The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Longwood
No. 9 Softball preview: Longwood (DH) [March 6, 2019]
03.05.2019 | Softball
The Longhorns (16-3) return home to host the Lancers in a mid-week doubleheader
No. 9/10 Texas (16-3) hosts Longwood (11-5) | March 6 Doubleheader | Red & Charline McCombs Field, Austin, Texas
Schedule:
Wednesday, March 6
4:30 & 7 p.m. CT (DOUBLEHEADER) Longwood at #9/10 TEXAS – LHN GAME 1 | LHN GAME 2
TEXAS CLEAR BAG POLICY: Please note that there is a Clear Bag Policy in effect for fans when attending Texas Athletic events. For more details, please visit this LINK
PARKING: Fans can purchase parking in the East Campus Garage for $5 here: LINK
Location: Austin, Texas (Red & Charline McCombs Field)
Ticket Information: LINK
Live Stats: LINK
Television: Wednesday's games will be broadcast live on Longhorn Network.
Radio: All Texas games home & road are slated for radio broadcast via web stream with Andrew Haynes on the call via this LINK. The Texas 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:
- Freshman pitcher Shealyn O'Leary hasn't allowed an earned run over her last 30.2 innings of work dating back to the second inning of her very first collegiate appearance against Boston College (2/10).
- With 36 doubles through 19 games (1.89 doubles-per-game), the Longhorns are well ahead of the pace needed to break the school single-season mark of 86 doubles set by the 2012 team. Maintaining its current pace, Texas would finish a standard 56-game regular-season schedule with 106 doubles.
- The Longhorns are off to a 10-0 start at home for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2012. The all-time school record is 22-0 accomplished by the 2006 Texas squad.
- Watch out for Texas with two outs in an inning. So far through 19 games, the Burnt Orange & White are batting .362 (63-of-174) with 59 two-out RBIs (51% of the team's total RBIs have come with two outs this season). Redshirt junior center fielder Reagan Hathaway leads the team with eight two-out RBIs. Last weekend at the Sun Devil Classic, Texas registered a remarkable 19-of-32 total RBIs with two outs.
- The Longhorns have been strong so far this season with runners in scoring position, hitting .345 (68-of-197) in such instances. Lauren Burke leads the team with 10 hits and a .476 batting average (10-for-21) in RISP situations.
- Texas' four transfers from Oregon have wasted no time making an impact as Miranda Elish, Shannon Rhodes, Mary Iakopo and Lauren Burke have combined for a .365 average (66-of-181) with 37 runs scored, 13 doubles, two triples, NINE-OF-13 TEXAS HR'S and 54 RBIs over 19 games. Each member of the quartet is one of the current top four on the team in individual RBIs.
- Freshman pitcher Shealyn O'Leary is off to a perfect 5-0 opening to her collegiate career. With that effort, she has joined former Longhorns pitchers Blaire Luna (2010) and Meagan Denny (2005) as the only Texas pitchers ever to start their UT careers at 5-0. No freshman has ever started 6-0. O'Leary has also allowed just ONE EARNED RUN over her first 31.2 collegiate innings of work.
- Texas sophomore second baseman Janae Jefferson now has enough at-bats to qualify for the Longhorns career record book. With a .404 career batting average, she currently sits FIRST all-time in UT history ahead of second-place Lexy Bennett's (2009-12) career mark of .385.
- Texas sophomore catcher Mary Iakopo is off to a tremendous start for the Longhorns. She has now reached base safely in 16-of-17 played games of her UT career.
- Texas is off to a strong opening both at the plate and in the circle this season. UT is currently third in the Big 12 and 16th in the NCAA (as of March 4) in batting average (.341), while tying for the league lead and rating 11th in the country (as of March 4) in ERA (1.48). Sophomore second baseman Janae Jefferson is second in the league in average (.443), while freshman Shealyn O'Leary (0.22) leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth in the NCAA in ERA.
- Junior pitcher Miranda Elish has proven to be quite the "dual threat" so far in 2019 as she currently ranks fifth in the Big 12 in ERA (1.85) to go along with a .341 batting average and a team-high-tying 14 RBIs. At the plate, she's reached base safely by hit, walk or hit-by-pitch in 13-of-17 games played.
- Some trends are already beginning to develop for the Longhorns in 2019. UT is 12-0 in games when scoring first, 8-0 when scoring in the first inning and 15-2 when out-hitting opponents.
- New publication Softball America had three Longhorns listed in their inaugural Top 100 National Player Rankings: No. 13 Miranda Elish, No. 17 Janae Jefferson and No. 57 Shannon Rhodes.
- Texas needs to find a way to win more of the close games to have success in 2019. Over the past two seasons (2017-18), UT went a combined 19-28 in one- or two-run decisions (10-18 in one-run games). Last year, the Longhorns lost a total of 12 games by two-runs-or-less during a 33-26 season, nine of those coming against nationally-ranked teams. UT is 3-1 in such games this year after posting comeback wins over No. 18/21 Kentucky (4-3) and Ole Miss (3-2), beating Tulsa (2-0) and falling in nine innings to Wisconsin (3-1).
