The Texas A&M softball team will begin a lengthy 11-game home stint with a doubleheader against Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday.
The No. 23 Aggies (25-9, 7-5 SEC) come into their meeting with the Lumberjacks with a win against the Alabama Crimson Tide after getting beat in the previous two games. The Aggie offense finally hit well Sunday, scoring 11 runs en route to a convincing win.
Freshman Tori Vidales leads the club in homers with eight and RBIs with 27. She is also second on the team in batting average behind sophomore Abby Donnell’s .347. Junior Cali Lanphear had her biggest output of the season with a five-RBI day in the victory over Alabama.
“We had seen all of their pitchers beforehand and that’s huge,” Lanphear said. “We just really had a good plan going in, we had the pitching and hitting and we got a good win.”
SFA (9-22, 2-9 Southland) has struggled this season, losing 10 in a row at one point in the season. Its offense is led by Brittany Lewis and Taylor Fraccastoro, who are one-two in both RBIs and homers this season for the Lumberjacks. Lewis has five homers and 24 RBI while Fraccastoro has six homers and 17 RBI.
Freshman Erica Russell began the season on the bench, trying to find any way to get on the field. She began the season as a situational player, coming in the game to play defense in center field in late-game situations or to use her speed as a pinch base runner. Head coach Jo Evans finally began to start Russell in center field in the Kentucky series and Russell has maken the most of her opportunity, hitting .278 and providing excellent defense.
The Aggies are projected to send senior Rachel Fox and junior Katie Marks to the circle. Fox has been pitching lights out this season with a 13-6 record and a team-high 12 complete games. Marks has been an excellent complement to Fox, posting a 9-1 record of her own and a 2.67 ERA. Fox said it is important for the pitchers to get a good game under their belts Wednesday.
“I want to make sure that I attack the batters and work on getting ahead,” Fox said. “I had some trouble with that last weekend. When you have to work from behind, it’s a lot harder.”
First pitch is at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
A&M to kick off 11-game homestand against SFA
March 31, 2015
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