April 9, 2008

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack softball team will travel to Waco, Texas, to take on Baylor Wednesday in a mid-week, non-conference showdown. The game against the Bears is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. from Getterman Stadium.

The Ladyjacks are coming off a three-game sweep of their road series with Central Arkansas over the weekend. SFA brings a 26-15 overall record to the contest. The Ladyjacks are 12-6 on the road.

SFA entered this week as the second-place team in the Southland Conference with a 13-4 league mark. The Ladyjacks have the top pitching staff in the league. Led by a pair of freshmen, SFA is at the front of the conference pack in both ERA (2.00) and strikeouts (245). Freshman ace Monika Covington (14-7) paces the SLC in wins and strikeouts, with 145 punchouts to her credit, while her 1.44 ERA ranks second in the conference. Classmate Lauren Luetge is a solid No. 2 starter with a 9-3 record and a 2.49 ERA. Her 77 strikeouts put her ahead of Covington and fourth in the conference in strikeouts per seven innings pitched.

At the plate, SFA stands third in the SLC with a .285 batting average. The Ladyjacks lead the conference in hits (309) runs (204) and RBI (179), as well as triples. SFA's 13 triples this season rank 12th in the nation. The Ladyjacks are among the countries top 50 teams in five other categories. Five Ladyjacks are currently batting better than .300, led by sophomore Kendal Harper's .392 average. Senior Jessica Tullos is second on the club with her .326 average but leads the team with eight home runs and is one homer away from tying the school's single-season record.

Baylor enters Wednesday's game with a 20-13 overall record. The Bears are 3-6 in Big 12 play. Baylor won the Big 12 conference last season and made an appearance in the College World Series. The Bears have been ranked as high as seventh this season in national polls, but fell out of the rankings last week. Baylor has an impressive .320 batting average with seven players hitting better than .300. The Bears carry a 2.87 team ERA.

-- SFA --