| #3 West Texas A&M (30-2, 20-2 LSC) vs. Lubbock Christian (20-12, 11-11 LSC) |
| Date & Time |
Sunday, March 23rd at 1 p.m. |
| Location |
Canyon, Texas | Schaeffer Park |
| Live Statistics |
StatBroadcast (Game 1) | StatBroadcast (Game 2) |
| Live Video (Pay Per View) |
FloCollege |
| Other Links |
Game Notes |
CANYON, Texas – Coming off a series sweep of No. 4 Angelo State, the West Texas A&M softball team faces another Lone Star Conference foe on Sunday when Lubbock Christian visits Canyon. The Lady Buffs and Lady Chaps are scheduled to start their doubleheader at Schaeffer Park at 1 p.m.
GAME COVERAGE
The Athletic Communications Department from West Texas A&M will provide live stats and a pay-per-view web stream. Fans will need to purchase a monthly ($19.99) or annual ($107.88) subscription with FloSports, the official streaming provider of the Lone Star Conference. The subscription allows fans access to any content available on FloSports.
A LOOK AT THE #3 LADY BUFFS
The No. 3-ranked West Texas A&M softball team held off the No. 4-ranked Rambelles of Angelo State to sweep a Lone Star Conference doubleheader on Friday night in Canyon. The Lady Buffs used big innings in game one to post a 10-6 victory before a seventh inning walk-off single capped off game two with an 8-7 score. WT moved to 30-2 on the season and 20-2 in conference play with the pair of wins while Angelo State fell to 26-6 overall and 17-5 in league action.
The Lady Buffs feature another high-octane lineup that ranks inside the top 10 for Division II for almost every offensive category including batting average, doubles, home runs, on-base percentage, RBIs, runs, and stolen bases. WT leads the country in hits, scoring, slugging percentage, and triples.
Junior
Emilee Boyer's .500 batting average leads the team where 15 different players have a .300 batting average or higher. Boyer's 12 home runs and 48 RBIs lead all of Division II while her 1.011 slugging percentage ranks second.
Lauren Granger's 49 hits and six triples rank in the top 10 nationally.
In the circle, WT has posted a 1.96 ERA with 226 strikeouts and 57 earned runs in 204 innings. Boyer and Vortherms have over 70 strikeouts each on the season as
Kendall Selitzky also has double digits (27) on the season.
Head Coach
Michael Mook is in his sixth season at WT, registering a 216-55 (.797) record in that time. For his career, Mook holds 370-116 record in 10 seasons for an overall winning percentage of .761.
SCOUTING LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN
The Lady Chaps come to Canyon following a sweep at the hands of Midwestern State. Game one saw the Mustangs use three runs in the bottom of the sixth to sneak past LCU, 9-8. In game two, Midwestern State took an early advantage and never look back on its way to a 6-2 win and series sweep.
Baylea Myers leads the LCU offense as the senior holds a .420 batting average with a 1.120 OPS, .650 slugging percentage, and .470 on-base percentage. The Keller, Texas native leads the team with 42 hits and 26 RBIs while tying for the team lead with four home runs. Yaya Kaaialii follows with a .407 batting average, 35 hits, 28 runs, and 19 RBI.
As a pitching staff, the Lady Chaps hold a 3.95 ERA in 204.0 innings of work. During that time, opponents are hitting .275 while hitting 36 doubles, four triples, and 21 home runs while striking out 171 times. Kendall Ward leads the team with a 2.36 ERA on 13 appearances and one start with a complete game, four saves, and 16 strikeouts. Natalee Gray leads the primary starters with a 3.84 ERA with 29 strikeouts to 22 walks in 34.2 innings of work.
Daren Hays is in his 15
th season as the head coach of the Lubbock Christian program and 15
th overall. Hays holds a 569-208 (.732) record for hirs career with a matching record at the helm of the Lady Chaps.
THE SERIES
WT leads the all-time series with Lubbock Christian with a 22-11 record with a 11-4 record in Canyon. The Lady Buffs are 9-2 against the Lady Chaps under
Michael Mook. In the 2024 season, WT won the series with LCU two games to one. The Lady Chaps stunned the top-ranked Lady Buffs in game one 8-7 before WT posted a 9-1 victory in six innings and a 6-2 win in the series finale.
W, 6-2 – Canyon, 2024
W, 9-1 (6) – Canyon, 2024
L, 7-8 – Canyon, 2024
W, 8-5 (11) – Lubbock, 2023
W, 12-2 (5) – Lubbock, 2023
NFCA RANKINGS
The poll saw little change in position as the top 12 teams in the rankings held steady. UT Tyler topped the poll with 13 first-place votes and 397 points followed by Tampa with the remaining first-place votes and 385 points. West Texas A&M (369), Angelo State (350), and Auburn Montgomery (324) remained in the third through fifth spots, respectively. Rogers State (318) and Francis Marion (311) sit in sixth and seventh with Augustana and North Georgia tying for eighth at 284 points. Central Oklahoma finishes out the top 10 with 194 points.
The South Central region is represented by four teams with UT Tyler leading the way at No. 1. WT (3
rd), Angelo State (4
th), and Oklahoma Christian (18
th) earned spots in the rankings.
LSC PRESEASON POLL
Reigning National Champion UT Tyler took the top spot in the poll with 34 first-place votes and 672 points followed by WT with eight first-place votes and 642 points. Angelo State grabbed the final first-place vote for 590 points with Oklahoma Christian following at 528 points. Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's tied for fifth in the poll with each school totaling 483 points. Texas Woman's (382), Texas A&M-Kingsville (372), Cameron (348), and Eastern New Mexico (315) occupy the seventh through 10
th spots, respectively. St. Edward's (293), Texas A&M International (215), Midwestern State (214), UT Permian Basin (97), and Sul Ross State (72) round out the poll.
UP NEXT
The Lady Buffs hit the road for the first of six games away from Canyon. WT starts its road games at Western New Mexico on Friday, March 28 before traveling to rival Eastern New Mexico on Sunday.
