SAN ANGELO – The No. 22 Angelo State softball team opens up its Lone Star Conference schedule with a three-game series against Texas A&M-Kingsville this weekend at Mayer Field.
The Rambelles (10-1) have won six straight games and look to win their LSC opener for the third straight season. Angelo State is 13-2 all-time in conference openers dating back to 2002. ASU has the No. 2 batting average in the LSC with .361 and have the lowest ERA at 1.38. The Rambelles were ranked for the first time this season at No. 22 by the National Fastpitch Coaches Assocation.
TAMUK is 3-2 on the season and have only won four games in San Angelo since 2002. ASU holds a 43-12 series lead including the last six matchups. The last TAMUK win in San Angelo came in April of 2009.
The pitching staff has been a strong point only allowing a total of 15 runs. The trio of Kenedy Urbany, Brandy Marlett and Morgan Hill have a cumulative 1.38 earned run average which is tops in the LSC. Opponents have only recorded 15 hits and struck out 67 times. The trio has combined for five shutouts and are holding teams to a .157 batting average.
Urbany is tops on the team in ERA with a 0.54. She is 3-0 on the season with a save. She has three complete games and one shutout. The Helotes native has only allowed three runs and struck out 36.
Marlett became ASU's career strikeout leader and now has 390. She has struck out 36 this season and is 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA. She holds teams to a .130 batting average and only gave up 13 hits.
Hill improved to 3-0 with a 1.95 ERA. In four appearances, the junior has only allowed 11 hits and four runs. She has struck out 15 and only walked three batters.
Angelo State's bats have recorded 107 hits with 25 doubles, four triples and 13 home runs this season.
Bailey Wallace leads the way with a .469 average. She is tied for the team lead with 15 hits. She has scored 10 runs while recorded two doubles, one home run and drove in RBIs. The Rockwall native is tops on the team with a .553 on-base percentage. The sophomore has reached base safely in all 11 games this season.
Courtney Barnhill has a .448 average in 29 plate appearances. With three doubles and two home runs. She recorded her first career home runs during the George McCorkle Challenge. The Lubbock native is one of the top on the team in slugging at .759 and second on the team with a .553 on-base percentage. She has stolen five bases and drawn five walks. The freshman has reached safely in nine straight games.
Danae Bina leads ASU with 11 runs scored and is hitting .444 through 11 games. She has the team lead with four doubles and five stolen bases. She has driven in four runs and drawn four walks.
Madison Greenwell, who set the Angelo State career record for triples, has the LSC lead with three. She is tied with Wallace for 15 hits and has added one double and scored six runs. She has recorded a hit in four straight games.
Taeagan Kirk is hitting .344 this season with 11 hits, four doubles and one home run. The Lubbock native has scored seven runs and recorded seven RBIs. The sophomore has four multi-hit games and has two multiple RBI games.
Urbany is tops on the team with nine RBIs and three home runs. She is hitting .342 with 13 hits. The senior has scored seven runs with a .684 slugging percentage. She is nine home runs away from tying Kacie Easley for the career home run record.
Other hitters contributing include Amanda Ramage has the team's best average at .500 in six at-bats. She has three hits and scored two runs. The San Angelo native has one double with a .429 on-base percentage.
Kelly Johnson has made her two hits count. The senior's both hits are both home runs. She has driven in six runs and scored three times with one stolen base.
Karina Rocha has reached base safely in the last seven games and has a .320 average. She has eight hits and two home runs on the season. The freshman has also drawn five walks and scored six runs.
Alexis Evans is hitting .286 on the season with eight hits, three doubles and one home run. She has drove in eight RBIs and scored five runs.
Katlyn Herzog has four hits, one double, one triple and one home run. She has driven in six runs and walked five times.
Megan Gordon is 1-for-3 on the season and scored two runs off the bench. Brooke Mangold has two hits and both are doubles. She has scored four runs and driven in three RBIs. Other Rambelles to have seen action include Heather Reatherford and Jacqueline Montejano.
Friday's game and part of Saturday's games can be seen locally on RamTV 6 or 106HD and full games can be streamed on AngeloSports.com.
