Midwestern State (15-20, 9-18 LSC) vs. #17 Tarleton State (40-8, 17-7 LSC)
Lone Star Conference Series
Friday and Saturday, April 20-21, 2018 | 4 p.m. / 6 p.m. / 6 p.m.
Mustangs Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
MSU leads the all-time series 25-12 | MSU is 12-3 at home against TSU | TexAnns took two-of-three in Stephenville last year
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: Midwestern State hosts No. 17-ranked Tarleton State (40-8, 17-7 LSC) on Friday and Saturday for its final home contests of 2018. Midwestern State honors its senior class of Amanda Thomas, Gracie Bogle, Taylor Brintzenhoff, Tayler Jerrick and Kelcee Thompson who don the Maroon and Gold for the final time in their illustrious careers. The Mustangs (15-20, 9-18 LSC) aims to take its second-straight Lone Star Conference series after winning two-of-three from Texas Woman's on the road last week.
 
STANDINGS SHAKEDOWN: MSU must win out and get help from other conference foes to keep its Lone Star Conference Tournament hopes alive. The ninth-place Mustangs need UT Permian Basin and Texas A&M-Commerce to sweep Texas Woman's in the final two weeks to earn the No. 6 seed in the championships.
 
RANKED FOES KEEP COMING: This weekend's series features the fourth-straight ranked opponent to journey to Mustangs Park. MSU previously welcomed Texas A&M-Kingsville, No. 11-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce, No. 15-ranked West Texas A&M and No. 10-ranked Angelo State, going a combined 1-11 in those series with the lone win coming against TAMUC in the series-opener.
 
FROZEN ROPES FOR EROPKIN: Sophomore outfielder Kelsey Eropkin enters the series leading the team with a .347 average. On the season, the Shawnee, Okla., native has hit in 28 of 35 games and owns a pair of lengthy hitting streaks, the longest including an 11-game stretch. During the last 10 games, the sophomore owns a .514 average (19-for-37) with four doubles, nine runs and four RBI.
 
TEXANNS POWERED BY PITCHING: Tarleton State enters the matchup after stepping out of conference play last week, sweeping St. Edward's in a pair of run rule affairs. Offensively, the TexAnns hit .346 as a team, led by Tanna Huie with a .419 average. Georgia Capell and Megan Durante power the offense with 37 and 40 RBI, respectively, and combine for 21 home runs. In the circle, Jordan Withrow has seen the majority of the action, posting a 21-5 record in 27 starts. The right-hander owns a 2.24 ERA in 175.1 innings with 202 strikeouts.