(SCHEDULE CHANGE) SERIES PREVIEW: Softball at Schreiner (4/15-4/16)
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
FIRST PITCH
The University of Dallas softball team will play a doubleheader tonight at 6 p.m. versus Schreiner University. The series concludes Saturday with an 11 a.m. doubleheader. Due to poor weather in the forecast, this weekend's times have been moved around.
Dallas has secured the third seed in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournament for the second year in a row. The Lady Crusaders are 17-19 overall and 11-9 in conference. Last time out, UD split a twinbill versus LeTourneau University on Wednesday. The most recent conference series was a 0-4 stretch to No. 3 Texas Lutheran University.
CRUSADER NOTES
- Senior Erin Begle (Houston, Texas) is hitting .380 on the team right now. She is also the team-leader in doubles (12), home runs (4), and RBI (28). Begle is tied second in the SCAC for home runs.
- Junior Avery Finch (Jamul, Calif.) paces the team with 41 hits, four triples, and 28 stolen bases. She has been successful out of 30 attempts. Finch ranks second in the SCAC.
- Junior Lyda Teasuro (Hollywood, Fl.) slots second on the squad, hitting .351 and 39 hits. She rounds out the top three in run production with 19 ribbies; one behind classmate Allison Kotlar (Edna, Texas). Kotlar completes the top three batting average clips with a .347.
- Dallas has drawn 99 walks as a team.
- The squad has already shattered last season's record in stolen bases with 110 swiped. Finch leads a quartet of players with double digits. Freshman Melanie Savala (Bryan, Texas) is 17-for-19, Tesauro is 13-for-16, and freshman Roma Thornton (Wharton, Texas) is 10-for-11.
- Junior Katie Lee (Houston, Texas) has gone 13-11 and posted a 3.15 earned run average. The righty is tied first in the SCAC for wins.
- In the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), Dallas ranks 13th in the latest power rankings. Lee leads the league in wins and Finch is atop of the stolen bases category.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Schreiner University enters 7-27 this series and are 5-15 in conference play. The Mountaineers have gone 4-4 in their past eight SCAC games, taking four-game splits to Centenary College and Southwestern University.
The most recent pair of victories last weekend were the first SU earned at home this spring. The Mountaineers are sixth currently in the SCAC standings and one game behind Centenary for fifth. Austin College (3-17) is bidding for the final spot in the tournament as well.
Sydney Christopher and Samantha Cordon highlight the offense, as the duo have hit over .300 and etched double figures in runs batted in. Christopher leads the way with a .333 average, five doubles, four homers, and 18 RBI. Cordon is hitting .327 with a team-high 34 hits and 10 RBI. Nichole Schoenherr is tied with Christopher with five doubles, hit .296, and rounds out the top three names in hits with 29. Christopher is second with 31. Jessica Vrana has thrown 126 innings with 25 appearances (17 starts). She is 4-16 with a 4.50 ERA.
HISTORY
Dallas is 6-5 in the all-time series with the Mountaineers. Since Schreiner joined the SCAC in 2014, the Lady Crusaders have gone 6-2, including a four-game sweep last year in Irving, Texas. The scores of that series were: 8-0 (5 inn.), 10-7, 4-3, and 6-4.
In that series, Begle had a hit in three of the four games, and scored at least a run in each of them. She drove in four runs in the run-ruled contest. Dallas posted 18 hits in game two of the set. Lee pitched all 26 innings. UD would fall to the Maroon and White, 4-2, in the first round of the SCAC Tournament last season at Kerrville, Texas. Tesauro punched three of UD's five hits and stole a base. Begle and Finch had the other knocks.
Two years ago, the two teams split a four-game set. Dallas prevailed 14-8 and 10-7 in the second game of both days. The setbacks were decided 7-2 and 9-0.
SCAC TOURNAMENT
Dallas has qualified for the SCAC Tournament that will be hosted April 22-24 at San Antonio, Texas, by Trinity University. The No. 3 vs. No. 6 Seed Game is slated for 2 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
UD Twitter: @UDallasSports
Softball Twitter: @UDallasSoftball
Facebook: University of Dallas Athletics
Instagram: udallasathletics