Texas Notes

QUICK NOTES: The University of Texas softball team (29-25-1) enters the 2000 NCAA National Championship Tournament as the fifth seed in Region No. 6, earning an at-large berth to the 48-team field. The Longhorns arrive in Fresno, Calif. after going 1-2 in the Big 12 Conference Tournament. Texas opens regional play on Thursday, May 18 against No. 2 seed Cal State Fullerton (44-13) at 7 p.m. (CST) at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Calif. on the campus of Fresno State University. The Longhorns faced the Titans earlier this season at the Kia Classic in Fullerton, Calif., with Texas coming away with a 3-2 victory (March 18). The winners of each of the eight regions will advance to the 2000 NCAA Women's College World Series, which will take place Thursday-Monday, May 25-29 at the Don E. Porter ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.

TEXAS' NCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Texas carries a 4-4 (.500) all-time NCAA Tournament record into this weekend's regional play. The Longhorns' berth in the 2000 NCAA National Softball Tournament is their third straight in this the fourth year of varsity softball at UT. Texas was a 1998 at-large selection and earned the No. 1 seed in Regional No. 6 in Tampa, Fla. Texas won all three of its games to advance to the elite eight-team 1998 NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS) in just its second varsity season. At the WCWS, the Longhorns tied for seventh nationally, going 0-2. In 1999, the Longhorns received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after claiming the 1999 Big 12 Tournament title. Texas was the No. 1 seed in Regional No. 8 in Chicago, Ill. At the 1999 Regional, the Horns went 1-2, capturing a victory over Cornell (8-0) before falling to Oregon (6-0) and host Illinois-Chicago (4-1). Texas carries a 4-4 (.500) overall NCAA Tournament record into this weekend's regional play.

LONGHORNS VS. THE REGIONAL FIELD: Texas is 6-3 all-time (.667) against the other five teams in its NCAA Regional this week, going 1-1 versus those opponents this season. Texas also is 41-52 overall (.441 winning percentage) against the entire 48-team 2000 NCAA field, having faced 31 of the other 47 teams previously. This year, the Longhorns faced then-No. 8 Fresno State at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., falling 2-0 to the Bulldogs. Texas also faced then-No. 9 Cal State Fullerton, claiming a 3-2 win at the Kia Classic in Fullerton, Calif. UT is 1-0 all-time against California and 1-1 all-time against Florida. The Longhorns have never faced Maryland-Baltimore County.

TEXAS PLAYER STATS IN THE NCAA TOURNEY: Twelve of the 18 members of Texas' roster have previous NCAA Tournament playing experience. Five current Longhorns - junior outfielder Autumn Eastes (Lake Isabella, Calif. / Kern Valley HS), senior third baseman Keely Franks (Trophy Club, Texas / Northwest HS), senior shortstop Jodi Reeves (Kingwood, Texas / Kingwood HS), junior first baseman Trisha Tatro (Tucson, Ariz. / Rincon HS) and junior outfielder Tiffiny Valdehueza (Hercules, Calif. / Pinole Valley HS) - have appeared in all eight of Texas' prior NCAA Tournament games. Senior outfielder Cathie Johnson (Angleton, Texas / Angleton HS) has been Texas' hottest hitter in the NCAA Tournament, batting .364 (4-for-11) with two doubles, a home run, two RBI and a run scored in six games played. The next highest NCAA Tournament batting average belongs to Tatro, who has hit .231 (3-for-13) with a home run, two RBI and a run scored in eight games. Reeves' tourney batting average of .217 (5-for-23) with a double, two RBI and two runs scored stands third among the Longhorns. The two Texas pitchers with previous NCAA Tournament experience - senior righthander Carmen Martinez (Fairfield, Calif. / Fairfield HS) and junior righthander Charla Moore (Pasadena, Texas / Sam Rayburn HS) - have thrown a total of only 9.2 innings in tourney play (6.2 innings pitched for Martinez, 3.0 innings pitched for Moore). Only Martinez has recorded a decision in the tournament, earning an 8-0, six-inning win against Cornell in first round of the 1999 NCAA Regional (May 20).

BIG 12 LANDS FOUR IN NCAA FIELD: Four of the 10 softball-playing members of the Big 12 Conference nabbed berths in the 2000 NCAA National Tournament. Nebraska earned the league's automatic bid by virtue of its Big 12 Conference Tournament title. Nebraska is the No. 2 seed in Region No. 2 (in Tucson, Ariz.). Oklahoma, the conference's regular-season champion, earned a No. 1 seed and will host Region No. 3. Texas A&M also advanced to the NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 4 seed in Region No. 5 (in Tempe, Ariz.). Only the Pac-10, which qualified eight teams for the championship field, and the Southeastern Conference, which had six schools selected, topped the Big 12's four berths. The Big Ten Conference also advanced four schools to the NCAA Tournament. Last season, seven Big 12 schools were selected for the 1999 NCAA Tournament, the most ever in league history.

TEXAS VS. THE TOP 25: Entering the NCAA Regionals, Texas has played 19 games against teams ranked in the USA Today / National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 Poll (ranked at the time of the contest). The Longhorns are 5-14 in those games (1-11 vs. the top 10), with wins coming against No. 9 Cal State Fullerton (3-2 on March 18), No. 15 Long Beach State (6-5 in eight innings, February 13), No. 20 Hawaii (4-1 on February 11) and No. 22 Oklahoma State (3-2 in 10 innings and 9-1 in five innings on April 22). Fourteen of Texas' 25 losses in 2000 have come to ranked teams, including 11 losses against top 10 opponents.

GARDNER BIG 12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Freshman second baseman Lindsay Gardner (Katy, Texas / Katy HS) became the second player in Texas history and the second in four years to earn Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors when she was selected on Wednesday, May 10. Gardner joins current senior shortstop Jodi Reeves (Kingwood, Texas / Kingwood HS) as the other Longhorn to receive the conference's honor for top freshman. Reeves was co-named the league's Freshman of the Year in 1997. Gardner led the league in conference batting with her mark of .519 (27-for-52). She also registered six RBI and a team-high 13 runs scored in league play. Her 13 runs scored tied for fourth among all Big 12 players.

FIVE EARN ALL-BIG 12 HONORS: Five members of the Texas softball team earned placement on the 2000 All-Big 12 Conference Teams. Lindsay Gardner and sophomore outfielder Audrey Hendricks (Surrey, British Columbia / Credo Christian HS) were both named to the 18-member First Team. The selection was the first appearance on the All-Big 12 squad for both players. Senior third baseman Keely Franks (Trophy Club, Texas / Northwest HS), junior righthander Charla Moore (Pasadena, Texas / Sam Rayburn HS) and junior designated player Kathleen Richter (Austin, Texas / Westlake HS) all were named to the 18-member All-Big 12 Second Team. This marks the first All-Big 12 selection for Moore and Richter and the second for Franks. Franks also was named to the 1999 All-Big 12 First Team.

GARDNER ON BIG 12 ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Lindsay Gardner was one of 12 players named to the 2000 Big 12 All-Tournament Team. Gardner, the only Longhorn named to the All-Tournament Team, hit a team-high .500 (4-for-8) with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored in three tourney games. Additionally, Gardner was one of only four freshman to be named to the All-Tournament Team.

GARDNER'S 16-GAME STREAK: Garder enters the NCAA Tournament with a 16-game hitting streak, the longest in school history. Gardner's current streak dates back to Texas' 2-0 win over Baylor on April 6. During these 16 games, Gardner hit an impressive .600 (30-for-50) with a triple, a home run, 10 RBI and 13 runs scored. In 12 of these 16 games, Gardner recorded a multi-hit performance, getting two hits in 10 of the games and three hits in two games. Gardner continues to lead the Longhorns in multi-hit games this season with 30. [Keely Franks has the next-highest total of multi-hit games with 12.]

FRESHMAN RECORDS FALL: Lindsay Gardner has already shattered the Texas single-season record for most hits in a season with her mark of 80. The former UT record for most hits by a freshman was held by current senior shortstop Jodi Reeves, who registered 56 hits in 1997. With 18 stolen bases this season, Gardner has also surpassed Reeves' former record for stolen bases (13) by a freshman. Gardner's 34 runs scored entering the NCAA Tournament ties Reeves for most runs scored by a freshman. Gardner is fast approaching Reeves' records in most other offensive categories. Her RBI total of 24 is only three shy of Reeves' freshman record total of 27. This season, Gardner joined Reeves as the only two Longhorns ever to be named Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year.

AUDREY'S EN FUEGO: All-Big 12 sophomore outfielder Audrey Hendricks has been one of the Longhorns' hottest hitters of late, batting 18-for-43 (.419) with four runs scored and eight RBI in Texas' last 15 games. She also has improved her overall batting average this season by 46 points during the Horns' last 15 games, moving from .255 to .301 and jumping from sixth on the team to second in average. Hendricks hit .409 (18-for-44) in Big 12 regular-season play - the second-best league average among all Longhorns (to Lindsay Gardner's .519). Her .409 league average ranked third-best among all league players. Additionally, Hendricks recorded an eight-game hitting streak from April 22 versus Oklahoma to May 12 versus Oklahoma at the Big 12 Tournament. This eight-game streak ties for the second-longest of the season by any Longhorn.

RECORD-BREAKING FRESHMAN: Freshman second baseman Lindsay Gardner, the 2000 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year, has set a new UT record for single season hits with 80 this year through 55 games (entering the NCAA Tournament). She has topped the previous record of 66 which was co-held by current junior outfielder Autumn Eastes (Lake Isabella, Calif. / Kern Valley HS) in 1999 (57 games) and current senior shortstop Jodi Reeves in 1998 (62 games). Both Eastes and Reeves received All-America recognition from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) in the seasons in which they set the record (Eastes was a 1999 NFCA Third Team honoree, Reeves a 1998 NFCA Second Team selection). Additionally, Gardner's 34 runs scored so far this season is tied for third in the single-season record book. Gardner is only eight runs shy of the No. 2 spot, held by Cockrell with 42 runs scored in 1999. Reeves holds the school record with 46 runs scored in 1998. Gardner also is on pace to set a new single-season record for highest batting average. Her current mark of .430 is 37 points above the current record of .393, set by Reeves in 1998.

LINDSAY LEADS LEAGUE IN BATTING: Freshman second baseman Lindsay Gardner leads both the Longhorns and all Big 12 Conference players in both overall and conference batting average. Entering NCAA Tournament play, the freshman is hitting a league-high .430 (80-for-186) overall. In Big 12 regular-season action, Gardner led the league with a conference-high .519 (27-for-52) batting average. She also registered six RBI and a team-high 13 runs scored in league play. Her 13 runs scored in conference play tied for fourth in the league.

GARDNER & HENDRICKS AMONG LEAGUE STAT LEADERS: In the final Big 12 Conference regular-season statistics, Lindsay Gardner and Audrey Hendricks represented Texas in the league's top five batting average rankings. Gardner's conference average of .519 (27-for-52) led the Big 12, while Hendricks' .409 (18-for-44) conference-only average stood third. Gardner also led the league in on-base percentage (.576) and ranked second in hits (27) and fourth in runs scored (t13th). Junior designated player Kathleen Richter stood sixth in the conference with her .651 Big 12 slugging percentage and 20th in conference batting average with her mark of .326. Junior righthander Charla Moore was third in Big 12 ERA with her mark of 1.35 (13 earned runs in 67.1 innings pitched), while senior righthander Carmen Martinez's (Fairfield, Calif. / Fairfield HS) conference ERA of 1.95 (12 earned runs in 43.0 innings pitched) ranked eighth. The two also combined with freshman righthander Danielle Booth (Houston, Texas / Episcopal HS) to post a team ERA of 1.58 (25 earned runs in 111.0 innings pitched), which ranked second in the conference. Moore and Martinez also stood sixth and 10th (tie), respectively, in strikeouts in conference play with their totals of 44 and 29. Moore also tied for the league lead in shutouts with four, while Martinez tied for fourth with two. Moore's seven wins in Big 12 play also stood third in conference, while Martinez's four wins tied for eighth.

MOORE TOPS THE TEAM IN THE PITCHER'S CIRCLE: Junior righthander Charla Moore, 21-13 on the year, leads the Texas pitching staff in wins (21), ERA (1.71, 56 earned runs in 229.1 innings pitched) and strikeouts (133). Senior righthander Carmen Martinez is 8-11 on the year with a 2.69 ERA (54 earned runs in 140.1 innings pitched) and ranks second on the team in strikeouts (125). She also is limiting the opposition to a team-best .199 batting average (100-for-503). Moore and Martinez have combined to throw 97.1% of the innings pitched for Texas (369.2 innings pitched by Moore and Martinez, 380.1 innings thrown by UT pitchers).

STOPPING THE EXTRA BASES: Only 63 of the 297 hits surrendered by Longhorn pitchers this season have gone for extra bases (21.2%). Of those 63 extra-base hits, 61.9% are doubles (39), 1.6% are triples (1) and 36.5% are home runs (23). Batters facing the Texas trio of senior righthander Carmen Martinez, junior righthander Charla Moore and freshman righthander Danielle Booth have registered only a .294 slugging percentage (407 total bases in 1,385 at bats). Texas pitchers have also held opponents to a .214 batting average (297-for-1,385).

MOORE TOPS 20 WINS FOR FIRST TIME: With a 21-13 overall record this season, junior righthander Charla Moore is one of only two Texas pitchers ever to record 20 or more wins in one season. Prior to Moore, only two-time Olympian and former Longhorn Christa Williams had recorded 20 or more wins in a season, winning 28 games in 1998 (28-6) and 23 games in 1999 (23-9). Moore's previous career best for wins in a season was 12 set in 1998 when she went 12-6.

KEELY DRIVES 'EM HOME: Senior third baseman Keely Franks continues to lead the Longhorns with 33 RBI this season. She has driven in 19.5% of the team's total RBI (33 of 169 RBI). This is career high for Franks. Her previous season high in RBI was 31, reached the last two seasons in 1998 and 1999. Texas has compiled a 14-7 record this season when Franks has driven in at least one run.

KAT'S BAT: Junior designated player Kathleen Richter has provided tremendous offensive power for the Longhorns, recording a team-high six home runs this season. She has hit four of those home runs in the Longhorns' last 13 games. Prior to this season, Richter hit only one home run in her first two years as a Longhorn (during her sophomore year). With six home runs this season, she stands tied for third in the UT record books for single season home runs (former Longhorn Nikki Cockrell also hit six home runs in 1999). The Texas record for most home runs in a season is 10, set by both Cockrell and Jodi Reeves in 1998. Richter also has moved into the fourth spot in the Texas career record book for home runs (7). This season, Richter has posted new career highs in almost every offensive category, including hits (30), RBI (16), runs scored (11) and home runs (6).

11 WINS IN CONFERENCE TIES THE RECORD: UT's 11 wins this year in Big 12 action ties the school record for single-season conference wins. Texas registered 11 regular season conference wins in 1998, going 11-5. In 1998, the Longhorns also finished third in the Big 12 regular season standings and went 2-2 in the Big 12 Tournament to advance to the semifinals. UT's best overall record in Big 12 play was its 14-4 mark last year (10-4 in the regular season, 4-0 in the tourney). They finished the 1998 season with a 49-16 overall record. That year also marked Texas Softball's first trip to the NCAA National Tournament and to the elite eight-team Women's College World Series.

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES: Texas student-athletes have reaped in the academic honors during the past week. On Wednesday, May 10, seven Longhorns were named to the 1999-2000 Academic All-Big 12 First Team, including: senior third baseman Keely Franks, sophomore outfielder Audrey Hendricks, senior righthander Carmen Martinez, senior shortstop Jodi Reeves, junior designated player Kathleen Richter, sophomore catcher Courtney Ryan (Newport Beach, Calif. / Mater Dei HS) and junior outfielder Tiffiny Valdehueza (Hercules, Calif. / Pinole Valley HS). Franks and Reeves were two of only seven players in the conference to earn the academic honor for the fourth consecutive season. On Thursday, May 11, the academic honors continued to roll in for the Texas athletes as Franks, Hendricks and Richter were all named to the GTE / CoSIDA Academic All-District VI Team. The selection was the third for Franks and the first for both Hendricks and Richter. These three student-athletes are now eligible for 2000 GTE / CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

CLASS OF 2000: The Class of 2000, which consists of All-American shortstop Jodi Reeves, third baseman Keely Franks, righthander Carmen Martinez and outfielder Cathie Johnson (Angleton, Texas / Angleton), will be the first class to play four years of varsity softball at Texas. The program began in the 1995-96 season as a club team and played its first year as a varsity team during the 1996-97 season. Since they arrived at Texas, the quartet has compiled a 153-82-1 (.650) record since the 1997 season, won the 1999 Big 12 Conference Tournament title and made NCAA Tournament appearances in 1998 (Women's College World Series participant) and 1999.

HORNS AT HOME: In 16 home dates this season at Red and Charline McCombs Field, Texas drew 15,474 fans for an average of 967 fans per contest. The Longhorns lead the Big 12 Conference in average home attendance, out-pacing their closest competitor - Texas A&M - by 531 fans per game. With an average of 1,010 fans attending each of the Longhorns' 17 home dates in 1999, Texas Softball ranked third among all NCAA Division I programs in average home attendance. The Horns ranked behind two perennial softball powerhouses - Fresno State (2,144 fans per contest) and Arizona (1,300 fans per contest).

A LOOK AT THE CONFERENCE: Texas' third-place finish in the Big 12 this season surpassed the expectations for the team set by a vote of the Big 12 coaches at the start of the 2000 campaign. Despite winning the 1999 Big 12 Tournament Championship and finishing second (10-4) in the 1999 regular season league race, Texas was picked to finish fifth in the conference in 2000 preseason voting, earning 51 votes. Defending conference regular-season champion and eventual 2000 regular-season champion Oklahoma (81) was the coaches' preseason favorite, earning all nine possible first-place votes. The Sooners were trailed by Nebraska (73), Missouri (57) and Kansas (52). After the Longhorns' fifth-place position were Texas A&M (42), Texas Tech (38), Oklahoma State (26), Baylor (16) and Iowa State (14).

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