Offense Clicking as Softball Readies for SFA Home Series

ABILENE - Abilene Christian softball, which has averaged more than six runs per game through its nine April contests, welcomes second-place Stephen F. Austin (9-6) for its final homestead of the 2023 season. The two sides play Friday at 6 p.m. and a noon doubleheader Saturday, the first game of which will be streamed on ESPN+.

Friday's match is softball's designated Purple Game, while veterans Mercedes Eichelberger and Laurén Schiek will be recognized during Saturday's pre-game ceremony.

The Wildcats enter the weekend 3.0 games behind the Lumberjacks and 4.0 behind first place Utah Tech (10-5) with three series (nine games) left before the WAC Tournament commences in Phoenix, Ariz. They gained a game on the Trailblazers after winning two-of-three games last weekend at UT Arlington, where ACU posted 22 runs on 35 base hits. 

"Our offensive plans are paying off and we've been successful at the plate … being aggressive going after good pitches," said ACU head coach Abigail Farler. "Bubba's (Emma Rote) got a 12-game hit streak, we've seen great at-bats from Avery (Miloch) and Liv (Olivia Taylor) this past month, and (Miranda) Lista is starting to breakout. 

"We're getting good production from top to bottom. Sydney (Kaiser) is doing a great job flipping the lineup and Logan (Gaspar) is such a fiery player, giving us quality plate appearances."

Miloch has hit four home runs this month, and her 13 round-trippers currently rank her third within the WAC Conference and 22nd nationally. She's also seen her slugging percentage rise to .696, which is the fifth-highest mark in the WAC. 

Taylor, last weekend, posted a four-RBI game vs. the Mavericks, and Kaiser drove in a run through all three games. Gaspar, meanwhile, has lifted her batting average 60 percentage points over the past month. 

Rote's hitting streak, which began March 25, includes nine RBI, two multi-hit games and an inside-the-park home run vs. Baylor. She is currently hitting .296 after going 4-for-7 against the Mavericks.

"It's crazy to see how much the standings have flipped, and still so much can happen over these last three weeks," said Farler. "If we go out and win each series, then we have a good shot to go (to the tournament). We're getting healthier, and if we take control of the momentum - like we did at UT Arlington - we have to make sure we don't give it back."

Looking to steal that momentum and play the role of spoiler this weekend is an SFA team that is 21-19 overall following a home series win over Sam Houston. The Lumberjacks also took 2-of-3 from Southern Utah earlier this month, and then split a doubleheader with Houston before dropping two of three at UT Arlington.

SFA is batting .268 as a team through 40 games with 35 home runs and 60 stolen bases that rank the Lumberjacks second within the WAC behind only Grand Canyon (69). SFA's running threats include the trio of Mallory Webb (14), Madison Nguyen (12) and Camryn Middlebrook (12). 

Gaby Garcia shares the WAC's home run lead at 14 with GCU's Kristin Fifield, and is No. 5 overall with a .703 slugging percentage.

Their team ERA is the fourth-lowest within the league at 3.85. Alexis Telford posts a superb 2.82 ERA despite owning an 8-7 win-loss record, and Brook Gainous is not far behind her teammate with a 3.22 ERA.

"SFA is having a good year, so we're expecting a good matchup with them," said Farler. "We're a little more familiar with their pitchers compared to other WAC teams, but their offense looks to be just as consistent as ours. These should be fun games especially if you like home runs and doubles."

Speaking of consistency, how about ACU's starting pitcher Talia Nielsen? On Monday she received her second WAC Pitcher of the Week honor is less than a month in recognition of her performances  
Against the Mavericks.

Nielsen delivered a pair of 7.0-inning complete games as the Wildcats won both her UTA starts by scores of 8-1 and 7-3.

During Friday night's performance, Nielsen scattered six hits while averaging an efficient 12 pitches and four batters faced per inning. 

Nielsen continued to frustrate UTA in Saturday's start, stranding nine baserunners. She pitched with confidence throughout her outing, walking none while making a pair of tremendous defensive plays.

"Talia's abilities in the field are a byproduct of our practices," said Farler. "We practice all of these scenarios, and so it ends up being a lot of muscle memory. 

"She is competitive and will obviously do whatever it takes to win - no questions asked - and so I think she takes pride in making these kind of defensive plays."

Nielsen moved up to third in the WAC with 114.0 innings pitched after last weekend's efforts. She also has the fifth-highest total for batters struck out looking with 20, ranks sixth with 1.47 walks per game, and is No. 1 with 31 appearances and 21 starts.