Games #25 & 26
ART U Urban Knights (2-22) vs. SF State Gators (12-14)
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Brisbane, Calif. – SFSU Softball Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Games #27 & 28
ART U Urban Knights (2-22, 1-7 PacWest) vs. Dominican Penguins (10-19, 7-13 PacWest)
Sunday, March 20, 2022 at Noon and 2 p.m.
San Rafael, Calif. – Penguin Field
Live Stats & Live Video | Live Audio

KNIGHTS SET TO DO BATTLE WITH GATORS, PENGUINS IN LOCAL ROAD MATCHUPS
A complete team effort helped Academy of Art softball combine to score 19 runs in its two most recent wins as part of splits with Azusa Pacific and Cal Poly Humboldt, building momentum for the Urban Knights as they move into a mid-week non-conference matchup with SF State then return to Pacific West Conference play at Dominican over the weekend.

FIRST PITCH
An 11 a.m. doubleheader versus the Gators at SFSU Softball Field in San Francisco starts the week on Wednesday, Mar. 16 before ART U heads across the bay to San Rafael for a noon twin bill at Dominican's Penguin Field on Sunday, Mar. 20. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram, as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps. 

KNIGHT WATCH
No Urban Knight has been a better run-producer of late than sophomore pitcher/infielder Katie Humphreys. An impressive stretch of 10 runs batted in across four games culminated with the Art Education major's four driven in as part of ART U's 11-5 win over Cal Poly Humboldt on Mar. 13. She now has 11 RBIs on the season to rank 11th in the conference.

The squad's batting average leader remains sophomore infielder Haley Randall who is hitting .297 with another team-high of 11 runs scored (13th in PacWest). With four doubles in her last eight games, senior catcher/infielder Lauryn Henderson has six on the season (fifth in PacWest) and is just back of Humphreys with nine RBIs. Henderson, owner of a .271 batting average, is also approaching multiple Academy of Art career records as her 20 home runs are two back of Brenna Youngquist's program record while her 34 doubles are fourth in ART U history. She adds 70 career walks to currently sit third in ART U history (seven behind the record).

Two five-game hitting streaks are currently alive for junior catcher/utility Cassandra Mittman and junior outfielder Bethany Mitchell. Mittman's .292 batting average on the season can be found between Randall and Henderson at second on the team and her most recent five times out have seen her drive in four with three multi-hit efforts. Mitchell has logged a pair of RBIs and twice touched home plate in her last five contests.

In the circle, freshman pitcher Julia Jordan (1-8) comes off a 5.0-inning outing in which she did not allow Azusa Pacific to score an earned run. She and sophomore pitcher Jolene Rhoades (1-10) have combined for 20 starts thus far and lead the team with 42 strikeouts (seventh in PacWest) and 20 strikeouts respectively.

GATOR MADE
It has been an up-and-down season for SF State thus far as the Gators enjoyed a stretch of winning five of six early then lost five of their last six contests including a series sweep at the hands of No. 11 Chico State. Brylynn Vallejos has wielded a scorching bat this season, hitting .425 with nine doubles and 32 runs scored to go with 22 stolen bases. Defensively, Kaitlyn Maddux (5-9) has the most innings pitched on the team (82.0), but her 4.52 earned run average is back of Taylor Kelly's team-best 2.01 ERA. A nearly even historical matchup with SF State slightly favors Academy of Art 11-10. 

OPENING THE DOMINI-CAN
After defeating Stanislaus State, Cal State East Bay, and Sonoma State for its first three wins of the season, Dominican lost seven straight, but then rattled off four consecutive wins, sweeping doubleheaders against Biola and Chaminade. The Penguins finished their Hawaii roadtrip by falling in six of seven before taking two from UH Hilo on Mar. 14. Dominican is led by Lauren Lapinid's .330 batting average and 11 RBIs while Shelby Keltner (6-11) has handled the majority of the work in the circle with a 2.13 ERA through 109.2 innings pitched. A storied history between the Penguins and Knights has the latter on top 37-19.

11 RUNS IN GAME ONE SEND SOFTBALL TO SPLIT WITH JACKS
A Mar. 13 doubleheader saw two rather different results for Academy of Art softball in its non-conference matchup with Cal Poly Humboldt out at Mission Blue Field. Tied at 2-2 early, the first contest shifted to the Urban Knights in the third inning before a six-run avalanche came in the fourth with sophomore pitcher/infielder Katie Humphreys plating three on her first career triple to help send ART U to an eventual 11-5 victory. Game two went the Lumberjacks' way after more offense in the initial innings led to a 12-1 win in five frames.

ON THE HORIZON
A twin bill at Holy Names on Mar. 25 is next for Academy of Art which will be followed by a rematch with Dominican on Mar. 27 and a single game hosting Menlo on Mar. 30.