RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team will look get back in the win column this weekend when they travel to Youngsville, La., to play five games in three days at the Mardi Gras Mambo, taking on the likes of Toledo, Manhattan, St. Thomas, Florida A&M and Gardner-Webb.
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Feb. 17-19
Location: Youngsville Sports Complex (Youngsville, La.)
Friday: Toledo (2 p.m.) | Manhattan (4 p.m.) | Field-Pixus
Saturday: St. Thomas (3 p.m.) | Florida A&M (5 p.m.) | Field-Pixus
Sunday: Gardner Webb (11 a.m.) | Field-Pixus
QUOTABLES
"We are looking forward to competing at the Mardi Gras Mambo. Getting off to a good start offensively will be vital and depth will come into play a little more this weekend as we play five games in three days. We are definitely more prepared this year for a five game-stretch than in years past with a pitching staff that is six deep,"– Head Coach
Josh Taylor
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (3-0)
LA Tech comes into the Mardi Gras Mambo with a 3-1 record in head coach
Josh Taylor's second season at the helm.
Tech suffered a 5-4 walk-off loss at Southeastern on Feb. 14 in Hammond, La. Freshman
Allie Floyd was impressive in relief, allowing just one run and five hits with one strikeout in 4.2 innings of work. Right fielder
Kylie Neel led the Lady Techsters with two hits and two RBI. Catcher
Brooke Diaz drove in two runs courtesy of a bases-clearing double. While seniors
Alyssa Dean and
Bailey Wright also tallied hits in the contest.
Wright has gotten off to a hot start this season, leading LA Tech in almost every offensive category. Wright is batting .500 with five hits, three doubles, a home run, five runs scored, two walks and 11 total bases. Dean has immediately impacted the LA Tech lineup as a designated player. Dean's speed has caused problems for opponents as she is batting .444 with three infield singles, a double and two runs scored.
Floyd has led the LA Tech pitching staff this season with a 0.66 ERA in two strikeouts in 10.2 innings of work. Overall, the LA Tech pitching staff currently owns a 1.57 ERA which ranks second among Conference USA schools.
Center fielder
Sierra Sacco extended her streak of reaching base safely to 35 games. The sophomore is batting .333 with four hits, an RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases.
ABOUT TOLEDO (2-2)
The Rockets are 2-2 this season, with both wins over Bellarmine (6-5, 2-0) and a pair of losses to Presbyterian (0-5, 2-3).
Toledo has four players batting over .400, led by outfielder Lexi Eckman who is batting .462 with six hits, two runs scored and an RBI.
Erin Hunt leads the Toledo pitching staff with a 1-1 mark and 2.15 ERA in 13 innings pitched.
Toledo is led by Jessica Bracamonte who is in her first season at the helm. Prior to Toledo, she was an assistant at Duke from 2019-2022.
ABOUT MANHATTAN (0-0)
Manhattan has yet to play a game this season and was slated to finish eighth Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason Poll, the Jaspers posted a 13-32 record in 2022.
Manhattan returns infielder Lauren Rende, a Second Team All-MAAC selection last year for the Jaspers. Rende led the Jaspers in average (.345), runs scored (26), hits (48), doubles (8), total bases (61), stolen bases (10), and starts (42) in 2022.
They are led by Cat Clifford, who is in her second season as head coach. Prior to being head coach, she served the previous five seasons as an assistant at Manhattan.
ABOUT ST. Thomas (1-4)
The Tommies are 1-4 this season with a win over Creighton (7-6) and losses to Evansville (2-6), Eastern Kentucky (7-11), Creighton (1-6) and Saint Louis (2-5),
Avery Wukawitz and Katie Goelz lead the St. Thomas offense with batting averages of .455, respectively.
Keira Murphy has the best ERA on the squad at 3.00 in seven innings pitched, with a record of 0-1.
St. Thomas is led by Jennifer Bagley Trotter, who is 15-40 in her second season leading the Tommies.
ABOUT FLORIDA A&M (1-4)
Florida A&M enters the Mardi Gras Mambo with a 2-3 record, defeating Hampton (12-4) and Mercer (5-1) while also falling to Hampton (1-8) and sixth-ranked Florida State twice (0-8, 1-9).
Florida A&M is batting .224 as a team, with Jane'a Mobley leading the way with a .333 average and four hits.
Nadia Zenteno is the ace of the Rattlers' staff with a 1-1 record and 3.23 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched.
Head coach Camise Patterson is in her first season at the helm leading Florida A&M.
ABOUT GARDNER WEBB (2-1)
The Bulldogs are 2-1 on the season with wins over Austin Peay (9-3) and Ohio (3-2), with their lone loss coming to the hands of Robert Morris (6-7).
Infielder/Pitcher Andrea Lyon has been on fire at the plate this season with a .667 batting average with six hits, two doubles, a home run and six RBI.
The two-way player is 1-0 this season with a .000 ERA in seven innings pitched.
Head coach Bailey Wigness is in her second season at Gardner Webb with a record of 17-30.
EVENT HISTORY
This will be the second-straight appearance in the Mardi Gras Mambo for Tech. Last year the Lady Techsters went 3-2 with wins over St. Thomas (10-2), Eastern Illinois (10-3) and Lipscomb (3-0) while losing to Portland State (1-4) and Alabama (0-2).
SOCIAL MEDIA
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