Game Notes
 
CANYON, Texas – The Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M return to Canyon where a three-game series with Texas A&M International awaits. The Lady Buffs (37-5, 28-5 LSC) and Dustdevils (17-27, 13-20 LSC) kick off the series at 4 p.m. on Saturday with a 6 p.m. game to follow. The series finishes up on Sunday with a 12 p.m. first pitch.
 
Saturday's games will serve as Youth Day for both Buff Baseball and Lady Buff Softball. Youth 8^th grade and younger receive free entry into the games.
 
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 saw its winning streak come to an end at 15 games in Austin. The Lady Buffs won game one 2-1 and extended their streak before falling to St. Edward's 1-0 in game two. In the second game, Emilee Wilson pitched a no hitter, but a first-inning error allowed the Hilltoppers to score the game's lone run. Game three saw WT find its typical offensive form as the Lady Buffs defeated St. Edward's 6-2 to win the Lone Star Conference series.
 
Senior Ruby Salzman leads the way for a WT offense that averages 7.16 runs per game. Salzman has posted a .404 batting average with a 1.282 OPS and a .837 slugging percentage, hitting 11 doubles, a triple and 16 home runs along the way. As a team, WT features eight players with a .300 or better batting average and seven players with a 1.000 or better OPS. The Lady Buffs have been a force on the bases this season stealing 85 bases in 93 attempts with Gabie McConnell swiping 15 bags. Salzman follows with 14 stolen bases with Malaya Delfin and Julie Guzman right behind with 12.
 
In the circle, WT has posted a 1.72 ERA with 269 strikeouts and 67 earned runs in 273 innings. Kyra Lair leads the team with 106 strikeouts and 100.2 innings pitched while Emma Parrish leads the team with a 1.40 ERA.
 
Head Coach Michael Mook is in his fourth season at WT, registering a 125-43 (.745) record in that time. For his career, Mook holds 277-103 record in eight seasons for an overall winning percentage of .729.
 
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL
Texas A&M International enters the three-game series with the Lady Buffs with a 17-27 overall record and 13-20 mark in LSC play. The Dustdevils come off a win in game three against Angelo State where TAMIU took the contest, 8-1. Although registering a win in the series finale, the Dustdevils dropped the first two games of the series. The Rambelles took game one in decisive fashion, winning 9-0 in five innings. Game two saw a closer contest with a 3-2 final score, but TAMIU ended up on the wrong side, falling in the series two games to one.
 
Kristy Alanis leads the Dustdevils offense as the junior holds a .308 batting average with a .774 OPS, .308 slugging percentage, and .466 on-base percentage. The Alamo, Texas native has 28 with six RBIs on the season. Tajanae Davis follows Alanis with a .284 batting average, hitting seven doubles and four home runs with 29 RBIs.
 
TAMIU holds a 3.10 earned run average as a pitching staff with Carla Arellano posting a 2.17 ERA. Arellano leads the Dustdevils in innings pitched and complete games. While Erika Cortez leads TAMIU in wins and strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .259 against the Dustdevil pitching staff, scoring 162 runs with 202 strikeouts.
 
Scott Libby is in his 15th season in Laredo, posting an 322-454 record during his 15 seasons as a head coach on the NCAA level.
 
THE SERIES
WT leads the all-time series between the two programs, 16-4. The Lady Buffs are 13-1 at Schaeffer Park, and 3-1 against the Dustdevils under Michael Mook. WT won both games last season in Canyon, taking game one 6-1 before sealing the series with a 10-4 victory.
 
W, 10-4 – Canyon, 2022
W, 6-1 – Canyon, 2022
W, 7-0 – Laredo 2021
L, 4-1 – Laredo 2021
L, 4-2 – Laredo, 2016
 
NFCA RANKINGS
West Texas A&M kept its position inside the top 15, checking in at No. 14 for the second week in a row in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Coaches Poll. North Georgia keeps its position at the top of the poll. There was no change in the top eight teams in the nation with North Georgia, Tampa, UT Tyler, Central Oklahoma, and Alabama-Huntsville occupying the first through fifth spots. Indianapolis, Grand Valley State, and Rogers State all held firm at six through eight with Valdosta State moving up one to No. 9 and Lubbock Christian jumping into the top 10. Four South Central Region programs received rankings in this week's poll with UT Tyler leading the way at No. 3. Lubbock Christian (10^th), Colorado Christian (12^th), and West Texas A&M (14th) earned spots 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 down I-27 for a Rivalry on the Range series with No. 10 Lubbock Christian. The top-15 series starts on Friday, Apr. 21 at 2 p.m. The two teams meet the next day for a 1 and 3 p.m. doubleheader.