PHOENIX, Ariz. – The UT Arlington softball team will meet with #6 Sam Houston, once again, to commence the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Wednesday, May 10
from GCU Softball Stadium.
 
UTA picked up its crucial series win over the Bearkats last weekend at Allan Saxe Field which ultimately secured the Mavs' spot in the conference tournament as the 7th seed.
 
The winner will advance and take on #3 Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m. PT/6 p.m. CT that same day.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
OPPONENT: #6 Sam Houston (22-34) (12-12, WAC)
WHEN: May 10 | 10 a.m. PT/ 12 p.m. CT
WHERE: Phoenix, Ariz. | GCU Softball Stadium

BRACKET BREAKDOWN

UTA NOTES (21-28) (11-13, WAC) 

• UTA is coming off a big series win over Sam Houston as the Mavericks earned the #7 seed in the conference tournament.
• Freshman Marley Neises was named to the All-WAC Second Team after a tremendous freshman campaign. Neises holds a team-high .382 batting average, 47 hits, 25 RBI and a 1.043 OPS.
• The outfielder broke the program record for the most hits in a single game on March 17 against Southern Utah where she logged a perfect 5-5 performance at the plate. In conference play alone, Neises (.427) and senior Lindsey Franklin (.423) pace UTA with the top 2 batting averages. Combined, the pair have eight home runs and 54 hits.
• Jessica Adams earned WAC Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing 14.2 innings over the weekend, coming away with a 2-0 record with back-to-back wins against Sam Houston. The sophomore posted a low 0.95 ERA, allowing just two earned runs. She led UTA to an 11-0 shutout Saturday (May 6) which proved to be her second shutout of the season.
• Adams lowered her ERA to 2.93 and leads the conference with 177 innings of work, 42 appearances and 26 starts. The Texas native also ranks second in the WAC with 14 wins.
• Junior Gracie Bumpurs has been the other half of head coach Kara Dill's staff as Bumpurs has appeared in 36 games for UTA this season. The right-handed pitcher has thrown over 111 innings, coming away with 38 strike outs.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT – SAM HOUSTON (22-34) (12-12, WAC)

• Sam Houston sits on an overall record of 22-34 after falling to the Mavs in the final weekend of the regular season. With the series loss, the Bearkats enter the tournament with an even 12-12 record in WAC play.
• Throughout the regular season, SHSU has picked conference series wins over Abilene Christian, Tarleton and Utah Valley.
• Catcher Julia Herzinger is the new team-leader with a .289 batting average on the season. The junior has hit four home runs and holds a team-high .495 slugging percentage across 46 games played.
• Junior Ellie Grill follows Herzinger closely with a .284 batting average and has started in every single game this season for Sam Houston. With a team-high of 52 hits, Grill also leads in walks (19) and stolen bases (13).
• Sophomore Brodie Quinlan paces the 'Kats offense with 29 RBI and shares a team-high of seven home runs with Brailey Wasik.
• In conference alone, Wasik is batting .439, starting in 13 games. The sophomore has five home runs, 14 RBI, a .902 slugging percentage and a 1.413 OPS against WAC opponents.
• Graduate student Emma Guindon posts a 3.30 ERA and leads the pitching rotation with 123 innings of work. Guindon has logged 64 strike outs and eight wins so far this season.

ON DECK.
The winner will advance and take on #3 Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m. PT/6 p.m. CT Wednesday, May 10 from GCU Softball Stadium.

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