April 26, 2016
Texas Tech Game Notes 
DENTON — The North Texas softball team steps outside Conference USA for its final nonconference home games of the season, hosting Texas Tech for a midday doubleheader Wednesday. The Red Raiders (21-26) are the the fourth different Big 12 team that the Mean Green (20-26) will have faced this season and the first and only Big 12 foe to visit Lovelace Stadium this season.
North Texas looks to snap a seven-game losing streak, dating back to a 10-2 run-rule win over Georgia Tech in five innings on April 10 at the Kansas Round Robin. With a series sweep loss to Louisiana Tech this past weekend, North Texas was mathematically eliminated from contention for the Conference USA Tournament in Denton.
“In regard to where we stand in Conference USA, we had the ability and the opportunity to control our destiny, and we didn’t do a good job with that,” head coach Tracey Kee said. “We’re looking at this final stretch of the season as nine games, what it is and how we want to finish and play a spoiler role as much as possible. We want to try to compete until the final out of this season.”
North Texas is 17-11 in nonconference games this season, including an 8-2 mark at home, most recently defeating Metroplex rival UT Arlington 1-0 in eight innings, winning in walk-off fashion for the fourth time this season. The Mean Green are 2-4 against Big 12 teams this season, highlighted by a pair of wins over nationally-ranked Baylor earlier in the season.
Texas Tech is coming off a series win over Iowa State, evening its Big 12 record at 6-6 with two conference series remaining. The Red Raiders are 13-5 at home but just 8-21 away from Lubbock, including 3-16 in away games this season.
They are hitting .287 as a team with three players hitting over .340. Freshman Kiani Ramsey leads the team with a .369 batting average, followed by senior Jordan Bettiol (.363), who also has 23 stolen bases in 27 attempts, and junior Kierra Miles (.347), who leads the team with 15 home runs. They have three pitchers who have a combined 5.22 earned run average and .305 opponents’ batting average.
“They’re a quality program,” Kee said. “Their new coach, Adrian Gregory, has come in there and done a good job very quickly and has them competing and competing in their conference. It should be a good game, and hopefully we will play better than we did this past weekend. That’s going to take our kids’ focus, effort, grit and determination to turn that around.”
First pitch for game one is set for 1 p.m., with the game two to follow approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one, and it will be $1 hot dog night at Lovelace Stadium. Live stats for both games will be available on MeanGreenStats.com and a free live video stream will be available for both games on MeanGreenSports.com.
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