The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
San Diego State
Softball preview: at the NCAA Los Angeles Regional [May 15-17, 2015]
05.13.2015 | Softball
Texas makes its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance by facing San Diego State on Friday at 5 p.m. CT
Texas Softball Media Supplement - NCAA Los Angeles Regional | NCAA Los Angeles Regional Tournament Central
No. RV/RV Texas (37-15, 12-6 Big 12) at the NCAA Los Angeles Regional | May 15-17 | Easton Stadium | Los Angeles, Calif.
Los Angeles Regional Schedule:
Friday, May 15
Game 1 – 5 p.m. CT – San Diego State vs. TEXAS – ESPN3/simulcast on Longhorn Network
Game 2 – 7:30 p.m. CT – Cal State Northridge vs. #7-seed UCLA – ESPN3
Saturday, May 16
Game 3 – 2 p.m. CT – TEXAS vs. #7-seed UCLA – ESPN3/simulcast on Longhorn Network
Game 4 – 4:30 p.m. CT – San Diego State vs. Cal State Northridge – ESPN3
Game 5 – 7 p.m. CT – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – ESPN3
Sunday, May 17
Game 6 – 2 p.m. CT – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – ESPN3
Game 7 – 4:30 p.m. CT – Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (if necessary) – ESPN3
Live Stats/Live Video: NCAA Los Angeles Regional Tournament Central – Live Stats & Live Video Links included
Television: Each contest during the NCAA Los Angeles Regional is slated to be carried live on ESPN3, while every Texas game will also be simulcast live on Longhorn Network with Tracy Warren (play-by-play) and Danielle Lawrie (analyst) on the call.
Radio: Not available
Base Knocks:
- Texas is making its 16th overall and 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance with this weekend's trip out to the NCAA Los Angeles Regional. The Longhorns are 47-31 overall in NCAA Tournament play and 33-19 in NCAA Regionals with six regional titles (1998, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013).
- The NCAA Los Angeles Regional is the toughest four-team regional in all of Division I when based on the May 11th release of the NCAA RPI. With UCLA (eight), Texas (29), San Diego State (39) and Cal State Northridge (48) in the event, the four teams average a RPI ranking of 31. The Eugene Regional is second at 36, while the Tallahassee Regional (36.75), Lafayette Regional (38) and South Bend Regionals (39.25) round out the top five toughest.
- Texas played a very difficult schedule during the 2015 regular-season campaign as witnessed by its 22 total games against 14 members of the final NCAA Tournament Field of 64. The Longhorns went 13-9 against the field of 64 this season with wins over Northwestern, Dartmouth (two wins), Texas Southern (two wins), Arizona State, Baylor (two wins), Georgia, UCLA and Kansas (three wins). Junior center fielder Lindsey Stephens led the offense during contests against the NCAA Field of 64, hitting .364 (24-for-66) with 12 extra-base hits, including seven HR's and 16 RBIs, while junior catcher Erin Shireman batted .293 with five doubles, five HR's and a team-best 20 RBIs. Freshman pitcher Erica Wright was 8-5 with a 2.22 ERA, eight complete games, four shutouts and 63 strikeouts over 79.0 innings.
- Texas and San Diego State have met on three occasions with the Longhorns leading the series over Aztecs, 2-1. UT has won the last two in the series and prevailed during the most recent meeting, 2-1, back on Feb. 23, 2012, in Cathedral City, Calif. The Horns are just 5-9 against UCLA but defeated the then-No. 12 Bruins at the Mary Nutter Classic back on Feb. 19. UT is 1-0 all-time against UCLA on the road at Easton Stadium having recorded a 1-0 (8 inn.) victory back on March 15, 2005. Texas is 5-3 all-time against Cal State Northridge, owns a 4-2 record in neutral site match-ups and won the most recent meeting on Feb. 23, 2012 in Cathedral City, Calif., 4-0.
- The 2015 Texas offense has entered the program single-season top five in several major categories: HR's (53-fifth), on-base percentage (.393-tied for fifth), RBIs (281-fifth) and slugging percentage (.480-fifth). The Longhorns need just 20 more runs and one triple to also enter the single-season top five in those team categories.
- Since managing the first of her program-record stretch of five straight games with a HR back on March 28 at No. 22 Kansas, junior center fielder Lindsey Stephens has been en fuego at the plate. Over the last 22 games, Stephens is batting .397 (27-for-68) with 19 runs scored, three triples, EIGHT HR's and a team-best 20 RBI while slugging at a .868 clip. With 15 HR's in 2015, tied for the third-most in any season in Longhorns history, Stephens is now just three HR's from tying Taylor Hoagland's school mark of 18 set back during the 2012 campaign.
- It's proven to be a remarkable year for the Longhorns' offense with two outs in an inning as UT has registered 40 percent (111 of its 281 total RBI) of its total RBI output with two retired in a frame.
- UT hasn't shied away from playing some of the best teams in the nation in 2015 and has had success in those contests. Texas now owns a 8-7 mark against ranked squads this year with victories over No. 16 Arizona State, No. 8/7 Georgia, No. 12 UCLA, No. 22 Kansas (three wins) and No. 16/14 Baylor (two wins). That tough schedule has helped lead to a No. 29 ranking in the most recent release of the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) on May 11. UT reached a season-high of No. 20 in the April 6 RPI release. Texas can boast of nine wins over top 34-rated RPI squads, UCLA (eight), Georgia (17), Arizona State (21), Baylor (22-two wins), Kansas (23-three wins) and Northwestern (34).
