RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech Softball team closes out its homestand by hosting Northwestern State for a 6 p.m. non-conference matchup on Tuesday at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 12, 6 p.m.
Location: Dr. Billy Bundrick Field (Ruston, La.)
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (16-4)
Louisiana Tech is 16-4 this season and coming off a conference-opening series sweep over Sam Houston. The Bulldogs defeated the Bearkats 7-5, 5-1, and 2-1.
Brook Melnychuk earned two victories in the circle, and left fielder Katelin Cooper hit a walk-off two-run home run to give Louisiana Tech the victory in the series opener.
The Bulldogs' 16-4 start is the best by a Louisiana Tech squad since 1990. LA Tech is on a four-game winning streak and has won its last five matchups at home.
Center fielder
Alexis Gilio has been scorching hot at the plate this season. Gilio leads LA Tech with a .459 batting average and 28 hits, 10 RBI, 11 Runs scored, six walks, and a team-leading seven stolen bases. Gilio carries a seven-game reached-base streak into the matchup.
Second baseman
Caroline Easom is batting .450 with 27 hits, five doubles, 15 RBI, and five runs scored this season.
Sophomore right fielder
Alannah Rogers has been impressive in 2024. The Surprise, Ariz., product is batting .364 with 16 hits, 11 runs scored, 10 RBI and 10 walks. She has reached base in 26 of her 44 plate appearances this season.
The Bulldogs are 15-2 this season in games started by an opposing right-handed pitcher. As a team, LA Tech has already recorded 10+ hits in seven games this season after doing it eight times a year ago.
Through 20 games this season, the Bulldogs have outscored opponents 112-46, totaling 167 hits, 38 doubles, and eight home runs. In the circle, the Bulldogs hold a 1.69 team ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 93 strikeouts and 114 hits allowed this season while only walking 23 batters.
The Bulldogs rank ninth nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.0) and 19th nationally in ERA (1.69).
Allie Floyd leads LA Tech in innings pitched (57.2) and strikeouts (40) this season while owning a 1.09 ERA. She has a 6-1 record and four saves this season. Floyd earned a win her last time out by throwing four scoreless innings in relief in the Bulldogs 2-1 win over Sam Houston, completing a series-sweep on Sunday.
Brook Melnychuk is 7-3 this season with a 1.39 ERA, .81 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts. Opposing hitters are batting .176 against her. She was phenomenal last week, posting a 2-0 record and recording a save while registering a 0.58 ERA with six strikeouts and one run allowed in 12 innings pitched.
Catcher
Brooke Diaz has been very effective at limiting opponents on the base paths as her seven runners caught stealing this season, ranks 12th nationally.
The Bulldogs checked in at No. 32 in the latest NCAA RPI Rankings on March 11.
LA Tech is led by head coach
Josh Taylor, who is 87-48 in three seasons at Tech and 320-216 in his career. He previously served as head coach at Nevada (2017-2021) and Feather River College (2009-2012).
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN STATE (11-15)
The Lady Demons are coming off a 0-3 weekend in which they were swept by Nicholls in their opening conference series.
As a team, Northwestern State is batting .231 with 146 hits, 28 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 72 RBI, 72 walks, and 82 runs scored.
Senior third baseman Tristin Court is the Lady Demons' most dangerous hitter. She has a team-best .347 batting average, 26 hits, 10 doubles, two home runs, and 15 RBI. Court played at Louisiana Tech as a freshman in 2021. Outfielders Taylor Williams and Laney Roos are also batting above the .300 mark at .338 and .319, respectively.
In the circle, Northwestern State has a 4.04 team ERA and 122 strikeouts in 169.2 innings pitched. Maggie Darr is the Lady Demons' ace, with a 2.46 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched. She is 4-6 on the season.
Lacy Prejean is 11-15 in her inaugural season leading the Lady Demons. She replaced long-time head coach Donald Pickett on July 27, 2023. Before taking over head coaching duties at Northwestern State, she was an assistant at UL-Lafayette from 2019-23. Prejean was a four-time All-SEC catcher at Alabama from 2000-2003.
SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs and Lady Demons will be meeting for the 112th time on Tuesday. LA Tech leads the all-time series 61-51 and took both meetings between the two programs in 2023 by the scores of 5-0 and 5-1.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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