No. 5 Midwestern State opens its four-game series with rival Southeastern Oklahoma State Tuesday afternoon at the SOSU Softball Field. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.

The doubleheader will be carried live on KSEO-AM in Durant and via live audio streaming courtesy of GoSoutheasetern.com.

The Mustangs clinched their third 40-win season with a sweep of Cameron last week and need just four victories to match the school's all-time season record for wins set in 2006 (44-15) and 2007 (44-16).

Midwestern can clinch a berth into its eighth-straight Lone Star Conference Championship with one win this week and would cinch no worse than a No. 2 seed with a sweep of the Savage Storm.

About the Savage Storm

Southeastern Oklahoma State is coming off of a series split with Northeastern State last week and has won four of its last six after going 1-5 at the Lone Star Conference Crossover.

The Savage Storm rocked the RiverHawks for a school-record in runs with a 19-3 win in Game 1 Saturday before NSU's Cayce Coleman two-hit them in a 2-1 loss in Game 2.

Southeastern is paced by a trio of top options at the plate where the Savage Storm boasts five hitters batting better than .300.

Senior infielder Erika Bernal leads the team with a .377 batting average to go along with 11 doubles and 12 home runs while driving in 30 runs.

Junior outfielder Jeana Keyes hits .357 with 13 doubles, while freshman Ryan Allen boasts a .344 average with 11 homers and 31 RBIs.

The Savage Storm has struggled in the circle were junior Ashley Smith has posted an 11-9 record with a 3.58 ERA and senior Amanda Tanner is 8-10 with a 3.99 ERA.

About the Mustangs

Midwestern State rides an eight-game winning streak into this week's series with Southeastern Oklahoma State as the Mustangs have won 18 of their last 20.

The Mustangs boasts eight batters with a .299 batting average or better with at least 92 at bats this season.

Redshirt freshman Courtney Bingham, who has missed MSU's last 10 games with injury, leads the Mustangs with a .398 batting average with 17 doubles, but the team has found a way with a balanced lineup.

Freshman center fielder Elena Bennett has legged out 50 singles for a .391 batting average with 18 stolen bases, while fellow top of the order speedster Nicki Duff, a sophomore left fielder, is hitting .344 with three doubles, four triples and seven stolen bases.

Senior catcher Lauren Craig has come on strong over the last the last 16 games to raise her average to .342 with five doubles, three homers and a team-high 30 RBIs.

Freshman shortstop Natalie Rodriguez (.326, 6 HR, 23 RBI, 13 SB), junior first baseman Alyson Reynolds (.313, 7 2B, 13 RBIs) and junior third baseman McKenzie Sickler (.299, 6 2B, 7 HR, 25 RBIs) have all made substantial contributions.

Sophomore third baseman Mallory Mooney hit .344 with seven doubles, five homers and 28 RBI before missing the last 16 games with a leg injury.

Senior pitcher Katie Petersen leads a dynamic trio of pitchers with a 19-2 record with a 1.18 ERA with an LSC-best 167 strikeouts.

Junior Brittney Tanner is 14-2 with a 1.73 ERA and is third in the league with 142 strikeouts.

Junior Kristina Guitierrez is 7-2 with a 2.94 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings of work.

About the series

Midwestern State meets Southeastern Oklahoma State for the 32nd and 33rd time on the diamond Tuesday afternoon at the SOSU Softball Field.

The teams split its series last season with the Mustangs taking 4-3 and 4-2 victories over SOSU All-America pitcher Marjorie Johnson.

Midwestern owns a 7-5 edge over the Savage Storm in games played at the SOSU Softball Field.

Notables

• Midwestern State has won 40 games for the third time in the program's seven-year history and are four victories shy of the program record of 44 wins set in 2006 (44-15) and matched in 2007 (44-16).
• MSU improved to 46-14 (.767) all time at Mustangs Park after claiming a pair of doubleheader sweeps over Cameron and Oklahoma Panhandle State last week.
• The Mustangs need three wins to eclipse the program's record of 20 home victories set by the 2005 club at the Sunrise Optimist Complex.
• Midwestern State has gone 14-2 since starting third baseman and cleanup hitter Mallory Mooney suffered a leg injury on March 26 against West Texas A&M at the LSC Crossover in Durant.
• The Mustangs have been without the services of redshirt-freshman outfielder Courtney Bingham for the last 10 games. Bingham was hitting .398 with 17 doubles.
• Junior Brittney Tanner is hitting .357 with four doubles and a home with 9 RBIs since taking over a permanent role in the lineup on April 1.
• Tanner's two-run homer in the sixth inning Saturday afternoon at Cameron was the first of her prep or collegiate career. It also gave the Mustangs a 3-2 lead.
• Senior pitcher Katie Petersen has won her last 18 decisions dating back to a 4-3 loss at St. Mary's on Feb. 7, 2010. Petersen needs two more strikeouts to reach 800 for her career.
• Petersen needs 55 strikeouts to pass former Texas A&M-Kingsville standout Maria Gutierrez (852, 1999-02).
• Petersen claimed her 84th and 85th career wins last week and needs eight to surpass Brittany Willson (MSU/TWU, 2002, 04-06) and Christina Cearley (SOSU, 2003-06) for the most in Lone Star Conference history.