The Texas A&M Softball team is gearing up for the Texas A&M Invitational, set to kick off on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 5:15 p.m.
Davis Diamond will play host to six teams, including Southeastern Louisiana, St. Thomas, North Dakota State University, Kansas and UTSA.
The Aggies are 9-0, run-ruling six games with two wins over No. 14 Oregon.
Junior LHP Emiley Kennedy and junior RF Allie Enright earned SEC weekly honors of Co-Pitcher of the Week and Co-Player of the Week, respectively, after helping propel A&M to a 4-0 weekend.
Kennedy is ranked 96th nationally with a 1.09 earned run average. During this past weekend at the Campbell/Cartier Classic, Kennedy struck out 23 players, with 11 of those strikeouts in just one game against the Ducks. She is also ranked No. 12 in strikeouts.
Ranked 11th for her batting average of .609, Enright is already much improved from her .210 mark last season.
“I think Allie is hitting the ball so well because she is in a better posture,” coach Trisha Ford said. “She’s understanding her swing and what pitches to attack and has a better head space in the box.”
As of now, the Aggies hold a solid 26th position in fielding percentages with .980 and are ranked 42nd with a .330 batting average.
“These next two weeks we have 15 games in a week and a half,” Ford said. “This season is a continual push of what Aggie softball is going to be and how we are going to play. It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side. We’re enjoying it, but there’s a greater mission ahead.”
The Aggies’ first opponent of the weekend, the Southeastern Louisiana Lions, enter the A&M Invitational with an 8-2 record, falling in their last game to South Alabama.
Southeastern senior RHP Mary-Cathryn Comeaux stands at 124th nationally with a 1.24 ERA, while offensive leaders senior OF Ka’Lyn Watson and freshman IF Chloe Magee are tied for 57th with a .500 batting average.
The Lions are ranked 16th nationally with a .369 batting average, but are only 143rd defensively with a .961 fielding percentage.
In A&M’s first matchup of Friday, it will face off against 1-9 St. Thomas. The Tommies have struggled offensively, batting .184.
Junior pitchers Christina Crawford and Ella Cook have also struggled, as both have earned-run averages of 9.64 and 9.87, respectively.
Cook stands as one of the offensive leaders with a .269 batting average along with sophomore P Morgan Klein, who is hitting .231.
North Dakota State, whom the Maroon and White face both Friday and Saturday night, are 6-6 on the season and are ranked 51st nationally with a .64 ERA and 176th with a .247 batting average.
Standout players include junior RHP Savy Williams with a 0.64 ERA and sophomore IF Bella Dean with a .385 batting average.
The Jayhawks will play the Aggies on Saturday and have racked up a 4-5-1 record over the first couple weeks of the season.
Junior RHP Katie Brooks is individually ranked 99th with a 1.11 ERA, while the team holds the 117th spot with a .964 fielding percentage and the 66th position with a .307 batting average.
A&M’s final opponent of the weekend is the UTSA Roadrunners, who have stumbled to a 2-8 record and a .187 team batting average.
Junior UTL Jaylen Prichard leads her team offensively with a .320 batting average. Senior RHP Jamie Gilbert stands as the statistical leader in the circle with 27 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA.
