#4 West Texas A&M (46-6) vs. Texas Woman's (30-25)
vs. TWU	Thursday, May 7th - 7:30 p.m.
Location | Venue	Canyon, Texas | Schaeffer Park
Live Statistics	Link
Live Video (FloCollege)	FloCollege
Other Links	Game Notes | Championship Central

CANYON, Texas – The #4 Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M begin the road to Chattanooga on Thursday night as they battle eighth-seeded Texas Woman's in the Lone Star Conference Quarterfinals at Schaeffer Park with first pitch scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Canyon. 
 
THIS IS LADY BUFF SOFTBALL
West Texas A&M Softball is in their 21st season of NCAA competition as the Lady Buffs are a staggering 827-331 (.714) since reviving the program prior to the 2006 campaign. WT has won three South Central Regional Championships (2014, 2016, 2021) along with a pair of NCAA Division II National Championships (2014, 2021).
 
2025 REWIND
The Lady Buffs capped off 2025 with a 56-8 overall record and 40-4 Lone Star Conference record. WT opened the campaign ranked 13th before quickly entering the top 10 of the NFCA poll. The Lady Buffs spent 10 weeks in the top five including three weeks at No. 1. WT earned a share of the Lone Star Conference regular season title for the second consecutive season.
 
WT HEAD COACH MICHAEL MOOK
In just six seasons, Michael Mook has led West Texas A&M to a 288-67 (.811) mark while claiming the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championship. Mook is a three-time Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year (2024, 2025, 2026) who has led the Lady Buffs to four NCAA Postseason appearances (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025). Mook recently agreed to a three-year contract extension to keep him the WT dugout until atleast the Summer of 2028. 
 
A new era of Lady Buff softball began on June 20, 2019, as Mook was hired as the third head coach in program history. Mook went 154-61 during his four-year tenure at Valley City State University including an impressive 54-5 in 2019 leading the Vikings to their third-ever appearance at the NAIA World Series.
 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Texas Woman's enters the weekend 30-25 overall as they went 23-17 in Lone Star Conference play to finish eighth in the league standings. The Pioneers picked up their first victory in the LSC Tournament since 2017 on Wednesday afternoon with a 4-1 win over ninth-seeded Western New Mexico at Schaeffer Park in Canyon. Lizzie Smith hit a pair of homeruns to drive in four runs while Randi Crawford allowed just four hits and striking out three in the complete game win.
 
Marissa Espinoza leads the way offensively for the Pioneers as the junior from Keller, Texas is hitting .379 with 13 doubles and 10 homeruns to drive in a team-best 44 RBI for a slugging percentage of .605 as she is also 25-of-30 on stolen base attempts. TWU is hitting .281 as a team this season with 72 doubles, two triples and 46 homers to drive in 234 RBI for a slugging percentage of .432.
 
Crawford, the Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Year, has been the go-to in the circle for the Pioneers, making 31 appearances with 26 starts as the sophomore righty is 16-6 with a 1.94 ERA. The Blossom, Texas product has allowed 45 runs (34 earned) on 126 hits with 34 walks and 162 strikeouts in her 162.2 innings for an opposing average of .212. TWU holds a staff ERA of 3.49 as they have allowed 223 runs (179 earned) on 350 hits with 142 walks and 270 strikeouts in 358.2 innings of work.
 
TWU HEAD COACH GAY McNUTT
Veteran head coach Gay McNutt is in her fourth season leading the Texas Woman's softball program. The former Texas A&M All-American has head coaching stops at East Texas A&M, Stephen F. Austin, Southern Mississippi and Northwestern State. McNutt helped the Aggies win a pair of National Championships during her playing career in College Station (1982, 1983).
 
THE SERIES
The Lady Buffs and Pioneers meet for the 69th time on Thursday night as WT holds the 42-24 advantage in a series that dates back to 2006. The Pioneers are 14-21 all-time in Canyon. Earlier this season saw the Lady Buffs claim a pair of wins (5-4 / 15-7) over the Pioneers in Canyon back on April 9th. The two team have met five time in the postseason with four of them coming in the Lone Star Conference Championships (2010, 2013, 2015, 2016).
 
NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
The Lady Buffs remain second in the newest edition of the NCAA Division II South Central Region announced on Wednesday afternoon by the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
The top eight teams in the South Central Region will take part in the Regional Tournament taking place on May 14-16 at two regional sites. The winners of the two conference tournaments (LSC, RMAC) will receive an automatic bid into the postseason with the last six spots being filled by at-large selections.
 
LSC POSTSEASON AWARDS
Nine Lady Buffs claimed accolades highlighted by Jordyn De Los Santos winning LSC Player of the Year honors while Michael Mook was tabbed the league's Coach of the Year for the third straight season.
 
De Los Santos was joined on the LSC First Team by Trinity Kuntz, Bella Holland, Mya Chacon, Brooke Janning and Cadence Colborn. The Second Team featured Abby Howell and Laci Peskey while Emily Liskai and Heaven Moreno claimed Third Team accolades. Janning and Holland were both named to the All-Freshman squad while Liskai earned Golden Glove acclaim. Colborn, Liskai and Avery Cannon were honored for their efforts in the classroom as members of the All-Academic team.
 
LADY BUFFS IN THE LSC TOURNAMENT
The Lady Buffs are making their 17th appearance in the Lone Star Conference Championships this weekend, hosting the event for the seventh time (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2024, 2025, 2026). West Texas A&M has won the LSC Tournament crown on six occasions (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2024).