CANYON, Texas – Riding a 13-game winning streak, the West Texas A&M softball team returns to the friendly confines of Schaeffer Park for a weekend series with the Texas Woman's Pioneers. The Lady Buffs (17-1, 9-0 LSC) and Pioneers (11-8, 9-3 LSC) will play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday with a 12 p.m. series finale on Sunday.
GAME COVERAGE
A live stream will be available for the game provided by the West Texas A&M athletic communications department through the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. Fans can buy a yearly pass for $140 that grants access to all broadcasts for the LSC including previous years or a $30 monthly subscription. Live stats will also be provided for fans to stay up to date.
A LOOK AT THE #2 LADY BUFFS
WT ran its win streak to 13 games with a three-game sweep of Midwestern State earlier this week. In game one, the Lady Buffs dominated the Mustangs, winning 20-1 in five innings. On Wednesday, game two of the series saw the WT power its way past Midwestern State once again, 10-1 in five innings. After two blowouts in the first two games, game three saw the Mustangs nearly upset the Lady Buffs. After trailing 3-2 entering the final inning, WT put up six runs in the top of the seventh to win 8-3 and improve its record to 17-1 overall and 9-0 in Lone Star Conference play.
The Lady Buffs feature a potent lineup that ranks inside the top 30 for Division II for almost every offensive category including top five standings in batting average, doubles, hits, on base percentage, scoring, slugging percentage, runs, and walks. WT's defense ranks fourth in the nation with a .987 fielding percentage.
Senior
Diana Murtha ranks inside the top 10 of Division II hitters in batting average (.659), doubles (10), on base percentage (.761), RBIs (28), and slugging percentage (1.390), and total bases (57).
Lauren Granger follows Murtha with a .519 batting average and 1.436 OPS and a .827 slugging percentage. Granger's 11 doubles lead all of Division II hitters.
In addition to a high-octane offense, the Lady Buff pitching staff has been dominant so far this season. As a team, WT holds a 1.85 ERA in 110 innings with 120 strikeouts. The Lady Buffs' ERA ranks 18
th in Division II while the strikeout total ranks 14
th.
Head Coach
Michael Mook is in his fifth season at WT, registering a 150-46 (.765) record in that time. For his career, Mook holds 304-107 record in eight seasons for an overall winning percentage of .740.
SCOUTING TEXAS WOMAN'S
Texas Woman's comes to Canyon after a series victory over No. 23-ranked Angelo State to improve its record to 11-8 overall and 9-3 in LSC action. In game one, the Pioneers shutout the Rambelles 2-0 before Angelo State defeated TWU 8-4 in game two. In game three, the Pioneers used a season-high 14 hits to dominate the Rambelles, 7-1.
Vivica Hernandez leads the Pioneers offense as the junior holds a .346 batting average with a .847 OPS, .423 slugging average, and .424 on-base percentage. The Fort Worth, Texas native paces TWU with four doubles on 18 total hits, and 10 runs. Two-way player Alyssa LeBlanc follows with a .298 average with three doubles and a team-high four home runs and 11 RBI.
As a pitching staff, Texas Woman's holds a 2.31 ERA in 124.1 innings of work. During that time, opponents are hitting .234 while hitting 15 doubles, three triples, and seven home runs while striking out 105 times. LeBlanc has been impressive in the circle, posting a 1.24 ERA in 50.2 innings with 57 strikeouts to just 11 walks. The senior has posted seven complete games and four shutouts for a 5-2 record with a save.
Gay McNutt is in her second season at Texas Woman's and 25th overall. McNutt holds a 36-36 (.500) in Denton while producing a 664-702 (.486) record in her career.
THE SERIES
WT leads the all-time series with Texas Woman's 37-23 including 10 straight wins against the Pioneers. The Lady Buffs are 16-13 in Canyon and 7-0 against Texas Woman's under
Michael Mook. Last season, the two teams met for a three-game series in Denton where WT swept the Pioneers, outscoring Texas Woman's 21-3. In game one, the Lady Buffs jumped ahead early before closing the game with five runs in an 8-1 victory. WT used a similar method to defeat the Pioneers in game two, scoring six runs in the first four innings to win 7-1. The Lady Buffs secured a series sweep with a five-run sixth inning to take the final game with Texas Woman's, 6-1.
W, 6-1 – Denton, 2023
W, 7-1 – Denton, 2023
W, 8-1 – Denton, 2023
W, 10-4 – Canyon, 2022
W, 4-0 – Canyon, 2022
NFCA RANKINGS
The top three remain unchanged from the previous poll with North Georgia grabbing all 16 first-place votes for a total of 400 points followed by WT (384) and Tampa (368). Rogers State moved into No. 4 with 330 points while Grand Valley stayed at No. 5 with 325 points. UT Tyler (315), Cal State San Marcos (309), Indianapolis (286), Colorado Christian (263), and West Alabama (258) finish out the top 10.
The South Central region boasts four teams in the top 25 with WT leading the way at No. 2. UT Tyler (6
th), Colorado Christian (9
th), and Angelo State (23
rd) also received spots in the poll. Texas A&M-Kingsville received votes in the poll.
LSC PRESEASON POLL
Defending Lone Star Conference and South Central Region champion UT Tyler topped the poll, totaling 591 points with 25 first-place votes. WT followed with 11 first-place votes and a total of 576 points. Oklahoma Christian (519, 3 fpv), Lubbock Christian (500), and Cameron (412) finished out the top five. Texas A&M-Kingsville (386, 2 fpv), Angelo State (383), St. Mary's (353), St. Edward's (288), and Texas Woman's (254) occupied the sixth through 10th spots. Eastern New Mexico (216), Texas A&M International (175), Midwestern State (127), Western New Mexico (72), and UT Permian Basin) finished out the poll.
UP NEXT
WT hits the road once again for a series in Oklahoma City against Oklahoma Christian. Friday's doubleheader at Tom Heath Field starts at 4 p.m. with the final game of the series at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
