SERIES PREVIEW: Crusaders Start 2019 at Home on Friday and Sunday
HOW TO FOLLOW
Multimedia Coverage: (Southwestern Coll.) Livestats (Game 1, Game 2) | Video
(Hendrix College) Livestats (Game 1, Game 2)
UD Twitter: @UDallasSports
UD Softball Twitter: @UDallasSoftball
UD Facebook: University of Dallas Athletics
UD Softball Facebook: University of Dallas Softball
UD Instagram: udallasathletics
UD Softball Instagram: udallas_softball
GAME INFORMATION
Dates: February 15 (7 innings) (DH) | February 17 (7 innings) (DH)
Times: Feb. 15 starts at 4 p.m. | Feb. 17 starts at 12 p.m.
Opponents: (Feb. 15) Southwestern College | (Feb. 17) Hendrix College
Records: Southwestern (1-1) | Hendrix (0-0) | Dallas (0-0)
Location: Irving, Texas, Crusader Field
FIRST PITCH
The University of Dallas softball team opens the 2019 season on Friday versus Southwestern College (KS). First pitch of the twinbill is at 4 p.m. The Crusaders also host Hendrix College over the weekend.
First-year head coach Caitlynn Dykes returns to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) after playing four seasons and serving as a student assistant at Trinity University from 2012-16. A catcher for the Tigers, she lettered four years and earned SCAC All-Conference each time.
Dallas is coming off an 8-32 campaign that included a 2-18 SCAC mark.
UD NOTABLES
- Dallas bolsters a mix on its roster of 10 freshmen and nine returners. Seven played at least 20 contests last season.
- Liz Cordova (Oklahoma City, Okla.) returns with the top batting average from a season ago with a .330 mark. She also was atop the team homers (3) and runs-batted-in (16). Her six doubles from her freshman campaign tied Julie Duenas (Houston, Texas) for most back on this year's squad.
- Caitlyn Stevenson (Henderson, Nev.) has the most hits (39) back on the roster and led the team in steals.
- Maggie Watts (Arcadia, La.) led the pitching last season with 137.1 innings, 29 appearances, five wins, and 29 strikeouts.
- Mel Savala (Bryan, Texas), Mackenzie Tano (Wylie, Texas), and Emily Martin (San Jose, Calif.) all have notched a place in the Dallas record books. Savala holds single-game steals record (5), Tano tied the triples record in a game (2), and Martin has a save each of the last two years to join the single-season and career individuals list.
SCAC MEDIA DAY
#SCACmd continues with @UDallasSoftball as Kramer sits down with first year head coach Caitlynn Dykes and third baseman Julie Duenas who talk about the incoming recruiting class and more. Check it out �� https://t.co/sPQgPCm0rt #SCACsb #d3sb
— SCAC (@SCAC_Sports) February 4, 2019
BY THE NUMBERS
- The Crusaders will face the Builders for the first time in program history.
- All-Time Series: Dallas vs. Hendrix 5-28.
- Last season UD split its series with the Warriors winning game one, 12-6, and dropping game 2, 5-3. Dallas plated six runs in the sixth and logged 15 hits.
- This weekend's games mark the fourth straight season UD has hosted Hendrix (2-4 in span).
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
(Southwestern)
- The Builders are 1-1 on the season, splitting home games on Wednesday to Central Christian. After a 12-8 setback, they piled 22 runs in a five-inning, run-rule.
- Southwestern College is part of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) which is NAIA.
- They were selected 11th in the KCAC coaches' poll. Last year the team was 20-23 overall.
- The team has collected 29 hits to go with six doubles, two triples, and 30 RBI.
- Cady Norton and Cassidy Schubert are tops in the group with six and five, respectively. The duo have two doubles apiece.
(Hendrix)
- The Warriors are coming off a 20-15 season and 10-7 mark in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA).
- Hendrix combined for 11-10 in non-home games.
- The Warriors play at fellow SCAC opponent Austin College on Saturday to open the spring.
- Jordan Mallard returns from last year's team. She batted .427 with 44 hits, 13 doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 22 RBI. Karli Sewell is also back and launched four dingers and batted the next highest average on the team with a .346 mark.
- Savannah Draud and Emily Stockalper are back on the pitching staff from last season. The two combined for 210.1 innings with each eclipsing 100. Draud spun a 2.99 ERA to go with nine wins and two shutouts. She fanned 71.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dallas is on the road for the next month with the next four games at host Huntingdon College. In addition to two games with the Hawks on Feb. 23 and 24, the Crusaders also will play College of Mount St. Joseph each day as part of a twinbill.