Texas Tech University Athletics
Thursday, February 21
Cathedral City, CA
3 PM
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
Arizona State
Texas Tech Heads West To Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic
February 19, 2019 | Softball
Texas Tech will face three ranked teams, as well as the Japan National Team, at the prestigious preseason tournament.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Remaining undefeated through the first two weeks of the season, the Texas Tech softball program continues its 2019 crusade with six challenging games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 21-24 in Cathedral City, Calif.
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Three of the teams the Red Raiders will face – Arizona State, Oregon and Washington – were members of the 2018 Women's College World Series. Tech will open the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Thursday, Feb. 21, against No. 13/15 Arizona State (3 p.m.) and Long Beach State (10:30 p.m.).
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The Red Raiders will then face the Japan National Team in a 10 p.m. exhibition game on Friday, Feb. 22, before returning to face No. 17 Oregon (2 p.m.) and San Diego State (10 p.m.) on Saturday, Feb. 23. Tech will close out the six-game tournament on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 1:30 p.m. against No. 5 Washington.
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Live stats will be available for each game, as well as live streams through FloSoftball ($).
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RED RAIDER QUICK HITS
A LOOK AT THE COMPETITION
No. 13/15 Arizona State (8-2)
Entering the weekend with an 8-2 overall record, the Sun Devils have dropped just two games – one to Missouri and the other to Florida. Arizona State topped Kansas, 14-6, on Feb. 9 at the Kajikawa Classic. Led by Kindra Hackbarth, the Sun Devils have tallied 92 hits, 20 doubles and 16 homers. Hackbarth paces the team with 15 hits and a .484 batting average. Samantha Mejia leads the Arizona State pitching staff with a perfect 6-0 record, 24 strikeouts, 32.2 innings and 2.36 ERA. Head coach Trisha Ford is in the midst of her third season at the helm of the Arizona State softball program.
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Long Beach State
Off to a 4-5 start, Long Beach will play to host Army before heading out to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Most recently, the 49ers topped Oregon State in a 6-4, eight-inning contest at home. Long Beach State returns the top of its lineup from a 2018 team that set multiple offensive records last season. Now 10-for-25 at the plate, sophomore Alyssa Gonzalez is the lone 49er to hit .400 while Jamie Wren leads the team with 11 hits and a pair of home runs. Three pitchers have seen equal time in the circle, but junior Ashley Coleman leads the staff with a 3-1 record. The 49ers are led by Kim Sowder, who is in her 13th season at the helm.
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No. 17 Oregon
Off to a strong start, Oregon heads into the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a 7-2 record. The Ducks posted wins against Kansas (14-5) and Missouri (6-1) on opening weekend and picked up wins against No. 8 LSU and Florida Atlantic last weekend at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational. Three Ducks – Jasmine Sievers (.667), Cherish Burks (.423) and Shaye Bowden (.407) – are hitting over .400. Oregon has racked up 82 hits and nine home runs while the pitching staff has limited opponents to just 46 runs. Jordan Dail leads the staff with five wins, one shutout and 46 strikeouts. Allowing 40 earned runs, the Duck pitching staff holds a 4.88 ERA. Looking to new direction, Oregon is led by first-year head coach Melyssa Lombardi.
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San Diego State
Facing off against one Big 12 team already this season, San Diego State enters the weekend with a 6-3 overall record. The Aztecs went head-to-head against the Oklahoma Sooners on Feb. 10 and fell by a score of 9-0 in five innings. San Diego State is hitting .256 as a team and has collected 57 hits on the season. Marissa Moreno leads the Aztec pitching staff with 26 strikeouts, one shutout and a 3-1 record in 29 innings of work. The pitching staff combines for a 4.50 ERA. Five-time Mountain West Coach of the Year Kathy Van Wyk is in her 23rd season as head coach of the San Diego State softball program.
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No. 5 Washington (8-1)
The 2018 WCWS runner up, Washington comes into the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with an 8-1 overall record. The Huskies have earned ranked wins over Baylor, Mississippi and Arkansas and have dropped their only game to Notre Dame. Washington boasts a team batting average of .320 while five hitters are batting over .400 at the plate. In the circle, Taran Alvelo holds a 4-1 record and 0.69 ERA. The senior leads the staff with 29 strikeouts over 30.1 innings of work. The Husky pitching staff combines for a 1.47 ERA and .223 opponent batting average. Head coach Heather Tarr is in the midst of her 15th season at Washington.
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FINAL DETAILS
First pitch against No. 13/15 Arizona State is set to go off at 3 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, Feb. 21. The Red Raiders will return later in the evening to face Long Beach State at 10:30 p.m. (CT). Friday's exhibition game against Team Japan is slated for 10 p.m. (CT). Tech will return on Saturday to face No. 17 Oregon at 2 p.m. (CT) and San Diego State at 10 p.m. (CT) before closing out the tournament against No. 5 Washington at 1:30 p.m. (CT) on Sunday. Live stats will be available for all games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic and live streams will be available through FloSoftball ($). For all the latest information on the Texas Tech softball program, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechSB on Twitter and Instagram.
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Three of the teams the Red Raiders will face – Arizona State, Oregon and Washington – were members of the 2018 Women's College World Series. Tech will open the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Thursday, Feb. 21, against No. 13/15 Arizona State (3 p.m.) and Long Beach State (10:30 p.m.).
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The Red Raiders will then face the Japan National Team in a 10 p.m. exhibition game on Friday, Feb. 22, before returning to face No. 17 Oregon (2 p.m.) and San Diego State (10 p.m.) on Saturday, Feb. 23. Tech will close out the six-game tournament on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 1:30 p.m. against No. 5 Washington.
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Live stats will be available for each game, as well as live streams through FloSoftball ($).
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| 2019 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic | |
| Dates | Thursday-Sunday, February 21-24 |
| Location | Site | Cathedral City, Calif. | Big League Dreams Sports Park |
| Game 1 | TTU vs. No. 13/15 Arizona State | Thursday at 3 p.m. | Des Moines Field | Live Stats | FloSoftball ($) |
| Game 2 | TTU vs. Long Beach State | Thursday at 10:30 p.m. | Des Moines Field | Live Stats | FloSoftball ($) |
| Game 3 | TTU vs. Team Japan (Exh.) | Friday at 10 p.m. | Yankee Field | Live Stats | FloSoftball ($) |
| Game 4 | TTU vs. No. 17 Oregon | Saturday at 2 p.m. | Yankee Field | Live Stats | FloSoftball ($) |
| Game 5 | TTU vs. San Diego State | Saturday at 10 p.m. | Des Moines Field | Live Stats | FloSoftball ($) |
| Game 6 | TTU vs. No. 5 Washington | Sunday at 1:30 p.m. | Yankee Field | Live Stats | FloSoftball ($) |
| Texas Tech Softball | Softball Home Page | Twitter | Facebook |
RED RAIDER QUICK HITS
- Riding a 10-game winning streak into the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, the Texas Tech softball program earned its first national rankings since 2012 after coming in at No. 23 in the USA Today/NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll. Tuesday's nods mark the first national rankings of the Adrian Gregory era. The program has been ranked in only four other seasons – 1998, 1999, 2011 and 2012. Tech was also ranked No. 19 in Softball America's Top 25 Poll, which is the highest the Red Raiders have been ranked since March 8, 2011.
- Texas Tech is one of 12 teams in the nation who have remained perfect through the first two weeks of the 2019 season. The Red Raiders are off to their best start since the 2011 season and have shown resilience through tough competition. After posting wins against Nebraska (15-10, 4-1) and Wisconsin (8-3) opening weekend, they went a perfect 5-0 at the Plainsman Invitational where they ground out key victories against No. 21 Auburn (5-4) and Drake (1-0, 4-0).
- The Red Raiders are out-hitting their opponents 91-44 and hold a collective .335 average at the plate with 56 RBI and 11 home runs. Heaven Burton leads the league with 17 hits while Karli Hamilton ranks third overall with 14 hits and 11 runs scored. The pair also lead the conference with six stolen bases on the season.
- In the circle, sophomore southpaw Erin Edmoundson holds the No. 1 spot in the league with six wins and 47 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. The Deer Park, Texas, native ties for second in the nation with six victories and ranks sixth overall in strikeouts. Junior transfer Missy Zoch follows closely behind with three wins and 27 strikeouts
- Helping the Texas Tech softball team to another 5-0 weekend, sophomore transfer Trenity Edwards earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors after her standout weekend at the Plainsman Invitational, announced by the league on Tuesday. The Oklahoma native currently leads the Big 12 with 12 RBI and ranks in the top 10 with a .759 slugging percentage.
- Tech's 5-4 win over No. 21 Auburn on Feb. 16 marks the program's first road victory over a ranked opponent since 2013.
- Sophomore Erin Edmoundson was spotless in week two after she tossed one no-hitter and a pair of shutouts against the Drake Bulldogs. Against Drake on Friday, she became the ninth Red Raider in program history to toss a no-hitter. In a pitcher's duel, she held firm and fanned a career-high 10 hitters – including three against senior All-American Nicole Newman. She allowed just two hits in her second shutout against Drake and retired Newman on three straight strikeouts. Edmoundson leads the league with six wins, 47 strikeouts, 35.2 innings of work and ties for second with two shutouts.
- Sophomore Heaven Burton ranks among the nation's top hitters and ties for fifth in the NCAA with 17 hits. She paces the Tech lineup with a .436 average at the plate in 39 at-bats.
- Drastically improving in the circle, the Texas Tech pitching staff combines for a 1.96 ERA. The Red Raider pitchers have allowed just 19 earned runs and have limited batters to a .180 batting average. The staff has posted three shutouts on the season.
- Senior All-American Jessica Hartwell was one of 50 student-athletes named to the 2019 USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List, announced by USA Softball on Jan. 30, 2019. Hartwell was one of seven student-athletes from the Big 12 and just the second Red Raider in program history to make the preseason watch list. The only other Tech player to be named to the prestigious list was Emily Bledsoe back in 2012.
- While Texas Tech returns eight of its nine position starters from 2018, the vast majority of the squad is made up of underclassmen. The Red Raiders boast 15 underclassmen and just 6 upperclassmen. Tech's 2019 crew carries seven freshmen, eight sophomores, three juniors and three seniors.Â
A LOOK AT THE COMPETITION
No. 13/15 Arizona State (8-2)
Entering the weekend with an 8-2 overall record, the Sun Devils have dropped just two games – one to Missouri and the other to Florida. Arizona State topped Kansas, 14-6, on Feb. 9 at the Kajikawa Classic. Led by Kindra Hackbarth, the Sun Devils have tallied 92 hits, 20 doubles and 16 homers. Hackbarth paces the team with 15 hits and a .484 batting average. Samantha Mejia leads the Arizona State pitching staff with a perfect 6-0 record, 24 strikeouts, 32.2 innings and 2.36 ERA. Head coach Trisha Ford is in the midst of her third season at the helm of the Arizona State softball program.
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Long Beach State
Off to a 4-5 start, Long Beach will play to host Army before heading out to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Most recently, the 49ers topped Oregon State in a 6-4, eight-inning contest at home. Long Beach State returns the top of its lineup from a 2018 team that set multiple offensive records last season. Now 10-for-25 at the plate, sophomore Alyssa Gonzalez is the lone 49er to hit .400 while Jamie Wren leads the team with 11 hits and a pair of home runs. Three pitchers have seen equal time in the circle, but junior Ashley Coleman leads the staff with a 3-1 record. The 49ers are led by Kim Sowder, who is in her 13th season at the helm.
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No. 17 Oregon
Off to a strong start, Oregon heads into the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a 7-2 record. The Ducks posted wins against Kansas (14-5) and Missouri (6-1) on opening weekend and picked up wins against No. 8 LSU and Florida Atlantic last weekend at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational. Three Ducks – Jasmine Sievers (.667), Cherish Burks (.423) and Shaye Bowden (.407) – are hitting over .400. Oregon has racked up 82 hits and nine home runs while the pitching staff has limited opponents to just 46 runs. Jordan Dail leads the staff with five wins, one shutout and 46 strikeouts. Allowing 40 earned runs, the Duck pitching staff holds a 4.88 ERA. Looking to new direction, Oregon is led by first-year head coach Melyssa Lombardi.
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San Diego State
Facing off against one Big 12 team already this season, San Diego State enters the weekend with a 6-3 overall record. The Aztecs went head-to-head against the Oklahoma Sooners on Feb. 10 and fell by a score of 9-0 in five innings. San Diego State is hitting .256 as a team and has collected 57 hits on the season. Marissa Moreno leads the Aztec pitching staff with 26 strikeouts, one shutout and a 3-1 record in 29 innings of work. The pitching staff combines for a 4.50 ERA. Five-time Mountain West Coach of the Year Kathy Van Wyk is in her 23rd season as head coach of the San Diego State softball program.
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No. 5 Washington (8-1)
The 2018 WCWS runner up, Washington comes into the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with an 8-1 overall record. The Huskies have earned ranked wins over Baylor, Mississippi and Arkansas and have dropped their only game to Notre Dame. Washington boasts a team batting average of .320 while five hitters are batting over .400 at the plate. In the circle, Taran Alvelo holds a 4-1 record and 0.69 ERA. The senior leads the staff with 29 strikeouts over 30.1 innings of work. The Husky pitching staff combines for a 1.47 ERA and .223 opponent batting average. Head coach Heather Tarr is in the midst of her 15th season at Washington.
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FINAL DETAILS
First pitch against No. 13/15 Arizona State is set to go off at 3 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, Feb. 21. The Red Raiders will return later in the evening to face Long Beach State at 10:30 p.m. (CT). Friday's exhibition game against Team Japan is slated for 10 p.m. (CT). Tech will return on Saturday to face No. 17 Oregon at 2 p.m. (CT) and San Diego State at 10 p.m. (CT) before closing out the tournament against No. 5 Washington at 1:30 p.m. (CT) on Sunday. Live stats will be available for all games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic and live streams will be available through FloSoftball ($). For all the latest information on the Texas Tech softball program, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechSB on Twitter and Instagram.
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Players Mentioned
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