ABILENE – The ACU softball team (7-18, 1-8 SLC) continues its home stand Tuesday night at Poly Wells Field with a non-conference game against the Mean Green of the University of North Texas. The Wildcats take a break from their Southland Conference schedule, and will match up with the Mean Green (18-11) from Conference USA. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.
**PLEASE NOTE: Tuesday night's game was originally scheduled as the Go Pink Game for ACU. The team will still wear some Go Pink apparel and fans are still encouraged to wear pink to Poly Wells Field, however, the official Go Pink Game has been moved to Friday, April 26 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
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WEEKEND COVERAGE… Tuesday night's game will have a live stat option, as well as live video ($).
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THE SERIES… The teams have met four times since 2014, with the Mean Green winning the first two games, and ACU winning the last two. The Wildcats won in Abilene in April 2017, 6-2, and earned a win last season in Denton, Texas, 3-1. Tuesday night's matchup will be the second at Poly Wells Field, and the first of two meetings this season. The squads will get together in Denton on April 17.
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ACU LEADERS… Sophomore
Briana Tijerina leads the team with a .324 batting average, and has made 17 starts for head coach
Bobby Reeves. Catcher
Kayla Keeling's .606 slugging percentage leads the team by far, with eight of her 21 base hits going for extra bases. Keeling's four home runs, three triples, 12 runs batted in, and 40 total bases all lead the offense as well.
Samantha Bradley's 21 hits match Keeling for a team high, while Bradley and
Blair Clayton are second in line in RBI with 11. Freshman
Kaitlyn Huseman's seven doubles lead the squad as well. In the circle,
Calie Burris leads the staff with a 4.32 earned run average, while Bradley has logged the most innings at 76.0. Burris has made eight starts, while Bradley and Jilian Hefner each have seven starts under their belt.
NORTH TEXAS LEADERS… Katie Clark leads an offense that is hitting .279 as a team with a .429 average. Her 36 hits, including seven doubles and two triples lead the team, and her speed on the base paths leads the way with a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases. Lacy Gregory's 30 runs drive in are team-best, and her .634 slugging percentage leads her offense as well. In the circle, Hope Trautwein leads the staff with a 3.51 earned run average. The Mean Green pitching as a unit has a 3.97 ERA. Trautwein's 15 starts and an 11-4 record both are UNT bests.
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