Game Notes
 
CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M softball opens its home Lone Star Conference schedule on against UT Permian Basin. The Lady Buffs (12-0, 3-0 LSC) start the series with the Falcons (3-8, 0-3 LSC) on Saturday, Feb. 25 with games at 2 and 4 p.m. The rubber match is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
GAME COVERAGE
A live stream and stats will be provided by the WT 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 swept previously No. 23 Angelo State in dramatic fashion last week. The Lady Buffs took the opener 7-3 on Friday in San Angelo before stealing a 5-1 win in 12 innings in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. WT secured the sweep with an 11-5 comeback victory, scoring eight unanswered runs.
 
Senior Ruby Salzman leads the charge for a WT offense that averages 8.08 runs per game. Salzman has posted a .444 batting average with a 1.357 OPS and a 0.867 slugging percentage in 12 games for the Lady Buffs, hitting seven doubles and four home runs along the way. On the base paths, Salzman is tied in steals with Gabie McConnell, both posting five.
 
Kyra Lair heads a Lady Buff pitching staff with a 0.79 ERA in two starts, posting a 3-0 record. Lair started Friday's game against Angelo State before coming in for a six-inning relief appearance in the extra-innings win. In the circle, WT has posted a 1.52 ERA with 87 strikeouts and 18 earned runs in 83 innings.
 
Head Coach Michael Mook is in his fourth season at WT, registering a 98-37 record in that time. For his career, Mook holds 252-98 record in eight seasons for an overall winning percentage of .720.
 
SCOUTING UT PERMIAN BASIN
UT Permian Basin enters the series 4-10 overall and 1-5 in LSC play after losing two of three to Angelo State. The Falcons posted a 3-5 record in non-conference play before opening league play against Cameron. In that series, the Aggies swept UTPB. Earlier this week, Angelo State took the first and third games while the Falcons won game two.
 
Julia Bumford leads the Falcon offense as the junior holds a .355 batting average with a 1.077 OPS, .645 slugging average, and .432 on-base percentage. The Prosper, Texas native has one double, one triple, two home runs, 10 RBI, five walks and eight runs scored. Stephanie Jimenez follows with a .344 batting average, 1.359 OPS, one double, and six home runs.
 
As a pitching staff, UTPB holds an 8.56 ERA in 79.1 innings of work. During that time, opponents are hitting .348 while hitting 28 doubles, twos triples, and 13 home runs while striking out 61 times.
 
Sam Mendez is in her first collegiate head coaching season after taking over the program in June of 2022.
 
LSC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Kyra Lair's performance in the circle helped the Lady Buffs to a series sweep over nationally ranked Angelo State. Lair started game one of the series going six innings while allowing one run on one hit. After a pitching change in the seventh, Lair returned to finish off what she started, recording the final two outs. In game two, the senior pitcher came out of the bullpen to throw six innings of shutout softball to record the win after WT took a 5-1 lead in the top of the 12th inning.
 
THE SERIES
WT leads the all-time series between the two programs, 38-4, with an 18-0 record in Canyon and 5-2 under head coach Michael Mook. The Falcons swept the series last season, winning both games in Odessa.  
 
L, 4-3 – Odessa, 2022
L, 4-1 – Odessa, 2022
W, 9-1 (6 inn.) – Canyon, 2021
W, 9-1 (6 inn.) – Canyon, 2021
W, 9-4 – 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) Poll for the second consecutive week. UT Tyler stayed at No. 2 with a 10-1 record while North Georgia remained at No. 3. Tampa moved up one spot to No. 4 with a record of 5-0 followed by Seton Hill at No. 5.
 
Cal State San Marcos ranked sixth followed by Southern Arkansas, Valdosta State, Lubbock Christian, and Central Oklahoma to round out the Top 10. Two additional programs from the LSC were listed in the poll with Oklahoma Christian at No. 19 and St. Mary's at No. 21 with WT receiving votes. Fellow South Central Regional members, Colorado Christian and Angelo State, 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 travels to Tyler, Texas for a matchup with No. 2 UT Tyler. The Lady Buffs and Patriots start the series with a double header starting at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 3. The three-game set finishes at 1 p.m. on March 4.