By Ryan Cantrell, Sports Writer
The Wildcats continue to surge through the season. They are riding a five-game winning streak and have improved their record to 21-9. The team is tied for first in the Lone Star Conference South Division with a 5-1 record and are looking to improve their conference record against Texas A&M-Kingsville this weekend.
The Wildcats will play a doubleheader Friday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and will conclude the series Saturday at noon. Both teams enter the series with records of 21-9 for the season, while Texas A&M-Kingsville is 5-4 in conference and in third place.
“Kingsville has very good pitching, and they have had very timely hitting this season,” head coach Chantiel Wilson said. “Everyone picks up their game for conference play, so we expect three close and competitive games this weekend.”
The Javelinas have won five of their last seven games and will look to build on a two-game winning streak after defeating Newman University twice Tuesday. Outfielder Cassie Anderson leads the Javelinas in almost every offensive category. She is batting .533 and leads her team in runs (28), hits (48) and RBIs (17). She also is 21-23 in stolen-base attempts and is hitting .744 in slugging percentage.
Courtney Rigamonti leads the Javelinas on the mound. She has a 17-5 record with a 2.72 ERA and has posted three saves on the season. The Wildcats expect to see a heavy dose of Rigamonti this weekend as she has been decisive in 23 of the Javelinas’ 30 games.
The Wildcats have put together a good, balanced offense, averaging nearly six runs per game and hitting .308 as a team this season. Catcher Jessica Shiery leads the team in hits (35), RBIs (29), home runs (7) and is second in runs scored (20). Outfielder Brooke Whittlesey is second with a .360 batting average, followed by first baseman Katie Cornelison (.348) and outfielder Caitlin Nabors (.330).
Jacque Gregoire is leading for the Wildcats in pitching on the season with a 12-3 record and a 2.59 ERA. Kim Partin also has been a major contributor for the Wildcats, and her effort last week earned her the LSC South Division Pitcher of the Week honors; Partin is 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA.
The Wildcats are looking to build on what has been a good season and improve their conference record this weekend.
“We need to continue our high level of focus throughout the whole game,” Wilson said. “That has allowed us to be successful thus far in the season. We don’t need to be overly focused to where we are nervous, but just come out ready every game and have fun.”
