Red Storm Heads To Fayetteville For Arkansas Invitational

Feb. 13, 2014

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The St. John's softball team (2-3) heads out to Fayetteville, Ark., for the 2014 Arkansas Invitational on Feb. 14-15 after a pair of wins at the FAU "Kick-Off" Classic last weekend. Due to weather issues, the Red Storm will no longer be playing against NC State, but instead playing in a pair of games against host-Arkansas.

Leading Off

The Red Storm will take on UMKC (2:30 p.m. ET) and host-Arkansas (5 p.m. ET) on Friday before wrapping up the two-day event against Jackson State (12 p.m. ET) and a rematch with Arkansas (5 p.m. ET) on Saturday.
The Arkansas Invitational marks the first meeting between the Red Storm and each the Kangaroos, Razorbacks and Lady Tigers.
Over the program's 33-year history, the Red Storm is 1-4 when playing on Feb. 14 and 2-4 when playing on Feb. 15. The last time St. John's won a game on one of these dates was on Feb. 15, 2013 when the Red Storm defeated East Carolina, 9-5, at the Pirate Clash in Greenville, N.C.
The Red Storm's 2-3 start on opening weekend is the team's best five-game start since 2011 when it went 2-3 at the Seminole Kickoff Classic. Following the start that year, the Red Storm went 2-3 at its second tournament, including back-to-back wins to open the Pirate Classic in Greenville, N.C.
St. John's will be playing as the visiting team against UMKC and in both games against Arkansas while serving as the home team against Jackson State on Saturday.
Saturday's game against Arkansas will be broadcasted live via RazorVision Productions, the official video provider of the Arkansas Razorbacks, with a paid subscription at www.ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
Live stats will be available online at RedStormSports.com and fans can join in the conversation on Twitter (@StJohnsSoftball) by using #SJUSB.

Storm Tracker

Junior Erin Burner, a 2014 Preseason All-BIG EAST selection, brought some late-inning excitement to the Red Storm at the FAU "Kick-Off" Classic on Saturday, Feb. 8, blasting a two-out, three-run walk-off home run with a 2-2 count to give St. John's a 3-2 win over host-FAU in the bottom of the seventh last weekend.
Senior Jackie Reed is leading the team early in 2014, going 6-for-15 (.400) with a pair of solo home runs and three RBIs in the opening weekend at the FAU "Kick-Off" Classic. The senior first-baseman has reached base in each of the Red Storm's five games this season and her last two of 2013, earning a hit in each game this season except the team's 7-0 loss to then-No. 18/19 Louisville (Feb. 9).
Sophomore Tori Free is third in the BIG EAST in strikeouts with 17 through her league-leading four appearances and three starts at the FAU "Kick-Off" Classic.

Fresh Start

All five freshmen hitters that traveled to Boca Raton, Fla., for the FAU "Kick-Off" Classic earned their first collegiate hits, and each of the five players earned a hit in the Red Storm's 6-2 win over Ohio State on Feb. 7.
Monique Landini has been a big threat on the Red Storm's offense, leading the team with a .400 average (6-for-15) including a pair of doubles and a walk. The freshman infielder has successfully earned a hit in the last four games, including the team's only hit in the 7-0 loss to Louisville on Feb. 9.
Second baseman Lexi Robles has been a quietly contributing factor for the Red Storm in the early goings, leading the league in both walks (5) and sacrifice bunts (2) and is tied for second in the BIG EAST on the defensive end in assists (10).

Scouting UMKC

UMKC is 3-2 heading into the Arkansas Invitational this weekend after picking up wins over Alabama State, Texas Southern and Akron at the Lion Classic in Hammond, La. on Feb. 7-9.
The Kangaroos finished the 2013 season with a 19-27 record, including a 6-7 mark in the Summit League where they finished third in the conference tournament.
UMKC finished the 2013 season ranked 59th in the nation in stolen bases per game (1.31) and were third in the conference last year in average (.281) and doubles per game (1.22).
Leading the Roos' offense so far this season has been sophomore Katie Kelley, who is 5-for-12 (.417) in her five games including three doubles, three walks and six RBI. Fellow sophomore Brooke Parker has been a serious threat on the bases for UMKC, going 6-for-7 in stolen bases in the opening weekend for the Roos.
Kelley is also leading the UMKC pitching staff this season with a 2.71 ERA and 17 strikeouts, including an 8-0 win in a five-inning complete-game shutout against Alabama State to open the season.
Head Coach Meredith Smith Neal is in her eighth season at UMKC where she has led the Roos to a 140-212 (.398) record during that time.

Scouting Jackson State

Jackson State is 1-3 heading into the Arkansas Invitational this weekend after earning its first victory of the season in a 4-2 win over UT Martin to wrap up the Louisiana Tech Tournament on Feb. 9. The Lady Tigers have already seen two games cancelled due to inclement weather.
The Lady Tigers finished the 2013 season with a 28-29 record, including a 13-4 mark in the SWAC to take the regular season crown in the Eastern division before falling to Alabama State University, 8-5, in the semi-finals of the SWAC Tournament.
Jackson State finished ranked seventh in the nation in doubles per game (1.61), 15th in stolen bases per game (1.79) and 28th in double plays per game (0.40).
Leading the Jackson State offense is Vicki Johnson with a .429 (3-for-7) average while Lauren Aikens is second on the team with a .364 average (4-for-11) including a pair of doubles and three RBI.
The Lady Tiger pitching staff is headed by Breea Jamerson who holds a 1-1 record and 3.14 ERA after 14.1 innings of work, striking out eight batters while holding opponents to a team-best .226 average.
Head Coach Rick Fremin is in his fourth season at the helm of Jackson State, leading the Lady Tigers to a 87-81 (.518) record during that time.

Scouting Arkansas

Arkansas is 2-3 heading into the Arkansas Invitational this weekend after back-to-back five-inning wins over UNLV and San Diego in the UNLV Sportco Kick-Off Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. on Feb. 7-9. Two of the Razorbacks' three losses came against ranked teams as they fell to then-No. 5/3 Washington, 6-1, and then-No. 16/18 Baylor, 5-0.
The Razorbacks finished the 2013 season with a 36-20 record, including a 12-10 SEC mark and a 2-2 performance in the 2013 NCAA Regional. This week, Arkansas has received three votes in the Feb. 11, 2014 ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.
Arkansas finished ranked 24th in the nation last year in home runs per game (1.09), 35th in slugging percentage (.470) and 39th in runs scored per game (5.43).
Leading the Razorbacks' offense this season is junior Devon Wallace, who was named to the 2014 Top 50 Preseason USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year "Watch List." The lefty hitter went 4-for-10 in the opening weekend with a double and seven walks, including the team's only intentional walk.
The Arkansas pitching staff consists of a mix of five pitchers this season, combining for a 4.59 ERA and 24 strikeouts through 29.0 innings of work.
Head Coach Mike Larabee is in his fifth season with the Razorbacks where he has accumulated a 108-119 (.476) record during that time. Over his 10 seasons as a head coach, Larabee has put together a 222-266 all-time mark.

On Deck

The Red Storm will take a week hiatus before it heads down to Athens, Ga., for the Sixth-Annual Bulldog Invitational where they will take on UAB, Georgia and Western Carolina, Feb. 28-March 2.

After the conclusion of the Bulldog Invitational, the Red Storm heads straight to Clearwater, Fla. for spring break where they will play against the three-time (2009, 2011, 2013) European Champion Dutch National Team in an exhibition game (March 5) before heading to the USF-Under Armour Invitational on March 7-9).

For all the latest news on the St. John's softball team, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@StJohnsSoftball) on Twitter. You can join the conversation with #SJUSB. If you would like to be added to the St. John's softball mailing list, send an email to stjcommunications@stjohns.edu with the subject line "Softball Mailing List".

St. John's University Athletics

Red Storm Heads To Fayetteville For Arkansas Invitational

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Erin Burner

Tori Free

Monique Landini

Jackie Reed

Lexi Robles

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