LEADOFF
Midwestern State opens the NCAA Division II South Central Region 1 Championship Friday night against host and top-seed West Texas A&M. First pitch at Schaeffer Park is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL 1
A four-team field including West Texas A&M, Texas Woman's, Metro State (Colo.) and Midwestern State square off in a double elimination tournament Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Schaeffer Park in Canyon. The winner advances to play the winner of the South Central Regional 2 including Angelo State, St. Mary's (Texas), Cameron (Okla.) and St. Edward's (Texas) in a best-of-3 Super Regional at the site of the highest remaining seed.
 
South Central Regional #1
Schaeffer Park
Canyon, Texas
Friday, May 9
Game 1: Texas Woman's (34-17) vs. Metro State (32-15), 4 p.m.
Game 2: West Texas A&M (51-5) vs. Midwestern State (28-22), 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 10
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 1:30 p.m.
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 4 p.m.
Game 5: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 11
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 1:30 p.m.
Game 7 (if necessary): Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 4 p.m.
 
MSU IN THE POSTSEASON
- Midwestern State makes its ninth postseason showing in its 11 seasons since bring back softball in 2004.
- The Mustangs are 14-18 all time in the NCAA Division II postseason claiming South Central Region titles in 2010 and 2011 advancing to the national semifinals in 2011.
 

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Midwestern State vs. West Texas A&M
Friday, May 9 | 6:30 p.m.
Schaeffer Park | Canyon, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (28-22); West Texas A&M (51-5)
Live Video: None
Live Audio: None
Live Stats: GoBuffsGo.com  
 
SCOUTING THE LADY BUFFS
- West Texas A&M had its program-best 24-game winning streak snapped in a 5-3 loss to Angelo State in the LSC Postseason title game last weekend in Canyon.
- The loss to the 10th-ranked Rambelles was WT's first home loss of the season sending the Lady Buffs to 30-1 this season at Schaeffer Park.
- West Texas A&M leads NCAA Division II in homers per game (1.66) and team slugging percentage (.657).
- Junior outfielder Renee Erwin leads the WT attack hitting .482 with 18 doubles and 17 homers while driving in 66 runs.
- Erwin is just one of three players with 17 home runs this season for West Texas A&M joining senior third baseman Jessica Sipe (.404, 13 2B, 17 HR, 65 RBI) and junior infielder Allie Cranfill (.362, 15 2Bs, 17 HRs, 67 RBI).
- Junior Kaisha Dacosin (.336, 16 2B, 10 HR, 58 RBI) and senior shortstop Alyssa Lemos (.319, 11 2B, 10 HR, 38 RBI) have also hit double-figure home runs.
- West Texas A&M carries the top three pitchers in the LSC in terms of ERA including junior Rita Hokianga (22-2, 2.13 ERA), sophomore Tori Bayer (11-0, 2.13 ERA) and sophomore Hannah Newcomb (18-3, 2.45 ERA).
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
- Midwestern State leads the overall series with West Texas A&M by a 21-9 margin.
- The Mustangs are 3-1 against WT in NCAA Division II postseason play claiming a 6-0 win over the Lady Buffs in regional play on May 16, 2010. MSU took two of three from West Texas A&M to advance to the World Series in 2011.
- MSU handed WT its first loss of the season on the way to taking two of three from the Lady Buffs earlier this season at Mustangs Park.
- The Mustangs are 0-3 against West Texas A&M in games played at Schaeffer Park.
 
MUSTANGS NOTABLES
- Midwestern State matched a school record hitting six home runs in 14-10 loss to Cameron in the LSC quarterfinals last weekend at Schaeffer Park.
- The Mustangs are 0-2 in games in which they hit six homers this season as the also took a 22-17 loss in 10 innings against Southern Arkansas on Feb. 3 in Pensacola, Fla.
- Junior shortstop Katy Vandewater is 10-for-13 (.769) with three doubles and five homers while driving in 14 runs over her last four games. The torrid stretch includes four-straight multiple-hit games while hitting two homers in each of her last two games.
- Junior third baseman Kelley Schaefer rides a season-best eight-game hitting streak into the postseason. She is hitting .565 with two doubles, four homers and 13 RBIs during the stretch.
- Schaefer joined senior catcher Kim Jerrick (15 HR), Vandewater (15 HR) and sophomore Katelyn Vinson (10 HR) with double-figure homers by hitting her 10th and 11th long balls last weekend against Cameron.
- Senior catcher Kim Jerrick connected on her 55th career home run with a solo blast to left in the sixth inning last Friday against Cameron. MSU's all-time homer leader needs one more to match former West Texas A&M standout Kim LeComte for the Lone Star Conference's all-time homer lead. LeComte hit 56 homers from 2009-12.
- Six different MSU players have connected for two homers in a game this season including Katelyn Vinson (Cameron on 4/16), Shelby Carter (UTPB on 2/25), Erin Knox (West Florida on 2/2), Kim Jerrick (twice -- Southern Arkansas on 2/3 and Eastern New Mexico on 3/7), Katy Vandewater (twice -- Tarleton State on 4/26 and Cameron on 5/2) and Kelley Schaefer (twice -- Angelo State on 3/29 and Cameron on 5/2).
- Midwestern State ranks second in NCAA Division II hitting 1.60 home runs per game.
- The Mustangs have hit 80 home runs which are the second most in school history after hitting 86 in 2013.
 
MUSTANGS IN NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
- The Mustangs rank second in NCAA Division II in home runs per game (1.60), 10th in slugging percentage (.553), 16th in scoring (6.8) and 55th in batting average (.315).
- Senior catcher Kim Jerrick ranks 21st in home runs (15.0), 11th in runs per game (1.25), 12th in walks per game (0.69), 20th in home runs per game (0.31), 55th in on-base percentage (.500), 55th in slugging percentage (.730) and 51st in stolen bases (0.50).
- Sophomore outfielder Katelyn Vinson ranks 53rd in home runs per game (0.26), 39th in slugging percentage (.750), 35th in RBIs per game (1.15) and 82nd in sacrifice flies (3.0).
- Junior shortstop Katy Vandewater is 21st in home runs (15.0), 27th in home runs per game (0.30) and 62nd in RBIs per game (1.14).
- Junior third baseman Kelley Schaefer ranks 85th in home runs per game (0.23), 72nd in RBIs per game (1.00), 97th in slugging percentage (.680), 75th in home runs (11.0) and 12th with five sacrifice flies.
- Sophomore outfielder Haley Howerton is 92nd in stolen bases per game (0.42).
 
MSU UNDER BRADY TIGERT
Brady Tigert is in his 11th season at the helm at Midwestern State and is the program's lone head coach since it was resurrected in 2004. The Mustangs have averaged just over 40 wins a year under Tigert, who boasts a 429-202 (.680) record which includes NCAA Division II postseason trips in eight of 10 seasons. MSU finished as national semifinalists in 2011, claimed two regional titles (2010, 2011) and two Lone Star Conference championships (2006, 2007).