The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Iowa State
Softball preview: at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship [May 11-12, 2018]
05.09.2018 | Softball
The Longhorns head to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the league's showcase event on Friday & Saturday
TEXAS (30-23, 10-8 Big 12) at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship | May 11-12 | Integris Field & USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Schedule:
Friday, May 11 – POOL PLAY
11 a.m. Iowa State vs. TEXAS – FLOSoftball.com ($$) – LINK
2 p.m. TEXAS vs. #3 Oklahoma – FOX College Sports Central
Saturday, May 12 – PLACING GAMES
4 p.m./1:30 p.m./11 a.m. 1st/3rd/5th Place Game –FS2 (1st)/FOX College Sports Central
**All times Central
Location: Oklahoma City, Okla. (Integris Field and USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium)
Ticket Information: LINK
Television: Texas' pool play match-up against Iowa State will be web streamed for a subscription fee via FLOSoftball.com, while the contest against No. 3 Oklahoma will be broadcast live on FOX College Sports Central. Saturday's placing game for the Longhorns will either be on FOX College Sports Central or FS2 (championship game only).
Radio: All three Texas Big 12 Championship games are slated for radio broadcast via FREE web stream with Andrew Haynes on the call through this LINK. The broadcasts can also be heard locally in Austin on 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:
- Four Longhorns earned All-Big 12 honors on Wed., May 9. Freshman second baseman Janae Jefferson earned All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 All-Freshman accolades, while senior pitcher/utility Paige von Sprecken, sophomore outfielder Kaitlyn Washington and junior pitcher Brooke Bolinger were all named to the All-Big 12 Second Team. This is the 13th year in a row that Texas has had at least four league honorees.
- At the plate, Texas senior pitcher/first baseman Paige von Sprecken has registered a Big 12 Conference-leading 19 doubles in 2018 (11th in the NCAA) to move into second all-time in the category in UT single-season history. The Yorba Linda, Calif., product needs one more to equal Lindsey Stephens' 2016 program record of 20 doubles.
- With her current .407 overall batting average, freshman second baseman Janae Jefferson would tie for the sixth-best mark in a single season and post the second-highest mark by a UT freshman in program history. Lexy Bennett established the school record back of .438 back in 2011, while the school record for a rookie was set by Lindsay Gardner back in 2000 at .421.
- Texas freshman second baseman Janae Jefferson finished the league campaign TOPPING THE BIG 12 (counting league games only) with a staggering .533 average (32-for-60). The Humble, Texas native successfully reached base in ALL 18 OF HER CAREER BIG 12 GAMES. She also hit safely in 16-of-18 conference match-ups, while her 32 league hits were the most by any Longhorns player in a single Big 12 campaign in history.
- Texas' schedule has been absolutely brutal so far in 2018 with 25 of its games coming against teams ranked or receiving votes in the national polls. UT is just 7-18 in those contests, but owns wins over No. 9/8 Arizona, No. 20 Michigan, No. 24/19 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Texas State while losing games to No. 1 Washington (2-1), No. 18/17 South Carolina (1-0, 8 inn.), No. 24/25 Texas State (2-1) and No. 3 Oklahoma (5-4, 8 inn.) by a single run.
- Watch out for sophomore catcher Taylor Ellsworth (3-for-5, .600) and sophomore left fielder Kaitlyn Washington (3-for-4, .750) with the bases loaded in 2018 as the duo has combined for half of UT's 12 total hits in those situations.
- Texas has had much of its success this season hitting with two outs in an inning. In all, the Longhorns have scored 91 of their 184 total runs (49%) and registered 84 of their 169 total RBIs (50%) with two outs in a frame.
- The Longhorns defense has been strong all season long. Despite typically starting nothing but freshmen and sophomores at all four infield spots, behind the plate and in left field, Texas rates 19th in all of NCAA Division I and second in the Big 12 in fielding percentage at .974 (currently rates in a tie for third in UT history). The single-season school record is .980 set back in 2011.
- Scoring in the first inning leads to success for Texas in 2018 as the Longhorns are 14-4 when tallying in the opening frame. The first inning is far-and-away Texas' most prolific scoring frame as UT has registered 51 of its 184 runs during that inning (28%). Over the last 27 contests, UT has scored in the opening inning 14 times while totaling 41 runs.
- Texas senior pitcher Paige von Sprecken has been terrific in the circle for the Longhorns this season, currently LEADING THE BIG 12 IN OVERALL SHUTOUTS WITH EIGHT (as of May 7). She also ranked second in the league in complete games (16), fourth in opponent batting average (.200) and ERA (1.67) and sixth in strikeouts (93).
- The Longhorns pitching staff as a whole has been strong over its last 35 contests, registering 22 wins (four one-run losses over that stretch), a 1.81 ERA with 18 complete games, 12 shutouts, seven saves and 203 strikeouts over 232.2 innings while limiting opponents to a .214 average. Paige von Sprecken (1.26 ERA, 7-6, 12 complete games, six shutouts, 60 K, 89.0 IP) and Brooke Bolinger (1.71 ERA, 9-5, 84 K, 73.2 IP) have been a terrific 1-2 punch, while Erica Wright has registered four saves.
- UT sophomore outfielder Kaitlyn Washington was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week (April 2) for hitting .500 with three HR's and seven RBIs during the road sweep of Iowa State. The Humble, Texas, native has really picked up her offensive production with a .354 average, 12 extra-base hits (three HR's) and 13 RBIs over the last 28 contests.
- After starting off the 2018 season on fire at the plate and then cooling off, freshman second baseman Janae Jefferson has heated back up over the last 33 contests, leading the squad with a .481 average (51-for-106) over that stretch while reaching safely in 32 of 33 games (a career-best 16 on two occasions including entering the Big 12 Championship).
- Redshirt junior pitcher Erica Wright is making the save her own personal statistic so far in 2018 as the Huntington, Texas, native has registered FIVE SAVES (12th in the NCAA). She's already tied the UT single-season record of five held by Amy Bradford (2002) & Christa Williams (1998) and is one from equaling the UT career record of seven held by Blaire Luna (2010-13) and Erin Tresselt (2007-10).
- Janae Jefferson is Texas' most dependable hitter with runners in scoring position at a remarkable .429 (18-for-42) overall. That's even more impressive considering the Longhorns as a team are batting just .248 with RISP in 2018.
- Out-hitting the opposition has proven to be a predictor of success thus far for the Longhorns in 2018 as Texas is 25-6 when tallying more hits, 2-15 when out-hit by an opponent and 3-2 when the hits are tied.
