Jayhawks Host No. 6 Aggies in Big 12 Series

April 1, 2005

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

The Jayhawks (15-13, 0-2 Big 12) return home for a Big 12 Conference series with No. 6 Texas A&M (32-2, 3-0 Big 12) Saturday and Sunday. KU is trying to snap a four-game losing streak and make up for nine rainouts this season while the Aggies have won 16 straight and are perfect in league play.

The first 300 fans through the gate at Arrocha Ballpark will receive a free Jayhawk rally towel. The games can be followed via Gametracker by logging on to the KU Softball Schedule/Results page.

Schedule Changes
Head coach Tracy Bunge announced a few changes and additions to the schedule on Tuesday. Sunday’s contest against Texas A&M was moved up to noon from 1 p.m. The Arkansas doubleheader scheduled for April 27 was moved to April 26 but will still begin at 3 p.m. in Lawrence. Due to so many rainouts, KU has also added a doubleheader at home against North Dakota State, which is set for April 28 at 3 p.m.

About Kansas
The Jayhawks are 15-13 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12 after two Big 12 (Texas, Nebraska) and two non-conference losses (Wichita State doubleheader) since March 25.

The Big 12 series against Texas was cut short due to rain and a bench collapse in the Texas dugout. KU also had games against SMS, Indiana State, Illinois, Sacramento State, Utah Valley State and Northwestern either cancelled or postponed due to inclement weather.

The KU defense remains solid behind junior infielders Destiny Frankenstein, Nettie Fierros and Jessica Moppin, and ranks third in the Big 12 with a .973 fielding percentage.

Frankenstein leads the KU offense with 27 hits and seven home runs for a .351 batting average. Rounding out the top of the batting order are Moppin and pitcher Serena Settlemier, who are hitting .309 and .297 on the season, respectively.

KU uses three starters in its pitching rotation. Settlemier (7-5) has emerged as the Jayhawks’ No. 1 after an injury kept her from pitching most of last season. Freshman lefty Christina Ross (5-4) has been impressive, pitching 58.0 innings and posting a team-best 1.81 ERA to go with 52 strikeouts. Sophomore righty Kassie Humphreys (3-4) pitched a shutout against Rhode Island on March 18 and has also started eight games at first base.

About Texas A&M
On Saturday and Sunday, Kansas will host the No. 6 Aggies (32-2, 3-0 Big 12), who boast one of the best offenses in the nation. TAMU is batting .351 as a team this season — just behind Oklahoma’s league-leading .353 clip. Nine Aggies are batting above .300.

TAMU has won 16 straight games and is coming off a non-conference win over Texas State, sweep of Nebraska and win over Baylor for a 3-0 league start.

TAMU’s defense (.973 fielding percentage) also ranks second in the league while its pitching staff (1.36 ERA) is third in the Big 12.

Freshman pitcher Amanda Scarborough was named Big 12 Pitcher and National Player of the Week on Tuesday. On the week, Scarborough held batters to a .071 average when runners were on base, a .160 with two outs, and struck out 5.67 batters per game while allowing just three walks.

Scarborough is a perfect 18-0 on the season with a 0.36 ERA and adds to the high-powered Aggie offense with a .417 average with 40 hits, 10 doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBI.

The Aggies’ two losses this season were to Ole Miss (2-0 on Feb. 19) and Long Beach State (9-1 on Feb. 27 in the Palm Spring Classic). TAMU leads the all-time series against KU, 36-20.

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