie hitters with a .366 average, garnering 36 runs on 45 hits with 12 doubles, a triple and four home runs. She leads the team in stolen bases with nine. Senior Rhi Kliesing is close behind, batting .358 this season and leading the team in home runs (14), RBI (43), total bases (88) and walks (33). From the circle, redshirt junior Lindsey Sisk (14-4) and Dumezich (17-7) combine for a 2.02 ERA. Sisk is throwing 1.87 this season in 22 appearances, shutting out five opponents in 127 1/3 innings of work. Dumezich holds a 2.15 ERA, fanning 162 batters in 140 innings for eight solo shutouts in 20 complete games.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
The Huskers are 31-6 in 2011 and fall even, 3-3, in Big 12 play. In 2010, the team ended the season at the NCAA Regional with a 30-29 overall record. On Wednesday, Nebraska run-ruled Creighton, 10-2, in five innings. Leading the Huskers' offense this season is freshman Taylor Edwards, who is batting .426 with a .907 slugging percentage. She has powered 15 home runs and seven doubles in 46 hits and also leads the team with 54 RBI and 98 total bases. Edwards ranks third in the Big 12 in individual batting (all games) and leads the league in slugging percentage (all games). Right-handed pitcher Ashley Hagemann (22-5) is a staple for Nebraska, fanning 223 batters on the season in 31 appearances, while giving up only 41 earned runs in 167 1/3 innings. The junior has six shutouts and combined for one in 18 complete games, while grabbing two saves. A&M leads the all-time series against NU, 34-24.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Aggies are on a 17-game home winning streak, starting April 25, 2010. This is the second-longest home winning streak A&M has had since the program's inception in 1981. The longest winning streak at home by Aggie softball was a 20-game ride from Feb. 19, 2005-May 22, 2005.
HOME RUNS GALORE
A&M has 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 ninth 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. Sophomore Meagan 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 is out indefinitely.
ON DECK
A&M travels to Houston on Wednesday to face the Cougars at 6:30 p.m. before heading north to Norman, Okla., for a two-game weekend series against No. 14 Oklahoma. Game one Saturday is set for a 7 p.m. start, and Sunday's game will be played at 2 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. 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.