SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word softball team will host their final home series of the season this weekend against Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State. The three game series will begin with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. on Friday and will finish on Saturday with a single game starting at 12 p.m.
            
The Cardinals (9-34, 3-18) have hosted only four home series so far this season and are 4-7 at Cardinals Field. They are hitting .240 as a team and have hit 18 home runs over 43 games.  Senior Taylor Johnson (Schertz/Clemens HS) leads the offense with a .352 batting average, 38 hits and is 11 for 13 on stolen bases, while Shelbi Swenson (Elgin, TX /Elgin) is coming in at a close second with a .311 average, 28 hits and is joint leading home run hitter, with four on the year so far. The pitching staff has been led by Kristin Hebert (Humble/Atascocita HS), who posts a 5-16 record and a 4.85 ERA from 135.2 innings pitched.

The final game on Saturday will also mark Senior Day for five Cardinals.  Alex Zepeda (Sinton/Sinton), Johnson, Brooke DuBois (Pearland/Pearland), Anna-Marie Moore (Aloha, OR/Aloha) and Krystal Contreras (Eagle Pass/C.C. Winn) make up the graduating class this year.

Both Zepeda and Johnson are four year members of the team and between them have made a significant impact in both the infield and the outfield.   The two are the last remaining members of the 2012 Lone Star Conference Tournament championship squad.  Zepeda has been a three-year starter for the team and has accumulated 120 hits, 89 runs, 20 stolen bases and a .288 batting average in her career.  Johnson has received more and more playing time every season.  She is a career .327 hitter with 86 runs and 35 stolen bases while being named a Capital One Academic All-District selection, twice.

Moore and Contreras have each been three-year members of the program.  Moore has appeared in 98 games and has been used numerous times as a pinch-runner. 

Finally, DuBois has been an effective member of both the pitching staff and batting line up for the Cardinals and in 2014 was UIW's leading hitter and a starting pitcher. The junior college transfer has a .302 batting average and seven home runs while winning 11 games in her career.

The Bearkats (15-25, 6-13) will head into the series after dropping a 1-0 decision against Baylor on Wednesday. Dani Allen leads the offense with a .325 batting average and 41 hits, while Sarah Allison is hitting .273 and leads the team with eight home runs and 30 RBI's.  Pitching for Sam Houston has been shared between a staff of four. Hayley Baros, Jordan Franks, Meme Quinn and Tayler Atkinson have each pitched over 45 innings. Baros leads the team with 3.50 ERA and a 2-7 record, while Quinn is 6-6 with an ERA of 4.86.

The games will be broadcast online at www.uiwlive.com with Greg Sherman on the call for the Cardinals.
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