Midwestern State (11-11, 6-9 LSC) vs. #15 West Texas A&M (23-5, 6-3 LSC)
Lone Star Conference Series
Friday & Saturday, March 23-24, 2018 | 7 p.m. / 2 p.m. / 4 p.m.
Mustangs Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
All-time series is tied 22-22 | MSU is 12-8 at home against WT | Lady Buffs have won 12-straight against MSU
Game 1 Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com | Game 2 Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com | Game 3 Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com | Live Video: Mustangs Digital Network
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
 
LEADING OFF: The MSU Texas softball team returns to the friendly confines of Mustangs Park for a Highway 287 Challenge series against 15th-ranked West Texas A&M (23-5, 6-3 LSC). Midwestern State (11-11, 6-9 LSC) is coming off a Lone Star Conference series win in the Red River Rivalry against Cameron last weekend.
 
CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL: MSU ranks 10th-nationally and is third in the Lone Star Conference with 1.09 home runs per game, clubbing 24 long balls in 22 games. 10 different players have gone yard, led by junior second baseman Samantha Loos with six. The Maroon and Gold have been held without an extra base hit for the last five games.
 
THOMAS PICKING UP STEAM: Senior catcher Amanda Thomas found her rhythm in the finale against ENMU, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, two runs and a double. In her last 15 games, the backstop is hitting at a .348 clip with 11 RBI, six runs and two taters. The Marble Falls product leads the team with five multi-RBI games, including three games with three RBI.
 
BOGLE NOT GETTING BOGGED DOWN: Senior pitcher Gracie Bogle has stymied the opposition in her last four starts, allowing just six earned runs in 19.2 innings in the circle, good for a 2.13 ERA. The Tulsa native scattered 15 hits with 16 strikeouts.
 
EROPKIN HITTING ROPES: After being held hitless in the first two games of the season, sophomore outfielder Kelsey Eropkin has been on a tear, hitting safely in 18 of the last 20 games. During that span, the Tulsa transfer is hitting .324 with 14 runs, four doubles, four homers and six RBI.
 
SAMI SOFTBALL: Junior second baseman Samantha Loos has been hit-by-pitch in each of the last four games to extend her team-leading on-base streak to 19 consecutive games. Loos leads the team with six homers, a .586 slugging percentage, .429 on-base percentage to go along with 12 walks and seven HBPs.
 
ADAMS STRANDS A SMALL VILLAGE AGAINST AGGIES: Riley Adams shined in the circle in the Mustangs' 3-1 game two win on Saturday against Cameron, tossing a complete game with no earned runs to earn the victory. The right-hander stranded 13 runners on base, scattering eight hits and four walks on 136 pitches. Additionally, Adams held the Aggies to a .214 (3-for-14) average with runners in scoring position.
 
ENTER SANDMAN: Junior pitcher Abbie Lancaster broke the Mustangs single-season save record, earning her fifth save of the season on Friday against Cameron. The Lone Star Conference leader has stranded 14-of-20 inherited runners this season. The Idabell, Okla., native is holding opponents to a .224 average with 34 strikeouts in 49.1 innings of work.
 
LADY BUFFS FLEXING THEIR MUSCLES: West Texas A&M enters the series hitting more than two home runs per game to go along with a .366 team average. Infielder Suka Van Gurp leads the club with a .494 average with eight homers and 27 RBI while infielder Kylee Moore is slugging 1.022 to go along with a .378 average, including 17 long balls and 41 RBI. Senior Kilee Halbert is expected to get the nod in the circle. The right-hander leads the Lady Buffs with a 10-4 record and a 2.38 ERA in 15 starts this season. Southpaw Shayne Starkey will likely toe the rubber as well, posting a 9-0 record and a 2.18 ERA in eight starts and 11 appearances.