PREVIEW: Softball vs. Schreiner University (3/25-3/26)
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
(All games scheduled to live stream; livestats only available Saturday)
SOCIAL MEDIA
UD Twitter: @UDallasSports
Softball Twitter: @UDallasSoftball
Facebook: University of Dallas Athletics
Instagram: udallasathletics
FIRST PITCH
The University of Dallas softball team closes out March with its first home games since four days into the month. This will be the first home Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) four-game series, as Schreiner University pays a visit on Saturday and Sunday. Both dates have start times at 12 p.m. for the doubleheaders.
Dallas will play its remaining 20 games against league opponents. The Crusaders have surged lately winning 6-of-8 to improve to 8-12 overall. This included a 3-1 series win two weeks ago at Trinity University, and has UD ranked in a tie for second with Centenary College in the conference standings.
The most recent action the Crusaders had was prevailing in three-of-four games during The Spring Games over spring break in Florida. The bats broke out with at least six runs in all victories and combined for 24 over the span. They also compiled 37 hits, with 25 coming on the doubleheader sweep over University of Scranton and Susquehanna University on that Thursday.
UD NOTES
- Jade Miller has been the catalyst to the lineup and earned recognition this week as United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Player of the Week.
- Miller ranks atop the USCAA and SCAC in total stolen bases (17), and 37th in steals-per-game (.85). She is also 1st in the SCAC for batting average (.491).
- The outfielder has compiled 28 hits, three doubles, two triples, two home runs, and 17 runs scored to be atop on the squad in each category.
- Stephanie Cervantes (Temecula, Calif.) combined for seven hits in her last 11 at bats, and has vaulted her batting average to second on the team with a .321-clip.
- Melanie Savala (Bryan, Texas) is the other player hitting north of .300 with all 20 games started. She has 16 hits to match Allison Kotlar (Edna, Texas) for second on the team. Savala has added two triples and a home run to go with eight runs batted in.
- Allie Driskill (Houston, Texas) is right behind with 14 base knocks and is tied with Mackenzie Tano (Wylie, Texas) for the team lead in RBI with 11 apiece.
- Ley Morales (Fontana, Calif.) is also hitting well of late, going 4-for-8 in Florida. Batting .280, Morales drove in two critical runs on a double to secure a 9-7 final over Scranton.
- Dallas is tied 1st in the SCAC for total triples (5) with Texas Lutheran University and Austin College. Also slot 3rd in stolen bases (41).
- Katie Lee (Houston, Texas) and Lauren Galvan (Bryan, Texas) each have four wins on the spring, which is tied 2nd most for the USCAA latest rankings. Lee cracks the top three in strikeouts with 28.
- Galvan has thrown both team shutouts this season, with each coming during the recent success. She has thrown 50 innings.
- Lee has tossed a team-high 65.1 innings.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- Schreiner University has won its last three contests in a row after falling five straight.
- Schreiner enters at .500 (12-12) overall and is 3-5 in conference play. The last SCAC foe was a four-game sweep at reigning conference champion Texas Lutheran.
- The Mountaineers are coming off a sweep (7-2, 8-3) at NCAA Division II UT-Permian Basin on Monday.
- The trip to Irving concludes a 12-game road trip, which SU is 3-9 in such contest.
- Alyssa Maki is batting .328 on the season with 22 hits to lead the team. She has a team-high eight doubles and has also clubbed three homers.
- Kaycee Govett (.292) and Kaylee Atchley (.290) round out the top three averages.
- A trio of players have surpassed double-digits in runs driven in. Bailee Arellano (14), Sarah Worrell (13), and Maki (12) create the group.
- The Mountaineers have swiped 22-of-23 stolen bags successfully. All players to garner a theft have been 100 percent led by Maki with nine and Atchley with six.
- In the circle, Jessica Vrana (67) and Hannah Ortiz (63.1) have been the top two for innings pitched. Vrana has a 3.66 ERA and 39 strikeouts. Ortiz has fanned 36.
RECENT MATCHUPS
- Dallas holds a 9-7 record in the all-time series.
- In 2016, the teams met five times on the diamond. After splitting the regular season at Kerrville, Texas, the Crusaders won 11-6 over Schreiner in the first round of the SCAC Tournament last season.
- In that tournament game, Avery Finch (Jamul, Calif.) went 3-for-3 with four runs scored and three stolen bases. Savala and Cervantes doubled and combined for three RBI and two runs scored.
- Two seasons ago at Crusader Field, Dallas claimed a four-game sweep (8-0, 10-7, 4-3, and 6-4).
UP NEXT
Dallas is on the road the next two weekends for an eight-game stretch in conference. April 1-2 at Southwestern University kicks off the first half of that span.