Spring Break
Softball team will miss key players
Departure of four senior leaves Aggies with holes to fill
By: Brad Cox
Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: Sports
Though the Texas A&M softball team is ranked No. 5 and No. 10 nationally in preseason polls, how the Aggies will finish in 2009 is questionable.
A&M is coming off a trip to the 2008 Women's College World Series where they fell to Arizona State in the championship game.
At the plate, the Aggies will miss the production of former players Jami Lobpries, Amanda Scarborough, Megan Gibson and Jamie Hinshaw.
In 2008, the quartet combined for a .320 batting average and 44 stolen bases while slugging 53 doubles, 22 homeruns and 124 RBIs. Those numbers were a large part of what made the 2008 squad successful.
Gibson, who batted .339 and hit 13 homeruns in her senior season, was also Head Coach Jo Evans' primary pitcher during the Aggies' run to the top. In 46 appearances Gibson was 41-4 and sported a 1.20 ERA.
Scarborough, a career .355 batter at A&M, suffered a season-ending injury during a doubleheader against Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 20, 2008. When she was healthy, Scarborough combined with Gibson to be one of the best 1-2 punches on the mound in the nation.
In her shortened senior season, Scarborough was 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
With their pitching staff all but gone and their offensive ranks depleted, the Aggies will have to step up to reach the Women's College World Series in 2009.
Sophomore right-hander Rhiannon Kliesing, who stepped up as a freshman to take over Scarborough's spot after the senior was injured, posted a 12-4 record with a 1.40 ERA in her first season at A&M.
The sophomore will not be alone in filling the shoes of Gibson and Scarborough. Joining her on the mound will be senior Savana Lloyd, a transfer from Boston College, and freshman Rebecca Arbino.
As a freshman at Boston College, Lloyd made 33 appearances on the mound, starting in 14 games. She went 8-6 with a 4.08 ERA while recording 50 strikeouts.
Arbino, a 6-foot right-hander from California, was a four-year starter at Clovis High School. The three-time academic All-American posted 695 career strikeouts. In 2008 ,she recorded 20 strikeouts in a single game.
At the plate he Aggies will look to veterans Macie Morrow, Holly Ridley and Erin Glasco to make up for the loss of the Big Four.
The trio combined for a .286 batting average in 2008 and hit 87 RBIs.
Though the Aggies lost major keys to the success of the previous two seasons, the returning players have enough to take A&M back to Oklahoma City.
A&M is coming off a trip to the 2008 Women's College World Series where they fell to Arizona State in the championship game.
At the plate, the Aggies will miss the production of former players Jami Lobpries, Amanda Scarborough, Megan Gibson and Jamie Hinshaw.
In 2008, the quartet combined for a .320 batting average and 44 stolen bases while slugging 53 doubles, 22 homeruns and 124 RBIs. Those numbers were a large part of what made the 2008 squad successful.
Gibson, who batted .339 and hit 13 homeruns in her senior season, was also Head Coach Jo Evans' primary pitcher during the Aggies' run to the top. In 46 appearances Gibson was 41-4 and sported a 1.20 ERA.
Scarborough, a career .355 batter at A&M, suffered a season-ending injury during a doubleheader against Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 20, 2008. When she was healthy, Scarborough combined with Gibson to be one of the best 1-2 punches on the mound in the nation.
In her shortened senior season, Scarborough was 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 34 strikeouts.
With their pitching staff all but gone and their offensive ranks depleted, the Aggies will have to step up to reach the Women's College World Series in 2009.
Sophomore right-hander Rhiannon Kliesing, who stepped up as a freshman to take over Scarborough's spot after the senior was injured, posted a 12-4 record with a 1.40 ERA in her first season at A&M.
The sophomore will not be alone in filling the shoes of Gibson and Scarborough. Joining her on the mound will be senior Savana Lloyd, a transfer from Boston College, and freshman Rebecca Arbino.
As a freshman at Boston College, Lloyd made 33 appearances on the mound, starting in 14 games. She went 8-6 with a 4.08 ERA while recording 50 strikeouts.
Arbino, a 6-foot right-hander from California, was a four-year starter at Clovis High School. The three-time academic All-American posted 695 career strikeouts. In 2008 ,she recorded 20 strikeouts in a single game.
At the plate he Aggies will look to veterans Macie Morrow, Holly Ridley and Erin Glasco to make up for the loss of the Big Four.
The trio combined for a .286 batting average in 2008 and hit 87 RBIs.
Though the Aggies lost major keys to the success of the previous two seasons, the returning players have enough to take A&M back to Oklahoma City.
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