The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Arkansas
Softball preview: at Arkansas [March 14-16, 2015]
03.12.2015 | Softball
Texas head to Fayetteville, Ark., to battle the Razorbacks in a three-game non-conference series
Complete Texas Game Notes - at Arkansas
No. RV/NR Texas (15-8) at Arkansas (12-11) | March 14-16 | Bogle Park, Fayetteville, Ark.
Schedule:
Sat., March 14 – Texas at Arkansas – 6 p.m. CT – SEC Network + - Texas wins 8-7 (9 inn.): READ MORE
Sun., March 15 – Texas at Arkansas – 6 p.m. CT – SEC Network
Mon., March 16 – Texas at Arkansas – 8 p.m. CT – SEC Network
Location: Fayetteville, Ark. (Bogle Park)
Ticket Information: LINK
Live Stats: Available for every game – Links: GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3
Television: The first game of the series is slated for broadcast on SEC Network +, while the final two games will be shown on SEC Network with Adam Amin (play-by-play) and Amanda Scarborough (analyst) on the call. Check your local listings for availability in your area.
Radio: Texas' games are slated for radio broadcast with Terry Lewis on the call via the following link (also accessible on smartphones): LINK
Base Knocks:
- After dealing with a leg injury to start the season, senior pitcher Gabby Smith is really beginning to get settled in from the circle. Since seeing her first pitching action in relief during UT's victory over No. 12 UCLA (February 19), Smith is 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. She enters this weekend's series at Arkansas on a 15-inning shutout streak dating back to February 27th against Texas Southern and needs just 0.2 more scoreless frames against the Razorbacks to set a new personal career-high.
- If there are two outs and runners in scoring position, Texas surely enjoys seeing Erin Shireman and Holly Kern at the plate in 2015. Each player has recorded a team-best 10 two-out RBIs with Shireman hitting .471 and Kern batting .345 with two outs in an inning.
- You might think that as members of the old Southwest Conference that Texas and Arkansas might have met on the softball field a number of times. That's just not true, however, as UA headed to the Southeastern Conference in 1992 and the SWC folded in 1996, right before Texas' varsity softball program started in 1997. While enjoying a healthy rivalry in many sports back in the day, the Longhorns and the Razorbacks have met just once on the softball diamond with Texas prevailing back on May 17, 2002, in NCAA Region 5 Tournament action in Norman, Okla., 6-2.
- Entering this weekend's series at Arkansas, several Longhorns have some solid streaks going. Sophomore shortstop Devon Tunning has reached base in eight straight contests, sophomore infielder Kelli Hanzel has reached in a career-best seven consecutive games and sophomore left fielder Stephanie Wong has reached successfully in a career-high six straight match-ups. Tunning already set a personal career mark this season by reaching safely in the first 10 games to open the year.
- Texas junior catcher Erin Shireman has definitely stepped up her play this season while attempting to fill the void left by the graduation of last year's senior back stop Mandy Ogle. Shireman currently leads the Longhorns in batting average (.379), hits (25), doubles (five), HR's (tied with Lindsey Stephens with six), RBIs (24), slugging percentage (.758), multi-hit (eight) and multi-RBI (seven) games.
- Keep an eye on which team puts up the game's first run in 2015, because it often predicts success. The Longhorns enter this weekend's series at Arkansas boasting a 13-2 overall record when scoring the first run, while UT is just 2-6 when the opponent registers the initial score.
- The 2015 Longhorns are making a habit out of getting the leadoff batter on base to start an inning. Through the opening 23 games of the season, Texas lead-off hitters in any inning are reaching at a 41.3 success rate (59-for-143). The most successful practitioners thus far (counting total number of times having reached) include true lead-off batter and sophomore shortstop Devon Tunning (16-for-32, .500 as a leadoff), senior right fielder Marlee Gabaldon (6-for-13, .462), junior center fielder Lindsey Stephens (7-for-11, .636) and junior catcher Erin Shireman (6-for-17, .353). Amazingly, Texas has scored 111 of its 137 total runs during innings where it has gotten the leadoff hitter on via hit, walk, error or hit-by-pitch. Tunning (11 times), Stephens (seven times), Gabaldon (six times) and Hanzel (five times) have been the most successful in starting run-scoring innings out of the 41 total times Texas has gotten the leadoff on and subsequently scored.
