No. 22 Kansas Travels to Texas Tech for Big 12 Series

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas softball stays on the road and continues its eight-game stretch away from Arrocha Ballpark as the Jayhawks travel to Lubbock, Texas for a three-game series against Texas Tech, April 10-12, at Rocky Johnson Field. KU looks to build on its momentum started last weekend on the road and extend its win streak. The Jayhawks kick off the series on April 10 at 6 p.m. and continue the series on April 11 at 4 p.m. The final game of the series has been pushed up to 11 a.m. on April 12, it was originally scheduled for noon.
 
FOLLOWING THE JAYHAWKS
Listen to every pitch, home and away, all season long as part of the Jayhawk Radio Network, in partnership with KJHK, the University of Kansas’ student radio station. For the first time ever, all of KU’s contests will be carried live, for free, at KUAthletics.com/radio or by clicking the links on the online schedule. Fans can also get in-game updates via twitter by following @KUsoftball.
 
LEADING OFF FOR KANSAS
• Head coach Megan Smith recorded her 300th career win after the Jayhawks defeated Georgia State, 5-4, on March 22. Last weekend, the Jayhawks recorded their 30th win of the year, marking the fifth-straight season that Smith has guided Kansas to the 30-win plateau.
• Senior utility Maddie Stein became the all-time RBI leader in Kansas softball history on March 22 after recording her 141st career RBI with a home run to left field.
• Kansas’ 12-0 start to the 2015 season set a new program record, surpassing the 10-0 record to begin the 2011 campaign. The Jayhawks are 32-5 on the season, which is the best record by a Kansas team 37 games into a season.
• The Jayhawks’ red-hot start to the 2015 campaign put Kansas on the national radar. Heading into the ninth week of the season, KU is ranked No. 22 in ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 and No. 25 in the USA Today/NFCA poll. It marks the first time since 2011 that the Jayhawks have been nationally-ranked and seventh week in a row to earn a national ranking.  
• Six members of the Jayhawk starting lineup are hitting above .300 in 2015 and contributing to KU’s .337 batting average, which is the second-best team average in the Big 12 Conference. Junior Chaley Brickey is hitting over .400 after posting .412 batting average.
• Kansas has recorded 38 home runs on the season from seven different Jayhawks. Of the 38 homers, nine have been grand slams. Junior infielder Chaley Brickey leads the team with 10 long balls each. Freshman Daniella Chavez has hit a team-best three grand slams, which is three shy of tying the national record.
• The Jayhawks have outscored their opponents 249-124 in 37 games, including seven shutouts and a no-hitter. KU scores its most runs during the first and third frames after plating 59 and 42 runs, respectively. Kansas has a 18-2 record when scoring a run in the first inning and has a 24-0 mark when the Jayhawks strike first putting a run on the scoreboard.
• After 37 games, the Jayhawks have outhit their opponents 332-208 and own a 25-0 record when outhitting the team in the other dugout.
 
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Proven road warriors, Kansas hits the road with a 24-2 mark away from home and continues its eight-game road swing at Texas Tech, April 10-12. The Jayhawks head into the weekend with a three-game winning streak after sweeping Oklahoma State last weekend and currently sit in fourth place in the Big 12 standings. Among its 32 wins this season, Kansas has recorded 10 run-rule victories, seven come-from-behind wins and had three decisions in its favor in extra innings.
 
Six Jayhawks are hitting above .300, including junior infielder Chaley Brickey, who leads the offensive charge with a .412 batting average and 10 home runs. She also tops the squad with 45 RBIs and a .748 slugging percentage. Sophomore utility Lily Behrmann is the most recent Jayhawk to launch a grand slam (vs. Eastern Michigan on March 20), her first and the team’s ninth of the season. Senior utility Maddie Stein has posted a team-best 11 doubles so far this season and claimed Kansas’ all-time RBI record after registering five RBIs during the Rock Chalk Challenge (March 20-22).
 
Collectively, the Jayhawks are hitting .337 with 58 doubles, 38 home runs and 225 RBIs. Kansas has a .515 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .436, which is the 17th-best mark in the country. KU is 24-for-29 in stolen base attempts and has drawn a total of 159 walks, which is 15 away from setting a new team single-season record. The Jayhawk pitching staff has posted a 3.21 ERA, good for the fourth-lowest mark in the league, in 242 innings of work, while striking out 221 and allowing 91 walks. In the circle, Kansas pitchers combined to hurl 22 and two-thirds innings of scoreless softball. KU tossed three-consecutive shutouts from Feb. 8-14. The Jayhawks nearly threw a fourth-straight shutout, but Weber State scored a run in sixth inning, ending the KU pitchers’ streak an out shy of 23 scoreless innings.
 
SCOUTING THE RED RAIDERS
The Red Raiders enter the weekend with a 16-23 record on the season. The squad was projected to finish sixth during the 2015 conference slate, tied with Iowa State, in the preseason Big 12 Conference poll. Texas Tech has a 0-6 mark in league action after being swept by Baylor and Oklahoma. The Red Raiders look to record their first conference victory during this weekend’s series against the Jayhawks.
 
Junior outfielder Jordan Bettiol leads TTU’s offensive efforts registering a batting average of .384 with 48 hits, including three extra-base knocks. Starting all 39 games, Bettiol has stolen 12 bases in 19 attempts. Senior Lea Hopson is one of five Red Raiders to bat over .300, hitting .326 on the season. The infielder has launched a team-best nine home runs and has a .653 slugging percentage during her senior campaign. Collectively, Texas Tech is batting .307, while recording 43 doubles and 38 home runs.
 
In the circle, the Red Raiders are led by senior hurler Cara Custer, who has tossed 148.1 innings in 33 appearances. Custer has struck out 86 batters and holds a 9-14 record on the year. Collectively, TTU has thrown a 5.54 ERA in 245.1 innings of work. The Red Raiders’ pitching staff has struck out 143 batters in 2015.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
While Kansas will play its most home games (22) since 2009, the Jayhawks opened the season on the road, playing the first five weeks of the 2015 campaign away from Lawrence. KU played a total of 23-straight games on the road before making its debut in Arrocha Ballpark at Rock Chalk Park on March 13. The Jayhawks have compiled a 24-2 mark with their only two losses against Chattanooga and at No. 1 Florida.
 
HOME RUN FUN
The Jayhawks have launched a total of 38 balls over the outfield wall in 2015, which is tied for second-most home runs among teams in the Big 12 Conference. Seven different Jayhawks have recorded at least one home run this season. Junior infielder Chaley Brickey has hit 10 long balls to lead KU in that statistical category. Kansas has also posted nine grand slams so far this season by six different members of the roster, including a walk-off from senior utility Maddie Stein against Omaha (3/15). Chavez leads the squad with three grand slams this season and is four away from setting a new national single-season record. Twice this season, Kansas has recorded five home runs in a game, which is one homer shy of a KU single-game record.
 
UP NEXT
Kansas concludes its eight-game stretch away from Arrocha Ballpark at Rock Chalk Park when the Jayhawks head to Tulsa for a pair of games, April 18-19, at Collins Family Softball Complex.
 
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