Riding the momentum of a pair of road wins to finish the regular season, the Texas A&M softball team will compete in the Big 12 Conference Tournament Saturday in Oklahoma City.
The No. 6-seeded Aggies will play in their first game of the single-elimination tournament against No. 3-seeded Baylor, which A&M defeated in its final regular season game Sunday.
Freshman pitcher Rebecca Arbino led the Aggies in the victory at Waco, pitching seven innings and allowing two runs on four hits to the Lady Bears.
The win marked the second time A&M defeated Baylor in 2009 and the first back-to-back victory for Arbino in her freshman season.
A&M Head Coach Jo Evans said sweeping Baylor in the regular season is a bittersweet fact going into the Big 12 tournament.
“Every coach will say it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row,” Evans said. “But, we’ve beaten them with both pitchers and we feel confident going into the game Saturday.”
The Aggie squad won three of its final four games to earn the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament.
Sophomore Rhi Kliesing and Arbino received the Big 12 Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, in the team’s final week of regular season play.
Kliesing, who leads the A&M pitching staff in wins, ERA and strikeouts, won the award not on the mound, but at the plate. In the Aggies’ final five games, Kliesing posted a batting average of .538, recorded six RBIs, and extended a seven-game hitting streak.
Arbino, who struggled with consistency in early appearances, earned A&M two road victories in Big 12 play by holding opponents to three runs in 14 innings and recording an ERA of 1.00.
The occurrence marked the second time in the 2009 season the Aggies have swept the Big 12 weekly awards.
Evans said her team has had players step up and is playing at a high level of performance.
“We’re playing our best right now,” Evans said. “Rhi and Holly Ridley have been spectacular at the plate and Arbino has not only been giving us a chance to win, but has really taken opposing line ups out of the games.”
If A&M defeats Baylor, the team will face the winner of the No. 2-seeded Missouri and either the No. 10-seeded Texas Tech or the No. 7-seeded Oklahoma State in the semifinal round.
Evans said her team, ranked No. 32 nationally in RPI, is not worried about making the NCAA Tournament, but is focused on now.
“We’ve solidified our team as one of the best in the NCAA with our play this season,” Evans said. “But our goal right now is to win this tournament. We’re focusing on the Big 12 right now.”