Red Raiders Ride West for Season Opener
February 03, 2009 | Softball
Feb. 3, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech softball kicks off the 2009 season at the Arizona State Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., Feb. 6-8. The Red Raiders open the tournament against Central Florida and Wagner on Friday. On Saturday, Tech faces Oregon in the morning before heading into battle against No.11 Stanford, and will conclude the tournament Sunday against Western Michigan.
New Beginnings
Amy Suiter was named interim head coach of Red Raider softball in October of 2008, and enters the tournament looking for her first-career win. Suiter played for three seasons as a catcher at the University of Washington and was considered one of the nation's elite catchers.
Best Conference Finish Since 2001
The Red Raiders finished the Big 12 conference with a record of 8-10 in 2008, pushing them to their best conference record since going 10-8 in 2001. Texas Tech looks to build on last year's strong conference showing with the addition of seven newcomers to this year's roster.
Familiar Places
Including this year's visit, Tech softball has made a trip to the great state of Arizona eight out of the last 10 years.
Season Openers
Texas Tech is 4-9 in season openers since the inception of the Big 12 conference in 1996.
Rainboot Raiders
Four players on the Red Raider roster hail from the state of Washington; freshmen Ashley Hamada, Karli Merlich, Skyler Peterson, and redshirt sophomore Danielle Matthews. In addition to the players, four staff members (Amy Suiter, Dustin Suiter, Dave Hanson, and Sarah Losleben) are also from the Pacific Northwest.
Series Records
·Central Florida leads the series, 2-0.
·This is the first-ever matchup between Wagner and Texas Tech.
·The Oregon Ducks lead the series, 5-1.
·Stanford holds a 10-0 advantage over the Red Raiders.
·Western Michigan has won the only game between the two schools
Scouting Central Florida
Central Florida enters the 2009 season receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I poll after making an appearance at last year's NCAA Regionals and compiling a 49-20 record. Renee Luers-Gillispie is in her eighth season at the helm of the Knights and returns six starters from last season, highlighted by Breanne Javier. Javier hit .385 with one homerun and 40 RBI while stealing four bases and scoring 37 runs last season. Ashleigh Cole brings her 2.17 ERA from 2008 to lead Central Florida in the circle.
Scouting Wagner
The Seahawks enter 2009 with five newcomers and 10 letter winners returning from 2008. Wagner finished fourth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) and with a 27-22 record overall. Coached by Glen Payne in his 14th season, Wagner is led by Andrea Lazzari. Lazzari hit .425 with 10 homeruns and 55 RBI, while stealing six bases and scoring 30 runs. Kate Eshelman returns to the circle for the Seahawks after compiling a team-leading 3.54 ERA last season.
Scouting Oregon
Oregon starts the 2009 season receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I poll after last year's visit to the NCAA Regional in Norman, Okla., and compiling an overall record of 35-29. The Ducks are led by Kathy Arendsen who has a record of 218-142 in six seasons with Oregon. Arendsen returns11 letter winners to the 2009 squad led by junior Neena Bryant. Bryant hit .330 with 10 homeruns and 46 RBI while stealing 23 bases. Melissa Rice returns to the circle for the Ducks ending 2008 with a 2.31 ERA.
Scouting Stanford
The Stanford Cardinal enter 2009 ranked No. 11 in the USA Today/NFCA Division 1 preseason poll. The Cardinal reached the Super Regionals in 2008 and compiled an overall record of 49-15 and finished fourth in the Pac-10 conference. John Rittman begins his 12th season with Stanford and has a career record of 514-247-2. Rittman's Cardinal features five returning starters from the 2008 squad, featuring Rosey Neill. Neill hit .343 with19 homeruns and 53 RBI while stealing two bases and scoring 30 runs. Stanford returns Missy Penna to the circle who is coming off a 1.17 ERA and 37-13 record in 2008.
Scouting Western Michigan
The Western Michigan Broncos have 12 returning letter winners to the 2009 squad. Western Michigan finished second in the west division of the MAC conference with a 2008 record of 10-8. Head coach Kathy Leitke is in her ninth season as the head of Bronco softball and has compiled a record of 193-190-1. Leitke looks to Samantha Vargocko to carry the Broncos to a strong 2009 season. Vargocko hit .337 with seven homeruns and 20 RBI while scoring 16 runs. Meghan Thomas returns to the circle with a ERA of 2.74 and 4-6 record in 2008.
