RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team resumes Conference USA play by welcoming Charlotte to Ruston for a three-game Conference USA series Friday-Sunday at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field on Senior Weekend.
The series has significant Conference USA Regular Season Championship implications as Charlotte enters the matchup in first place with a 12-5 mark, while Tech sits a game and a half behind the 49ers in fourth place with an 11-7 conference record.
SERIES INFORMATION
Dates/Time: Friday, April 28 (6 p.m.) | Saturday, April 29 (2 p.m.) | Sunday, April 30 (1 p.m.)
Location: Dr. Billy Bundrick Field (Ruston, La.)
Stats: Live Stats
Watch: ESPN+
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (30-18)
Louisiana Tech is 30-18 on the season and currently on a seven-game winning streak in which they have swept its past two C-USA series against UTSA (April 14-16) and UTEP (April 21-23).
Tech is coming off a 3-0 win over Grambling State on Tuesday night.
Emma Hutchinson and
Lauren Menzina combined for a shutout while striking out a season-high 10 batters in the contest. It was the most since a 14-strikeout performance during a 2-1 win at Southern Miss on April 30, 2021.
The Lady Techsters' pitching staff has been dominant this season, with a team ERA of 2.10 in 330 innings pitched. The 2.10 ERA is the best team ERA by a Tech pitching staff since 1999, when they finished the year with a 1.23 mark.
Tech has been spectacular at home with a 0.65 ERA this season through 21 games.
Brook Melnychuk leads Tech with a 1.72 ERA and carries a 5-5 record in 53 innings pitched.
Mary Martinez holds a team-best 10-3 record and a 1.88 ERA in 63.1 innings of work.
Emma Hutchinson also carries a sub 2.00 ERA at 1.95 in 61 innings pitched.
LA Tech is one of just four programs with three sub-2.00 ERA pitchers, joining No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 Clemson.
Kylie Neel is the Lady Techsters' biggest threat at the plate with a .357 batting average, 51 hits, 44 RBI, five home runs, 11 doubles and 79 total bases.
She has reached base in the past 19 games and is on a 13-game hitting streak.
During her hitting streak, Neel is batting .463 with six doubles, four home runs, and 16 RBI.
Sierra Sacco also headlines the Tech lineup with 48 hits, 37 runs scored, 32 walks, and a .331 batting average. Sacco has 33 stolen bases this season which leads Conference USA and ranks ninth nationally. The Sophomore is the all-time program leader in career batting average with a mark of .393. Sacco has made 107 consecutive starts in centerfield.
Amanda Gonzalez has swung a scorching bat as of late. The senior shortstop is on a five-game hitting streak and ranks second on the team with 12 multi-hit games. As a result of her hitting streak, Gonzalez has raised her season batting average to .285.
The Lady Techsters have done a great job working out of jams this season in the circle, as opposing hitters are batting just .100 (3-30) with the bases loaded.
LA Tech is among the nation's leaders in double plays per game, ranking fourth with 0.53 a contest.
Scoring first has been a significant factor in the Techsters' success this year, as they have posted a 27-3 record when doing so.
Tech has also swiped 73 bases with a 91.5 percent success rate when stealing.
LA Tech is led by head coach
Josh Taylor who is 69-38 in his second season at Tech and 189-147 in his career, with prior stops at Nevada (2017-2021) and Feather River College (2009-2012).
ABOUT CHARLOTTE (27-17)
The 49ers are 27-17 this season, with a 12-5 record in conference play. Charlotte is coming off a 3-2 win at North Carolina last night. Charlotte fell in its previous Conference USA series to North Texas 2-1. The 49ers took game one 4-3 and lost in the final two games, 3-2 and 6-2.
Charlotte possesses one of the best offenses in the Conference, with a team batting average of .269 while tallying 60 home runs, 200 RBI and 549 total bases.
Kassidy Krupit leads the 49ers with a .384 batting average with 56 hits, nine home runs, 40 RBI, and 94 total bases. Bailey Vannoy is one of the best power hitters in C-USA. Her 12 home runs rank second among the league leaders, trailing only Kailey Gamble of North Texas, who has 14.
The 49ers hold a team ERA of 3.72, led by Sam Gress, who is 16-8 this season with a 1.86 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 150.1 innings pitched. Gress has tossed 14 complete games this season.
Ashley Chastain is in her fourth season as the head coach of the 49ers and carries a record of 107-72. Before her post at Charlotte, she was the pitching coach at Ole Miss, Michigan State, and the College of Charleston. Chastain pitched collegiately at South Carolina from 2009-2011, finishing 11th in career relief appearances for the Gamecocks.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisiana Tech leads the all-time series 12-4 over Charlotte. This weekend will mark the first meeting between the teams since 2019. Tech swept the last series Ruston by the scores of 10-3, 5-2 and 10-5.
SENIOR WEEKEND
Tech will be honoring seniors
Alyssa Dean (OF/DP),
Amanda Gonzalez (SS) and
Bailey Wright (3B) this weekend as part of senior day festivities.
Dean a native of Arabi, La., transferred to Tech for her final year of eligibility in the fall of 2022 from Memphis, where she started 147 games, .281 with 15 doubles, nine home runs, 65 runs, and 44 RBI. This season Dean is batting .306 with 11 stolen bases in 35 games played.
Gonzalez arrived in Ruston in 2021, transferring from Howard College, where she was named the Schutt Sports/NFCA NJCAA Division 1 National Player of the Year after hitting 29 home runs as a freshman. The Santa Monica, Calif., product was a First Team All-Conference USA and First-Team NFCA All-Mideast Region selection in 2022. Gonzalez carries a career batting average of .307 with 126 hits, 10 home runs, 35 extra-base hits and 60 RBI during her three seasons in Ruston.
Bailey Wright is the lone senior being honored that has spent her entire collegiate career as a Lady Techster. Wright signed with Tech in 2019 out of Wonderview High School in Morrilton, Ark. Wright has started 98 games as a Lady Techster. She has been phenomenal defensively this season since moving to third base after spending the 2022 season at first base. Wright has advanced a runner in 60.9 percent of her at bats this season which is the best mark on the team.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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