Game Notes
 
CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M Lady Buffs start their 2023 Lone Star Conference schedule on the road as WT travels to San Angelo to face off against the 23^rd-ranked Angelo State Rambelles. The Lady Buffs and Belles play a single game on Friday at 5 p.m. followed by a Saturday 1 and 3 p.m. doubleheader at Mayer Field. 
 
GAME COVERAGE
A live stream and stats will be provided by the ASU Communications department.  The game will be streamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network.  Fans will be able to purchase a $10 daily pass that will give them access to all contests on the network that day as well as access to previously aired games from the current season for 24 hours. Fans can also purchase a $75 softball season pass that will give them access to all Lone Star Conference softball games.  In addition to live and archived streaming options, viewers will have the option to purchase and download games from the 2022-23 season for $10 each.
 
A LOOK AT THE LADY BUFFS
WT continued its great start to the season, going 5-0 at the WT Invitational. The Lady Buffs, 9-0 on the season, defeated Colorado Mesa and New Mexico Highlands on the first day. On day two, WT run ruled Colorado Mesa before earning a victory over Fort Lewis. The Lady Buffs ended the tournament with a 4-0 shutout victory over New Mexico Highlands.
 
Senior Ruby Salzman leads the charge for a WT offense that averages 8.22 runs per game. Salzman has posted a .500 batting average with a 1.659 OPS and a 1.100 slugging percentage in nine games for the Lady Buffs, hitting six doubles and four homeruns along the way. On the basepaths, Salzman leads WT with five stolen bases.  
 
Heidi Vortherms heads a Lady Buff pitching staff with a 0.37 ERA in four starts, posting a 3-0 record. Vortherms has two complete games, a shutout, and 32 strikeouts in 19 innings of work. The sophomore has allowed just nine hits, three of which were doubles, and allowed two runs, one earned. In the circle, WT has posted a 1.11 ERA with 64 strikeouts and nine earned runs in 57 innings.
 
Head Coach Michael Mook is in his fourth season at WT, registering a 95-37 record in that time. For his career, Mook holds 249-98 record in eight seasons for an overall winning percentage of .718.
 
SCOUTING #23 ANGELO STATE
Angelo State enters the LSC series 8-3 overall. The Rambelles started the season at the DII Spring Invitational Kickoff in Conroe, Texas. ASU fell to No. 8 Central Oklahoma 13-9 before losing to Arkansas Tech, 7-3. The Belles posted back-to-back 9-1 wins against Regis and Cal Poly Humboldt. Pittsburg State defeated Angelo State 3-2 in a close matchup before the Rambelles won their tournament finale against MSU Denver.
 
Angelo State returned home last weekend to host the ASU George & Ola McCorkle Challenge. In their five games, the Belles took all three matchups with Texas A&M International and a pair of games against East Central. ASU outscored opponents 27-9.
 
Ashlyn Lerma leads the Rambelle offense as the senior holds a .500 batting average with a 1.163 OPS, .563 slugging average, and .600 on-base percentage. The Highland Village, Texas native has one triple with three RBI, eight walks and 16 stolen bases. LSC Preseason Player of the Year Paxton Scheurer follows with a .432 batting average, 1.355 OPS, two doubles, and five home runs.
 
As a pitching staff, Angelo State holds a 2.88 ERA in 73 innings of work. During that time, opponents are hitting .227 while hitting nine doubles, one triple, and six home runs while striking out 71 times.
 
Travis Scott is in his 23^rd season as a head coach and 20^th at Angelo State. Scott holds a 914-323-3 career record and 813-273-1 (.748) record in San Angelo.
 
THE SERIES
ASU leads the all-time series between the two programs, 38-34, with an 16-19 record in San Angelo and 3-2 under head coach Michael Mook. The Lady Buffs and Rambelles split the season series in 2022 with Angelo State winning the first game 10-2 in six innings before WT won the second, 10-8.
 
W, 10-8 – San Angelo, 2022
L, 10-2 (6 inn.) – San Angelo, 2022
W, 10-0 – Oklahoma City, (LSC), 2021
L, 17-13 – Canyon, 2021
W, 13-5 (6 inn.) – Canyon, 2021
 
NFCA RANKINGS
Defending National Champion Rogers State received all 16 first-place votes for a total of 400 points in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Preseason Poll. UT Tyler moved up one spot to No. 2 after a 7-1 start. North Georgia earned the third spot after previously being ranked No. 5. Cal State Dominguez Hills fell from second to No. 4 while Tampa jumped from 17^th to No. 5.
 
Central Oklahoma ranked sixth followed by Seton Hill, Lubbock Christian, Adelphi, and Valdosta State to round out the Top 10. Three additional programs from the LSC were listed in the first poll of the regular season with St. Mary's at No. 19, Oklahoma Christian at No. 22, and Angelo State at No. 23. Fellow South Central Regional member, Colorado Christian, received votes in the poll.
 
LSC PRESEASON POLL
UT Tyler picked up 35 of 37 possible first-place votes and 550 total points as the Patriots were selected to defend their LSC title. Angelo State followed the Patriots in the standings with 474 points while Texas A&M-Kingsville (466, 1 first place) took the third spot. Lubbock Christian (454) and Oklahoma Christian (405, 1 first place) sit ahead of WT's 368 points.
 
St. Mary's received the seventh spot with 346 points followed by Cameron (242) and St. Edward's (240). Texas Woman's (228) and Texas A&M International (199) occupy the 10^th and 11^th spots, respectively. Eastern New Mexico (181), Midwestern State (124), UT Permian Basin (123), and Western New Mexico (40) round out the poll.
 
EXTRA ELITE 100 LIST
Diana Murtha, Brittni Rufus, Ruby Salzman, and Heidi Vortherms were named to Extra Innings Softball's inaugural Extra Elite 100 List. Criteria utilized to form these rankings includes a combination of career achievements, most recent on-field history, and overall impact on their team and the sport as a whole.
 
Salzman led WT on the list ranked No. 21 followed by Murtha at No. 62, Vortherms at No. 75, and Rufus at No. 92.
 
2022 REVIEW
The Lady Buffs ended the 2022 season 29-16 with the program's 13 straight appearance in the LSC Tournament, excluding the cancelled 2020 season. After the season, Ruby Salzman earned Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association honorable mention All-American status. In addition to the D2CCA award, Salzman was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-American along with NFCA First Team All-Region, D2CCA First Team All-Region, CoSIDA Academic All-Region, and First Team All-Lone Star Conference. Brittni Rufus also earned D2CCA First Team All-Region and NFCA Second Team All-Region along with First Team All-LSC and an LSC Golden Glove. Other honorees included Heidi Vortherms on the LSC All-Freshman Team and Second Team All-LSC and Gabriella Valforte on the Third Team All-LSC.
 
UP NEXT
WT plays their first LSC series at home against UT Permian Basin on Feb. 25 and 26. The Lady Buffs play a doubleheader with games at 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday with a 1 p.m. series finale on Sunday.