COLLEGE STATION, TX -- With a No. 15 national preseason ranking, the Texas A&M softball team begins another season at the Kajikawa Classic, kicking off 2012 in Tempe, Ariz. this weekend.
The Aggies’ 2011 season was cut short in the same city during the NCAA Super Regional against the eventual-national champion Arizona State Sun Devils. The team’s 2011 Super Regional appearance was the fourth time in history that the Aggies advanced past the Regional level.
Four of the Aggies’ Kajikawa Classic opponents are either nationally-ranked or receiving votes. The weekend will begin with a game vs. BYU (RV) at noon on Friday, Feb. 10, followed by a 3 p.m. contest against ninth-ranked Stanford. On Saturday the Aggies will face No. 8 Arizona at 5 p.m. and San Jose State at 8 p.m. before ending the tournament with a 9:30 a.m. Sunday game against Northwestern (RV). All times are Central.
Coming off of its 10th straight and 22nd overall NCAA Tournament appearance, the Aggies return 14 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last year’s 44-15 squad. All-Americans Meagan May and Mel Dumezich return for their junior season while two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Natalie Villarreal will take to the diamond for the last time as a senior.
Head coach Jo Evans secured her 900th victory during the NCAA College Station Regional in May and begins her 16th season over the Aggies with a 902-496-2 record, ranking among the top 20 active Division I softball coaches.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats and live audio will be provided for every game this season on AggieAthletics.com, while live streaming video will be offered at each of the Aggies’ home games. Fans can also listen to the Aggies’ game vs. Northwestern live locally on Sports Radio 1150 AM. Every other game this weekend will be featured on 95.1-3 The Zone HD, making it available worldwide on any smartphone or HD radio. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
A&M IN SEASON OPENERS
The Aggies are 30-3 in season openers and have won the first game of the season every year under Evans. The last time A&M lost a season opener was in 1994. Last season the Aggies defeated Cal State Fullerton, 6-2, in their first game of 2011 at the Kajikawa Classic.
AGGIES IN THE POLLS
Texas A&M is ranked 15th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Preseason Poll, and was slated at No. 17 in the USA Today/NFCA rankings. The Aggies’ 2012 opponents appearing in the polls are No. 2/4 Florida, No. 4/3 California, No. 5/6 Oklahoma, No. 6/5 Missouri, No. 7/7 Baylor, No. 8/8 Arizona, No. 9/10 Stanford, No. 11/16 Oklahoma State, No. 12/14 Washington, No. 18/19 Texas, No. 20/22 Houston, No. 21/20 Nebraska and No. 24 Tulsa. In addition, Hawaii, Texas Tech, BYU, New Mexico and Northwestern are receiving votes.
ON DECK
The Aggies are on the road for their first five games of the season and after returning from Tempe, Ariz., they host Sam Houston State Wednesday for a 4:30 p.m. home opener at the Aggie Softball Complex. The team will then host its first of three tournaments in 2012, the Aggie Classic, starting with a 3 p.m. Friday game vs. North Carolina State.
FRESHMAN FIVE
Evans welcomes a group of five freshmen to the team this season. Lauren Ainsley (RHP – La Vernia, Texas), Brittany Clopton (OF – Montgomery, Texas), Kayla Klein (RHP – Whittier, Calif.), Sara Mireles (LHP – New Braunfels, Texas) and Lauren Tamayo (UT – Roanoke, Texas) will put on the Maroon & White in 2012.
SCOUTING BYU
The Cougars enter the Western Athletic Conference for the first time this season after 11 years in the Mountain West Conference, where they earned a third-straight league title last season. Head coach Gordon Eakin earned MWC Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and returns for his 10th season at BYU. Highlighting the team’s 14 returners are All-MWC selection Caschjen Atagi, three-time All-Region second baseman Kristin Delahoussaye, two-time All-American and BYU career RBI leader Jessica Fitu and 2011 Easton All-American Paige Affleck, who leads BYU in career wins, strikeouts and ERA. The Cougars ended the 2011 season at the NCAA Regional, falling to Washington in the final game. BYU is receiving votes in both polls.
The Aggies and Cougars have each won five games in the 10-contest history between the two teams, who last met at the Kajikawa Classic in 2011 – a game that resulted in a 7-2 victory for then-No. 16 BYU.
SCOUTING STANFORD
The Cardinal are coming off of a 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament season and a fifth Super Regional appearance, going 42-17 in 2011. Of the team’s 14 letterwinners, seven are upperclassmen and eight were starters in 2011. Senior Ashley Hansen returns with an impressive .412 career batting average and is joined by seniors Jenna Becerra, Maya Burns and Sarah Hassman. The team welcomes a group of eight freshmen and two redshirt players who have yet to play for the Cardinal.
The Aggies hold a 4-0 advantage over Stanford. The teams last met in the NCAA Super Regional in 2008 when eighth-ranked A&M swept a doubleheader in College Station.
SCOUTING ARIZONA
2011 was the first time in Arizona Head Coach Mike Candrea’s 27-season tenure that the Wildcats did not reach the Women’s College World Series. The eighth-ranked team returns 14 letterwinners, including five starters – two of them 2011 All-Pac-10 selections. Juniors Kenzie Fowler and Brigette Del Ponte highlight the returning players as the team’s All-American honorees. The eight-time National Champion Wildcats posted a 43-18 record in 2011, finishing the season in the NCAA Super Regional with a loss to Oklahoma at home.
Arizona holds a 10-24 all-time record over the Aggies, with A&M winning six of the last 10 games. The teams last met at the Kajikawa Classic last season when No. 1 Arizona edged out a 6-3 win over the Aggies.
SCOUTING SAN JOSE STATE
The Spartans finished the 2011 season with a 19-35 record and an 8-11 WAC mark and is picked to finish sixth in conference play this season. San Jose State also returns 14 letterwinners and brings nine new players to the diamond. Head coach Peter Turner returns for his sixth season with the Spartans. Annica Wolfe led the team with a .309 average in 2011, scoring 14 runs on 43 hits.
The Aggies lead the Spartans, 2-1, in games played. The last meeting was in 2000 when A&M posted a 13-6 victory over SJSU in Sacramento.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
Northwestern is receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll after a 23-20 season in 2011. The Wildcats return 13 letterwinnners, seven of them starters. Sophomore Sammy Albanese returns to the circle for NU after having thrown her first career no-hitter as a freshman last season. Junior infielder Emily Allard was selected to the 2011 All-Big Ten first team and earned the 2011 NFCA Golden Shoes Award as the No. 1 base stealer in the country. NFCA All-American Adrienne Monka will rejoin the Wildcats for her senior season after having led the country with 1.53 walks per game and a .707 on base percentage as a junior.
A&M and Northwestern last played in February of last year at the Cathedral City Classic. The Aggies run-ruled the Wildcats in five innings with a 9-1 victory. A&M holds a 5-3 advantage over NU.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Aggies are on a program-best 27-game home winning streak, starting April 25, 2010. The streak is also the longest current home winning streak in the nation as the Aggies went undefeated at home in 2011. This is the longest home winning streak A&M has had since the program’s inception in 1981. The previous record holder by Aggie softball was a 21-game ride from Feb. 19, 2005-May 22, 2005.
HOME RUNS GALORE
A&M tallied 81 home runs during the 2011 season, including eight grand slams, in 59 games. The team ended the season at fifth in the nation in the NCAA statistical rankings in home runs per game with a 1.37 average. Then-senior Rhi Kliesing was 13th in the nation with 18 home runs and 24th in home runs per game, individually. Of A&M’s 19 players, 12 went yard in 2011. Undefeated at home, the Aggies cleared their own fence 49 times, including three times in the one-run victory over No. 15 Baylor, once against No. 12 Nebraska and No. 3 Texas, five times in the sweep of No. 16 OSU, seven times in the NCAA College Station Regional and three times vs. No. 1 Arizona State at the Super Regional level. The team also had a solo bomb against top-ranked Arizona early in the season. Then-freshman Amber Garza led the team with three grand slams, including two on back-to-back days in the NCAA Tournament.
NATIONALLY RANKED
The Aggies consistently found themselves among the best in the nation in several categories last season. In the final NCAA Statistical Ranking Summary, A&M ranked 29th in ERA (1.95), 28th in fielding percentage (0.971), 27th in scoring (5.59), 20th in win-loss percentage (0.746), fifth in home runs per game (1.37) and 19th in slugging percentage (0.497). Individually, Kliesing was 13th in home runs and 24th in home runs per game (0.31), while May was ranked 33rd. May was also 30th in RBI per game (1.02). May’s 0.77 walks per game on average were 21st in the nation and her four sacrifice flies ranked 18th. From the circle, Dumezich ranked 13th in victories (30), 31st in hits per seven innings (4.72), 33rd in strikeouts (262) and 12th in shutouts (12).
ACTIVE ALL-AMERICANS
In 2011 Dumezich was named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American second team after earning a 1.92 ERA in 247 1/3 Innings pitched. The junior gave up only 68 runs while fanning 262 batters as a sophomore and ranks ninth on the Aggies’ career strikeouts list.
May earned All-America second team honors in 2010 as a freshman. The standout catcher broke the team and Big 12 records for home runs in a season after clearing the fence 24 times. She also posted a team-leading .405 batting average, 66 hits, 16 doubles, 62 RBI, a .945 slugging percentage and a .557 on base percentage. May was one of only six Aggies to earn the honor as a freshman.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2012 softball season can be purchased through the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Office for $5-$8. Fans can purchase tickets to every home game in person at The Zone at Kyle Field box office, online at www.12thManFoundation.com, or over the phone at 1-888-99-AGGIE (2-4443) or (979) 845-2311. The ticket window at the Aggie Softball Complex will open one hour prior to each home game, at which time remaining tickets may be purchased at the gate.
PARKING
Parking this season is free for each home game that does not share a date with a baseball or basketball game. Fans can park in Reed Arena Lot 100, across the street from the Aggie Softball Complex. For conflicting dates, fans will be charged $5 to park.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME
As part of the Take Me Out to the Ballgame promotion, two kids will get in free with the purchase of one adult ticket every Sunday. Fans can also enjoy the same deal during the Sam Houston State (Feb. 15) and Monmouth (March 8) weekday games.
BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
A&M was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Aggies received 37 points and finished behind preseason favorite Missouri (59), and Oklahoma (56), Texas (50) and Baylor (45). A&M was selected as the frontrunner for three consecutive years, from 2006-08, and was picked fourth last season, ending 2011 in third place. Oklahoma State placed sixth with 32 points, followed by Texas Tech (22), Kansas (13) and Iowa State (10).
GET IT LIVE
Live audio and live stats are featured in every A&M game in 2012. Several contests will be aired on Sports Radio 1150 AM. All other games will be broadcast live on AggieAthletics.com and on 95.1-3 The Zone HD, making it available worldwide on any iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or PDA free of charge. Log on to RadioAggieland.com for more information.
