Kats to square off with Islanders
4/13/2017 11:18:00 AM | Softball
Games 37-39
Sam Houston State (16-20, 7-8 SLC) vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-26, 1-11 SLC)
Huntsville • Bearkat Softball Complex (400)
Live Stats • @BearkatsSB on Twitter
Game 1: ESPN3
Game 2: ESPN3
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston State Bearkats return to the Bearkat Softball Complex this weekend, kicking off a three-game series with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday with a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.
Friday's doubleheader can be watched on ESPN3's onine platform and via the Watch ESPN app. Fans can also follow along via live stats or by following @BearkatsSB on Twitter.
The Kats have dropped each of their last two out of three games in each of their last two series, but still find themselves in sixth place in the league, and holding what would be the No. 5 seed in the league tournament with 12 contests remaining. The top six teams in the league will qualify for the league tournament beginning May 10 in Conway, Ark., with Abilene Christian and UIW ineligible for tournament play due to NCAA transitional rules.
Meanwhile, the Islanders have had a tough go of it in head coach Blake Miller's second season, dropping their last six games to the top two teams in the league standings – McNeese and Abilene Christian – after picking up their first Southland win in the series finale against Northwestern State on March 25.
They have had just 12 players see action this season, including only two players with time in the circle. Liz Carter has picked up five of the team's six victories this year and enters the weekend sporting a 4.15 ERA with 102 strikeouts over 118.0 innings of work. Kandace Johnson is the other arm on the Islander roster and comes in with a 5.08 ERA and a 1-13 overall record.
Things have been a struggle offensively for the Islanders as well as they sport just a .197 team batting average with only two players – Lacey Boyd and Mackinzee Griebel – coming in with batting averages over the .300 mark.
That is a stark contrast from the Bearkats' .275 team average that includes 18 home runs and seven players with at least 11 RBI. Megan Crosby currently leads all Southland freshmen with five home runs, while Tori Koerselman continues to rank in the top five in the league with a .342 batting average. She has been a nuisance at the top of the lineup for the Kats and is one of just nine leadoff hitters in the country to have less than eight strikeouts this year among players to have led off at least 30 games.
In the circle, Sam Houston continues to get great work from Tayler Atkinson and Lindsey McLeod. Atkinson is currently in the midst of her strongest season as a Bearkat, posting a 2.61 ERA that ranks seventh among all players in the league. Meanwhile, McLeod has been the toughest in the league to hit, sporting a .197 opponent batting average and is just outside the SLC top 10 with 68 punchouts.
SERIES vs TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
Sam Houston owns a 22-14 all-time record against the Islanders, winning the series last season in Corpus Christi after dropping five of the previous six meetings.
