DENTON -- I've been telling people for months that Rodney DeLong has the potential to be the perfect fit for this North Texas softball program. Although it's early in the season, this seems to be the case.
The Mean Green are off to a torrid 4-1 record, which happens to be the best start in program history. North Texas will step onto Lovelace Field tomorrow night for their home opener and first of four game this weekend at the Mean Green Classic.
North Texas begins the tournament at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and will continue tournament play throughout Sunday against Seton Hall, Creighton and Northwestern State.
After run ruling No. 20 Texas A&M in College Station last Saturday, many Mean Green fans are expecting this talented 2019 team to end this weekend with four comfortable wins. However, softball is a crazy game and teams can get hot and cold, just as North Texas got hot last Saturday against the Aggies.
North Texas leadoff hitter Katie Clark leads the team through five games with a .565 average and 7 RBIs. The leadoff spot is normally known for getting on base and scoring, but Clark has taken her play up a notch from last season and looks to be one of the premier players on this year's squad.
Junior standout Lacy Gregory entered the season with high expectations as the Mean Green's best returning batter. In the first weekend of play, she performed like it. Gregory batted .353 last weekend with three doubles and 7 RBIs.
Hope Trautwein leads North Texas in the pitching circle, finishing the weekend with 20.1 innings pitched and a 0.34 ERA. Mean Green fans should be excited that she is only a sophomore.
Hanna Rebar has hit the only home run for UNT this season, but it couldn't have come at a better time. Rebar's three-run homer put North Texas up 7-0 in the third inning of their big win against Texas A&M.
This UNT team looks very solid in every aspect of the game and is in store for an exciting weekend in front of Mean Green fans.
Let's take a quick look at this week's opponents for North Texas:
Northwestern State: The Lady Demons had an impressive opening weekend at a tough tournament in Austin. They split a two-game series with Boise State, beat Boston College 9-5 and lost to No. 16 Texas 7-2. This Lady Demon team could be the Mean Green's second largest test of the season to this point.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff: The Lady Lions have yet to play a game and start their season on Friday morning against Creighton at 11 a.m.
Creighton: The Bluejays went 1-4 in the New Mexico Invitational last weekend. Their only win was a 13-5 victory over UTEP.
Seton Hall: The Pirates went 2-3 in a tournament at UNLV last weekend with wins against Southern Utah and North Dakota. Seton Hall was run ruled by Utah Valley University and Long Beach State.
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