The University of Arizona softball team (36-7, 13-5 Big 12) returns home to prepare after a dominant series in Lawrence, Kansas, for what could be their toughest series this season against No. 14 Texas Tech University (34-9, 14-1 Big 12) from Thursday, April 17, to Saturday, April 19. The Red Raiders are first in the conference, undefeated on the road and have a 12-game winning streak.
Just last week, they completed their 17th shutout of the season against the University of Houston.
A few notable wins of theirs include a 2-1 series win against No. 22 Oklahoma State University and wins over No. 21 University of Nebraska and the current No. 1 Texas A&M University.
The two have not met in over 10 years, with their most recent match-up being in 2011. A game that Arizona won 10-2 in Tucson.
Arizona has faced Texas Tech 13 times overall. The Red Raiders have not beaten the Wildcats since 1998, when Texas Tech shut out Arizona 6-0.
Most games played between the two teams occurred throughout the 2000s, with eight of their 13 games being played from 2001 to 2007.
Three Red Raiders have found themselves on the Big 12 Player and Pitcher of the Week.
In February, Lauren Allred was recognized in Week 3 after a dominant appearance at the plate. She led the conference with 23 total bases and held the second-highest slugging percentage at 1.278. She racked up nine hits, which included three home runs and a triple. After missing out on last season due to an injury, she came back strong.
Joining her in Week 3 was Devyn Netz, who also earned the honor after picking up two wins against then No. 20 Stanford University. Her powerful presence on the mound led to Arizona’s 10-2 run-rule victory over Stanford.
In March, freshman Bailey Lindemuth earned the honor because of her breakout role in Texas Tech’s series win over the University of Oklahoma. She recorded five hits, batting .625, including a home run. She led the Red Raiders with four RBIs and had eight total bases. In game one of the series, she slammed a 2-run home run to secure her team’s walk-off win.
In Week 6, Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady earned recognition for her performance in a series against Baylor University, where she pitched 14.0 innings and registered a 0.00 earned run average. She only allowed 11 hits and an unearned run while recording 11 strikeouts in the last game of the series. This strikeout performance tied for the third-most in NCAA Division I at the time.
Miranda Stoddard also earned the Week 6 honor for her performance and help in securing the Wildcats’ first Big 12 league play series sweep against University of Utah. Throughout the weekend, she earned five RBI, 3 runs and five hits on a .714 batting average.
Both teams are bringing star-studded lineups to the plate. Arizona will be looking to protect home territory and keep the win streak running. It’s been over a decade since the two teams last met, making the matchup even more exciting.
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