CHICAGO (February 16, 2023) – Loyola (2-3) returns to action at the Texas Classic this weekend, with five non-conference games at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin.
The Ramblers will play Friday and Saturday doubleheaders against Incarnate Word (3-2) and No. 9 Texas (3-1-1), before wrapping up the weekend in a single game Sunday against Nebraska Omaha (5-0). Friday's opener with the Cardinals is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT, followed by a 3 p.m. CT first pitch against the Longhorns. Saturday's start times are set for 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. against the same opponents, while Sunday's first pitch is slated for 10 a.m. CT. Both games against the ninth-ranked Longhorns will air live on the Longhorn Network.
LAST TIME OUT
Loyola won two of its final three games at the FAU Paradise Classic last weekend, including a 3-1 win over the host Owls and 6-3 victory over Stony Brook. The Ramblers fell in close matchups against Iowa (3-1), No. 23 Mississippi State (5-4) and Bethune-Cookman (4-1). In the win over the Seawolves last Sunday,
Madison Ebeling (2 for 4) and
Hannah Nalley (2 for 3) led the Ramblers at the plate with multi-hit efforts, while
Haley Wallace,
Jocelyn Currie, and
Sierra Sass each recorded a base knock. Wallace finished with two RBIs, with one each produced by Ebeling and
Abbie Gregus.
Peyton Pepkowski went 2-1 in the circle with a 1.75 ERA, finishing with 12 strikeouts in 16.0 innings.
SCOUTING INCARNATE WORD
The Cardinals, out of the Southland Conference, hosted a season-opening tournament last weekend in San Antonio where they swept Eastern Illinois (W, 12-3/W, 3-2), split with Green Bay (W, 6-1/L, 3-2), and dropped a single contest to Grand Canyon (L, 6-0). The Cards are hitting .346 as a team, led by sophomore utility Ryleigh Mata (.500, 3 RBI) and junior catcher Avalon Sanchez (.462, 2 2B, 3 RBI). In the circle, UIW started five different pitchers with senior Aaliyah Garcia tossing a team-high 10.0 innings with 10 strikeouts and no runs surrendered across her two appearances.
SCOUTING TEXAS
Texas, the 2022 national runner-up, is ranked ninth in the NFCA coaches poll and 13th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Longhorns are coming off Wednesday night's 8-2 win over Lamar, after going 2-1-1 at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla. Against RV/#23 Missouri (W, 11-1), #8/#8 Northwestern (L, 10-9), Illinois (W, 7-0) and #20/#17 Kentucky (T, 4-4). Freshman middle infielder Leighann Goode (.500, 2 3B, 2B, 3 RBI) and sophomore catcher/first baseman Katie Cimusz (.500, 2 2B, HR) lead the Longhorns, who are hitting .358 as a team while holding opponents below .200 at the plate. Sophomore pitcher Mac Morgan leads the team with a 1.66 ERA in three appearances, going 1-0 with six strikeouts in 12.2 innings of work.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA OMAHA
Omaha, out of the Summit League, went undefeated on opening weekend at Northern Iowa's Dome Tournament, including a 5-1 victory over Iowa State in the season opener. The Mavericks also picked up a pair of wins over Northern Iowa and Drake. Senior utility Lynsey Tucker is off to a hot start the plate, hitting .588 (10-17) with a pair of doubles, along with graduate student outfielder Rachel Weber (.333, 2 HR, 3 2B, 6 RBI). Senior pitcher Kamryn Meyer boasts a 0.51 ERA in four appearances, racking up 21 strikeouts in 13.2 innings.
UP NEXT
Loyola will participate in the Racer Classic, hosted by Murray State in Murray, Ky. on Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 25-26. The Ramblers will bookend the weekend with two games against Miami (OH), along with single contests against Murray State and Ball State.
