Spring Break
Softball team to face Hawks, Wildcats at home
By: T.D. Durham
Issue date: 2/27/09 Section: Sports
The No. 21 Texas A&M softball team will look to continue its success in the Texas A&M Invitational this weekend in College Station.
The Aggies lead off the tournament with a double header against Monmouth University and No. 10 Arizona on Friday.
A&M is coming off a 4-1 performance in the Marriott Houston Invitational tournament during the past weekend. The Aggies won the first four games of the tournament, including a 4-3 win against then-No. 18 Houston.
Head Coach Jo Evans said the team, which was riding a five-game losing streak before beating Northern Illinois on Feb. 20, had improvements during the weekend.
"You can't say you're going to win every single game when you've just lost five in a row," Evans said. "Really, our focus was let's get better in all facets, and we did."
When the Aggies face the Monmouth Hawks on Friday, it will be the first time the two schools have met. Monmouth, which opens its season against A&M, posted a 19-22-1 overall record and 9-8 conference record in 2008. The Hawks compete in the Northeast Conference and were picked to finish in fifth place in 2009 by the league's coaches.
Senior center fielder Nichole Alvarez will lead the Hawks in 2009. Alvarez won the 2008 NCAA batting title, hitting .480 with a .800 slugging percentage in her junior season. She holds the Monmouth all-time stolen base record and has been selected to the All-Northeastern Conference team for three consecutive seasons.
The Aggies will face eight-time national champion Arizona in the second game on Friday. Though the Wildcats lead the all-time series between the schools 23-8, the Aggies won the previous meeting against the Arizona, 3-2.
The Wildcats are riding a 12-game winning streak that started on Feb. 7, and are led on the mound by junior Sarah Akamine.
Akamine, who started three games in 2008, is 7-0 in seven starts. She has a 2.03 ERA and has allowed 41 hits and 16 runs.
Evans said the Wildcats, who led the nation with 94 team home runs in 2008, are a powerful hitting team.
"They hit the ball great, they're very explosive offensively," Evans said. "We're really excited to play them, they have a great program."
The Aggies have three players batting more than .300: sophomore second baseman Natalie Villarreal, senior catcher Erin Glasco and senior outfielder Holly Ridley.
Sophomore outfielder Kelsey Spittler, who had a game-winning single against Houston and a three-run double against Illinois during the Houston Invitational, said the team has been fine-tuning its batting.
"Coach [Evans] has been stressing to make adjustments at the plate," Spittler said. "As long as we keep that mentality, I don't think we'll have a problem."
The Aggies will play both teams in a second double header on Saturday and will play Arizona a third time on Sunday.
The Aggies lead off the tournament with a double header against Monmouth University and No. 10 Arizona on Friday.
A&M is coming off a 4-1 performance in the Marriott Houston Invitational tournament during the past weekend. The Aggies won the first four games of the tournament, including a 4-3 win against then-No. 18 Houston.
Head Coach Jo Evans said the team, which was riding a five-game losing streak before beating Northern Illinois on Feb. 20, had improvements during the weekend.
"You can't say you're going to win every single game when you've just lost five in a row," Evans said. "Really, our focus was let's get better in all facets, and we did."
When the Aggies face the Monmouth Hawks on Friday, it will be the first time the two schools have met. Monmouth, which opens its season against A&M, posted a 19-22-1 overall record and 9-8 conference record in 2008. The Hawks compete in the Northeast Conference and were picked to finish in fifth place in 2009 by the league's coaches.
Senior center fielder Nichole Alvarez will lead the Hawks in 2009. Alvarez won the 2008 NCAA batting title, hitting .480 with a .800 slugging percentage in her junior season. She holds the Monmouth all-time stolen base record and has been selected to the All-Northeastern Conference team for three consecutive seasons.
The Aggies will face eight-time national champion Arizona in the second game on Friday. Though the Wildcats lead the all-time series between the schools 23-8, the Aggies won the previous meeting against the Arizona, 3-2.
The Wildcats are riding a 12-game winning streak that started on Feb. 7, and are led on the mound by junior Sarah Akamine.
Akamine, who started three games in 2008, is 7-0 in seven starts. She has a 2.03 ERA and has allowed 41 hits and 16 runs.
Evans said the Wildcats, who led the nation with 94 team home runs in 2008, are a powerful hitting team.
"They hit the ball great, they're very explosive offensively," Evans said. "We're really excited to play them, they have a great program."
The Aggies have three players batting more than .300: sophomore second baseman Natalie Villarreal, senior catcher Erin Glasco and senior outfielder Holly Ridley.
Sophomore outfielder Kelsey Spittler, who had a game-winning single against Houston and a three-run double against Illinois during the Houston Invitational, said the team has been fine-tuning its batting.
"Coach [Evans] has been stressing to make adjustments at the plate," Spittler said. "As long as we keep that mentality, I don't think we'll have a problem."
The Aggies will play both teams in a second double header on Saturday and will play Arizona a third time on Sunday.
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