(LAST WEEK) Midwestern State split an early week doubleheader at Texas Woman's University then took two of three from Central Oklahoma last weekend at Mustangs Park.
(NEXT WEEK) MSU finishes off the regular season playing host to Cameron in a three-game series at Mustangs Park. The Mustangs and Aggies play a single game Friday at 2 p.m. before finishing with a Senior Day doubleheader Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m. This marks the end of an era as MSU's final LSC North Division series.
(NO. 3) Midwestern State slipped one spot to No. 3 in the latest National Fast-pitch Coaches' Association Top 25. The Mustangs spent the previous two weeks at No. 2 which represented the highest national ranking in program history. MSU has carried a national ranking for each of the last 22 reporting periods dating back to the beginning of the 2010 season spending 17 of those weeks in the Top 10.
(MUSTANGS TOP REGION) Midwestern State has carried top billing in the NCAA Division II South Central Region rankings each of the last three weeks and leads heavy dose of six Lone Star Conference squads in the rankings. The Mustangs are followed by Emporia State, Angelo State, West Texas A&M, Nebraska-Omaha, St. Mary's, Southeastern Oklahoma, Central Oklahoma, Missouri Western and Incarnate Word. The top eight teams advance to the South Central Region beginning at two campus sites on the weekend of May 13-15.
(SHUT YOUR...) Midwestern State's Brittney Tanner and Kristina Gutierrez have combined to tie a Lone Star Conference record with 22 shutouts this season originally set by the 2000 Southeastern Oklahoma State squad. Tanner stifled Central Oklahoma for two blankings last weekend to set a new program standard with an NCAA Division II leading 12 shutouts this season. Tanner needs two more to match SOSU's Starla Payne (2000) and Christina Cearley (2003) for the LSC single season mark at 14. Gutierrez stands second in the league and fifth in the nation with 10 shutouts of her own.
(STRIIIIIIKE THREE!!) Tanner and Gutierrez have combined for a Lone Star Conference leading 434 strikeouts and are fanning the opposition at an historic rate. The duo has combined for a 9.93 strikeouts per seven inning ratio. That figure is the third highest in NCAA Division II history trialing Coker's 1996 squad (11.33 K/7) and 1999 squad (10.19 K/7).
(TANNER CHASING WILLSON) Tanner notched 18 strikeouts in her three starts last week to move to No. 2 on MSU's single season K list with 245 strikeouts passing Katie Petersen (244 strikeouts in 2010 and 243 strikeouts in 2007). Tanner needs 26 more to pass Brittany Willson record of 270 Ks in 2006.
(IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT IS GONE) Senior Amanda Potysman and junior Mallory Mooney launched Midwestern's 38th and 39th homers of the season in Sunday's 5-0 win over Central Oklahoma. The team is one behind last season's record 40 round trippers. The Mustangs rank third in the South Central Region and 23rd in NCAA Division II with 39 homers.
(ALL WE DO IS WIN) Midwestern State clinched its fourth 40-win season in school history with Saturday's 2-0 win over Central Oklahoma. The Mustangs matched last season's top mark through 47 games at 41-6.
(3 MEGAN CHARTIER) Chartier has been on fire during her eight starts during Lone Star Conference North play and is currently on a seven game hitting streak - all multiple hit games - during division play. She is hitting .600 (15-for-25) with seven runs and six stolen bases.
(4 McKENZIE SICKLER) Sickler has collected hits in four of her last six games hitting .400 (6-for-15) with a double and two RBIs. She has started MSU's last 29 games at shortstop where she has handled her last 31 chances flawlessly.
(5 NICKI DUFF) Duff has come on strong over her last 18 starts since the beginning of the Northeastern State series on March 19. The junior from Plano is .341 with a double and two triples while scoring 10 runs and driving in six more.
(6 ELENA BENNETT) Bennett leads the Lone Star Conference with a .450 batting average with three doubles and a triple. The sophomore from Carrollton sits third on MSU's all-time single season list with 46 runs and is sixth with 68 hits.
(7 KALLIE NOBLE) Noble has appeared in seven of the last eight games as a pinch runner. The freshman from Albany has seen action - primarily as a pinch runner - in 32 games this season.
(9 ALYSON REYNOLDS) Reynolds tagged her sixth homer of the season with a two-run shot to lift MSU to a 2-0 win over Central Oklahoma last Saturday at Mustangs Park. The senior from Keller is hitting .391 (8-for-23) with two doubles and three homers with eight RBIs in MSU's eight games since the Lone Star Conference Crossover.
(10 MALLORY MOONEY) Mooney has been on fire over her last 11 games. The junior third baseman is hitting .429 and slugging .686 with six doubles, a homer and nine RBIs to raise her season average to .359 with 16 doubles, seven homers and is second in the LSC with 44 RBIs. Mooney hasn't committed an error in her last 19 games and has handled her last 48 chances flawlessly.
(12 CAREY CAMPBELL) Campbell has started 42 games at second base logging a solid .961 fielding percentage. The Albuquerque native has been productive at the plate this season hitting .253 with three doubles and three homers with 14 RBIs. Campbell has drawn 19 walks for a .387 on-base percentage.
(14 COURTNEY BINGHAM) Bingham returned from a 19-game injury absence to lace her seventh double of the season while making her first start last Tuesday at Texas Woman's University since March 6. The sophomore from Arlington ranks second in the LSC with five triples and is enjoying a stellar campaign hitting .414 with seven doubles, five triples and two homers while driving in 33 runs.
(15 AMANDA POTYSMAN) Potysman belted her career-best seventh homer of the season in Sunday's 5-0 win over Central Oklahoma. The versatile senior has started the last five games at second base and has also made starts at first base (2), shortstop (18), left field (6), right field (7) and designated player (2).
(16 KIM JERRICK) Jerrick will become the first freshman in Midwestern State history to crush 10 home runs in a season with her next big fly. The Belle Plaine, Kan. native became the first catcher this season to throw out national stolen base leader Bailey Vrazel of Texas Woman's University Tuesday night as she was caught stealing for the first time in 56 attempts. Jerrick then gunned down the only Central Oklahoma base runner to attempt a stolen base last weekend.
(17 KRISTINA GUTIERREZ) Gutierrez has been untouchable in LSC North play with a 3-1 mark with a 0.75 ERA while allowing one run on 16 hits in 28 innings during divisional play with 43 strikeouts and two walks. The Pearland native is third in NCAA Division II with 10 shutouts and has allowed three hits or less in 10 of her 21 starts this season.
(24 COURTNEY FORD) Ford saw her first game action since Feb. 13 when she pinch-ran and scored a run in MSU 11-1 win over Texas Woman's April 3 in the LSC Crossover in San Angelo. The freshman from Graham has now appeared in eight games while hitting .429 with a pair of RBIs.
(25 BRITTNEY TANNER) Tanner bounced back from her fourth loss of the season to notch her NCAA Division II leading 11th and 12th shutouts of the season last weekend - a pair of four-hit blankings of Central Oklahoma. The senior from Burkburnett leads the LSC with 25 wins, 12 shutouts, 245 strikeouts and a .166 opponents batting averages. Tanner is also a force at the plate carrying a .313 batting average with four doubles and four homers this season.
