Softball preview: vs. UTSA [March 8, 2017]

UTSA at Texas | March 8 | McCombs Field, Austin, Texas

Schedule:

Wednesday, March 8

4 p.m. UTSA at TEXAS – Longhorn Network – 105.3 FM "The Bat" in Austin

Location: Austin, Texas (Red & Charline McCombs Field)

Ticket Information: LINK

Live Stats: Available here: LINK

Television: The game against UTSA is slated for live broadcast on Longhorn Network with Tyler Denning (play-by-play) and Megan Willis (color) on the call.

Radio: Texas' contest is scheduled for radio broadcast via web stream with Andrew Haynes on the call via this LINK. The Texas broadcast can also be heard locally in Austin on "The Bat" 105.3 FM in the local and surrounding areas, part of the Austin Radio Network supported by the flagship radio station of the Longhorns, 104.9 FM "The Horn."

Base Knocks:

A pair of Texas hitters currently rate among the tops in the Big 12 Conference statistics with senior designated player Mickenzi Krpec ranking second in the league in slugging percentage (.651), while sophomore outfielder Reagan Hathaway is first in triples (three).
Close games have recently become a habit between UTSA and Texas as the last four games in the series have each been settled by just one run, all Longhorns victories. In fact, the last three games in the series (led by Texas 38-5-1 overall and 25-3-1 at home) have been decided with 3-2 scores, while each of the last three meetings at McCombs Field against the Roadrunners have been UT walk-off victories.
Texas' schedule has been incredibly difficult to this point in 2017 as 11 of UT's 14 opponents played currently possess winning records, six are currently ranked in the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll and eight of them own at least 13 wins. Included are three teams with 18 victories, No. 5 Arizona (18-1), No. 7 Minnesota (18-0) and No. 14 Tennessee (18-2). Overall, the Longhorns' opponents are 168-94-1 (.641), while if you toss out Bethune Cookman (2-18), the winning percentage climbs to .685.
A pair of Longhorns pitchers have really distinguished themselves in relief appearances out of the bullpen in 2017. Sophomore Brooke Bolinger owns a miniscule 0.88 ERA over five appearances (two earned runs in 16 innings), while redshirt sophomore Erica Wright has a 1.10 ERA in four appearances (two earned runs in 12.2 innings).
With a complete-game effort during last week's 2-1 loss to Texas State, senior left-hander Tiarra Davis became just the fourth pitcher in Texas history to toss 500 career innings. The Henderson, Texas, native enters Wednesday night's contest against UTSA needing just one more victory to become the sixth UT pitcher to reach the 50-career win mark.
Texas has had some difficulty settling on a batting line-up during the 2017 campaign as the Longhorns have utilized 17 different one-through-nine combinations on the pre-game card through the opening 20 games of the season. The most that UT has utilized the same starting nine was three times against No. 15/13 Tennessee, No. 8/7 Washington and Texas State. That line-up was: Wong, Tunning, Hathaway, Krpec, Alcozer, Gortarez, Leahy, Felix, Hanzel.
Texas has had a load of success with two outs in 2017, hitting .316 (60-for-190) while registering 46 of its 97 total RBIs with two outs in a inning. In all, 15 different Longhorns batters own two-out RBIs, led by senior first baseman Kelli Hanzel (six), sophomore outfielder Reagan Hathaway (five), freshman infielder Jade Gortarez (five) and senior designated player Mickenzi Krpec (five).
Texas' 4-2 win over No. 15/13 Tennessee at the Mary Nutter Classic was its first over a top 15 team since beating No. 12 UCLA (5-3) at the same event on Feb. 19, 2015. UT had been 0-8 against top 15 teams since beating the Bruins.
Getting off to a quick start seems important for the 2017 Texas squad as the Longhorns are 9-2 when scoring first and 8-2 when tallying at least once in the first inning. On the other hand, UT is just 2-7 when its opponent puts the initial run on the board.
If Texas homers, it seems to have a lot to do with its success so far in 2017 as the Longhorns are 9-1 when hitting at least one over the fence. Conversely, UT is just 2-8 when it doesn't manage a single HR.
Since the beginning of the 2015 season, the nucleus of this year's Longhorns squad has demonstrated a resilience and "never quit" attitude in fighting back from deficits. Texas owns 27 come-from-behind victories (those where UT trailed at ANY point in a game) and 12 total "true" walk-off wins combined, including two walk-offs this year to beat Louisiana Tech during the Texas Invitational on Feb. 17, 6-5, and to down Notre Dame at the Mary Nutter Classic on Feb. 23, 4-3.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brooke Bolinger

Tiarra Davis

Jade Gortarez

Kelli Hanzel

Reagan Hathaway

Mickenzi Krpec

Erica Wright

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics