Midwestern State opens its NCAA Division II South Central Super Regional best-of-3 series against No. 19 Angelo State Friday afternoon at Mustangs Park. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.

The series concludes with Game No. 2 set for Saturday at 1 p.m. with possible deciding game following at 3:30.

What's at stake?

The winner of the South Central Super Regional advances to the NCAA Division II World Series which is set for May 27-31, 2010 at Heritage Park in St. Joseph, Mo.

Either Midwestern State or Angelo State will face the victor of the Central Super Regional between Metropolitan State (Colo.) and Wayne State (Neb.) which will be played Friday and Saturday at Auraria Field in Denver, Colo.

About the Mustangs

Midwestern State recovered from a 2-2 showing at the Lone Star Conference Championships by sweeping through the NCAA Division II South Central Regional #1 with victories over St. Mary's (Texas), #21 Nebraska-Omaha and No. 22 West Texas A&M.

The Mustangs (53-8) have posted a 22-4 mark since the beginning of April which included a program-best 17-game winning streak from April 3-May 6.

The Mustangs are paced by a potent pitching 1-2 punch of senior Katie Petersen and junior Brittney Tanner.

Petersen, who was named Daktronics South Central Region Pitcher of the Year earlier this week, leads the region with a 25-4 record with a 1.05 ERA, while Tanner boasts a 21-2 record with a 1.40 ERA after allowing just one unearned run in 11 innings in last week's NCAA II South Central Regional.

Offensively, the Mustangs are paced by Daktronics and NFCA second-team All-South Central Region catcher Lauren Craig (.353, 8 2B, 5 HR, 48 RBI) with plenty of support from Daktronics second-team all-region performers Courtney Bingham (.380, 19 2B, 29 RBI) and Mallory Mooney (.341, 7 2B, 7 HR, 40 RBI).

Freshman Elena Bennett (.374, 25 SB), sophomore Nicki Duff (.340, 3 2B, 5 3B, 18 RBI), junior Alyson Reynolds (.333, 10 2B, 2 HR, 21 RBI) and freshman Natalie Rodriguez (.307, 12 2B, 7 HR, 31 RBIs) all boasts averages over .300.

Midwestern State is hitting .319 as a team and tops the South Central Region with a 1.61 team ERA.

About the Rambelles

Angelo State has caught fire since taking a pair of one-run losses in their last trip to Mustangs Park on May 1 when MSU claimed 7-6 and 1-0 extra inning victories.

The Rambelles have won seven-straight games since which include a four-game run through the Lone Star Conference Championship tournament and a three-game jaunt through the NCAA II South Central Sub Regional last weekend in Emporia, Kan.

Angelo State (46-12) has won 12 of its last 14 games with the 'Belles only losses since April 19 coming to the Mustangs on May 1.

The Rambelles are led by three Daktronics All-South Central Region first-team selections in junior second baseman Alix Dean (.417, 20 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 55 RBI), freshman catcher Kacie Easley (.356, 12 2B, 14 HR, 63 RBI),  and senior pitcher Chelsea Nelson (25-8, 2.47 ERA), while junior designated player Kaycee Taylor (.412, 16 2B, 6 HR, 49 RBI) and senior outfielder Sarah DeMoss (.383, 6 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 45 SB) garnered second-team honors.

Angelo State is hitting .325 as a team and boasts a 2.49 team ERA.

About the series

Midwestern State owns a 3-2 edge against the Rambelles this season, but each of the last three games has gone to extra frames and all of the last four have been decided by one run.

Feb. 5: ASU 5, MSU 2

Angelo State's Chelsea Nelson limited the Mustangs to three hits and struck out seven as the Rambelles claimed a 5-2 win at the NCAA II Classic in San Antonio.

April Haywood delivers a two-run double in the third inning to give ASU a 5-0 lead before Natalie Rodriguez countered with a two-run single in the bottom of the frame to pull MSU within three runs.

March 26: MSU 8, ASU 7

Midwestern's Mallory Mooney blasts a grand slam in the first inning, but the Rambelles recover to tie the game 4-4, 6-6 and 7-7 on home runs by Kaycee Taylor, Alix Dean and Brittany Astle at the LSC Crossover in Durant, Okla.

The Mustangs win on McKenzie Sickler's infield single to plate Alyson Reynolds in the bottom of the seventh.

Brittney Tanner strikes out eight 'Belles in three innings to improve to 9-1.

May 1: MSU 7, ASU 6

Midwestern State rallies from a 6-0 sixth inning deficit to plate a run in the sixth in five in the seventh before scoring the winning run on Nicki Duff's run-scoring single to center field in the ninth inning at Mustangs Park.

Katie Petersen improves to 23-2 while recording five strikeouts in two innings of relief.

May 1: MSU 1, ASU 0

Midwestern State's Brittney Tanner out-dueled ASU's April Haywood as the Mustangs win 1-0 on Courtney Bingham's double to left field in the eighth inning at Mustangs Park.

Tanner limits the Rambelles to four hits while notching six strikeouts, while Haywood weaves a five-hitter.

ay 6: ASU 1, MSU 0

Kaycee Taylor scrambles to score all the way from first base when Kacie Easley's double eludes a diving Courtney Bingham to allow Angelo State to advance 1-0 in eight innings at the Lone Star Conference Championships in Durant.

ASU's Chelsea Nelson limits the Mustangs to two hits in four innings of relief to improve to 23-8, while Katie Petersen takes the loss to fall 23-3 despite holding the 'Belles to one run on six while posting seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.

Angelo State holds a 12-9 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 2004.

Notebook

GAME 400: Midwestern State plays its 400th game since the softball program was re-established in 2004. The Mustangs are 277-122 (.694) in now its seventh season of existence and are in the midst of their sixth NCAA Division II postseason appearance. MSU experienced softball as an AIAW sport in the early '80s.

TIGERT BACK IN REGIONAL FINALS: Midwestern State head coach Brady Tigert will lead a team into the South Central Regional finals for the first time since piloting Texas A&M-Kingsville to the same round in 2002. The Mustangs are now 5-12 in six NCAA II postseason appearances.

HOME SWEET HOME: Midwestern State boasts a 24-2 record (.923) this season when playing on the hallowed grounds of Mustangs Park. Home success is nothing new for MSU as it has posted a 53-14 mark (.791) since beginning play on its current home skin during the last regular season series of the 2007 season. The Mustangs are 118-35 (.771) on its home field since the program began in 2004. MSU went 65-21 (.756) from 2004-07 at the Sunrise Optimist Complex.

SCORING EARLY & OFTEN: Midwestern State has outscored the opposition 71-19 in the first inning as the Mustangs have accounting for 22.8 percent of its scoring in the opening frame of the game. MSU boasts a 30-3 record when it scores in the first inning and are 45-2 when it draws first blood.

KP EARNING RECOGNITION: There's no doubt Midwestern State senior Katie Petersen has earned her laurels of Daktronics South Central Region and Lone Star Conference North Division Pitcher of the Year accolades. The Plano native leads the South Central Region and is ninth in NCAA Division II with a 1.05 ERA, while boasting a 25-4 record while yielding 26 earned runs on 109 hits in 173 2/3 innings while posting 233 strikeouts while walking 46.

TANNER MORE THAN WORTHY: Although shutout of most postseason awards, junior Brittney Tanner may be the hottest pitcher in all of NCAA Division II right now. The Burkburnett native has permitted three earned runs on 16 hits with 30 strikeouts and three walks for a 0.84 ERA in 25 postseason innings which includes a one-hit, 12-K shutout of No. 22 West Texas A&M last weekend. Tanner improved to 21-2 with her three postseason wins and has pulled her season ERA to 1.40.

DUFF IS ON: Sophomore Nicki Duff extended her season-best hitting streak 10 games with an infield single in the second inning Sunday afternoon against West Texas A&M. The Plano East product is hitting .367 (11-for-30) during the streak.

A-REY HEATING UP: Junior Alyson Reynolds has collected a hit in each of Midwestern State's seven postseason games. She has blistered the ball to a .476 (10-for-21) tune with a stout .905 slugging percentage. Reynolds has smacked three doubles and two homers with six RBIs. She hit .750 (6-for-8) during the NCAA II South Central Region No. 1 last weekend at Mustangs Park to raise her season average to .333.