The No. 17 Texas A&M (13-8) softball team will look to continue its winning streak this weekend in the Aggie Invitational.
A&M will face off against four teams in tournament, Stephen F. Austin University, Utah University, Kent State University, and Louisiana Tech University.
The Aggies will compete against the Utah Utes twice during the weekend, Friday and Saturday. The Aggies lead in the all-time series against Utah 16-5.
A&M Head Coach Jo Evans played and coached softball or the Utes before coming to A&M. Utah's Amy Hogue, in her second season as head coach, played for Evans when the Aggie coach was in direction of the Utah program.
"Amy Hogue was an All-American for me at Utah, a kid that I recruited," Evans said. "She was a great athlete, it should be a family rivalry this weekend."
The Utes, who finished 28-27 in 2008, are 8-12 on the season. The Utes are currently on a three-game losing streak after dropping four out of five games last weekend in the San Diego Classic.
Junior pitcher Ashley Smuda leads Utah on the mound with 6 wins, 27 strikeouts, and an era of 5.07.
The Aggies also match up versus the Kent State Golden Flashes Saturday for only the second time in the team's existence.
The Golden Flashes, 5-5 in the 2009 season, have not competed since February 15 in the Arizona State Littlewood Classic, in which they went 1-5.
Junior outfielder Leah Archual leads Kent State at the plate in eight categories, including batting average with .371 and doubles with two.
Following the saturday games, A&M will play the Louisiana Tech Techsters and the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks in the final day of the tournament.
The Techsters (10-8) and the Aggies have competed 58 times historically, with A&M leading the series by a 10-game margin.
Louisiana Tech, whom A&M defeated twice in 2008, has won seven of its last 11 games including a 10 to nothing shutout against Southern Louisiana on March 4.
Junior shortstop Amberly Waits, recently named the LSWA softball hitter of the week award, holds a season batting average of .488 with a slugging percentage of .837 and 21 RBIs in 2009.
Sophomore pitcher Meghan Krieg has posted a 6-1 record in the circle for the Techsters with a .72 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 48.1 innings pitched.
"We played against La-tech last year in post season play," Evans said. "They also have Krieg, who can compete with the best."
SFA, 8-12 this season, has lost 92 percent of its all-time games against the Aggies, including three losses in the 2008 season.
Sophomore Ladyjack pitcher Monika Covington leads her team on the mound with a 6-6 record. Covington was the 2008 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year after taking 20 wins during the season. Evans said the sophomore is a difficult pitcher to play against.
"She's done a nice jobs for SFA," Evans said. "She can compete with anybody."
A&M, which has won nine of its last 11, has only lost twice this season when playing in College Station.
The Aggies are led offensively by sophomore second baseman Natalie Villarreal with a batting average of .403, 29 hits, and seven doubles. Villarreal had
Freshman outfielder Kelsey Orsak, who is batting just over .200, went 2-3 against Houston on Wednesday, notching her third multi-hit game of the season. Orsak is known for her speed on the base pads and leads the team in stolen bases.
"She's a great kid, and anytime she gets on we can steal her," Evans said. "She's a threat at all times, and we wouldn't hesitate to steal her against anybody."
Orsak says stealing bases is her favorite part of softball.
"Running bases is the best part of the game," Orsak said. "Once I get on the base pads, that's where I'm most at home and where I can really let myself loose."
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