SERIES PREVIEW: Softball at No. 12 Texas Lutheran University (4/7-4/8)
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
SOCIAL MEDIA
UD Twitter: @UDallasSports
Softball Twitter: @UDallasSoftball
Facebook: University of Dallas Athletics
Instagram: udallasathletics
FIRST PITCH
The University of Dallas softball team plays its second straight road Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) series at No. 12 Texas Lutheran University on April 7-8. The four-game series begins with a 5 p.m. first pitch on Friday and 12 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. These are the final road contests of the regular season for Dallas.
Ed Krause Stadium is home to the Bulldogs and is the site of the SCAC Tournament hosted at the end of the month (Apr. 28-30). The top six teams in the standings will qualify.
The Crusaders are 9-19 on the season and 4-8 in the SCAC for fifth in the SCAC standings. Dallas has dropped sixth straight, including all four games at Southwestern University last weekend.
UD NOTES
- Jade Miller (Plano, Texas) boasts the highest batting average (.500) in the SCAC. She is also third in the conference and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) in steals (20).
- Miller has posted 12 multiple hit games and has an active 13-game hitting streak. The outfielder has reached base safely in the past 21 contests.
- Additionally, Miller has team-highs in slugging percentage (.732), on base percentage (.538), runs scored (22), hits (41), doubles (7), triples (3), and home runs (2).
- Mackenzie Tano (Wylie, Texas) currently has a nine-game hitting streak. She is batting .274 and rounds out a quartet of players with at least 20 base knocks. Melanie Savala (Bryan, Texas) and Allison Kotlar (Edna, Texas) are the other two players above 20 hits with 23 and 22, respectively.
- Allie Driskill (Houston, Texas) leads the squad in runs-batted-in (16) and Tano is right behind at 14.
- Avery Finch (Jamul, Calif.) has reached base safely in seven-of-eight games.
- Katie Lee (Houston, Texas) leads the team with 88 innings pitched. Lauren Galvan (Bryan, Texas) has tossed 73.2 innings.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
- Texas Lutheran University moved up to No. 12 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll for NCAA Division III.
- The three-time winner of the SCAC Tournament is atop the standings again with an unblemished 14-0 record.
- Overall, the Bulldogs are 26-4 and have won 26 in a row since dropping the first four to start the spring. This includes a 12-0 display at the friendly confines.
- In the most recent series, TLU swept Centenary College on the road last weekend (3-2, 9-4, 3-0, and 14-1 (6 inn.)).
- Kyla Lockley headlines the offense with a .383 batting average, 31 hits and 11 doubles.
- Kaymee Gooden is tied for the team-lead in hits (31) and has belted five home runs for a team-high. She has also combined for the most extra base hits on the team (13) with four doubles and triples along with her home run total.
- Kelsie McEachern (29) and Nicole Snow (24) are the top producers in ribbies with both etching over 20.
- The team's 15 home runs are tied with Southwestern for most in the league.
- In the circle Maitlin Raycroft claimed NCAA Division III history this season with six no-hitters. In 94.1 innings, Raycroft has 13 complete games and 10 shutouts for a 14-2 record. She has spun a 1.19 ERA and fanned 156 strikeouts.
- Amanda Lochte is also a 10-game winner and has yielded a 1.75 ERA through 16 appearances (13 starts) in 72 innings.
RECENT MATCHUPS
- Dallas is 0-13 versus the Bulldogs all-time.
- Last season in Irving, the Crusaders were swept in four games.
- In 2015, the team's played in Seguin with TLU claiming another sweep (6-2, 10-0 (5 inn.), 9-0 (5 inn.), and 2-1)
UP NEXT
With Easter Break next weekend, the Crusaders will host their four-game conference series with Centenary College on April 13-14. The first twinbill will be that Thursday evening starting at 5 p.m. On Good Friday, the game is slated for 1 p.m.