GULF SHORES, Ala. – Midwestern State wraps up play at the Gulf Shores Invitational on Sunday with a showdown against Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.). First pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m.

SERIES HISTORY
MSU Texas holds a 1-0 edge over the Sailfish of Palm Beach Atlantic. Sunday's meeting marks the first time the teams have met on the diamond since the Maroon and Gold came away with a 9-5 win on February 22, 2008. 

TURN UP
Sophomore Ashley Turner kicked off the 2020 season with a pair of multi-hit games. Turner went 2-for-4 with an RBI against West Alabama before another 2-for-4 showing against Mississippi College. 

KELSEY'S KILLING IT
Kelsey Eropkin opened the season with back-to-back two-hit games. The senior went 2-for-4 against West Alabama and 2-for-3 against Mississippi College. Eropkin scored a run in each game. 
 
LONE STAR CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
The Mustangs were tabbed to finish 12th in the 2020 Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll. MSU Texas received 327 votes from the ballots cast by the league's head coaches, sports information directors, and media representatives. The Mustangs return eight players from last year's squad that finished 22-19.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Senior Lauren Lindgren, who became just the second Academic All-American in program history by claiming third team Google Cloud/CoSIDA honors last season, leads an MSU offense that collectively hit .260 with 34 home runs and 158 runs scored in 2019. The outfielder led the Mustangs with a .336 batting average. Other notable returnees include Ashley Turner who posted a .297 batting average and Kelsey Eropkin, who started all 41 games and hit .293. The Mustangs return only one player who saw action on the mound last season in senior Jessica Clark (0.2 innings).

FRESH FACES
The Maroon and Gold welcome nine newcomers to the program, including freshman Bailey Brenek who was named District 6-6A Catcher of the Year as a senior at Flower Mound High School and Hill College transfer Carson Solis, who hit .305 with 18 RBI for the Rebels last season.

SCOUTING THE FIELD
Palm Beach Atlantic upset No. 24 Valdosta State (Ga.) in their season opener before falling 5-1 to Rogers State (Okla.). Magnolia West had a monster start to the 2020 season on Saturday, finishing 6-for-7 at the plate with a double and a triple. Edmilly Molina (3-for-5) was the only other Sailfish to record at least two hits on Saturday. Abbey Busby starred in the circle for PBA, allowing just two runs (one earned) in eight innings of work. Palm Beach Atlantic finished last season 27-24. It was the program's lowest win total since winning 27 games in 2013. 
 
CATCHING UP WITH COACH RYAL
Mark Ryal begins his fourth season as head coach after serving in an interim capacity in 2017. Last season, Ryal guided the Mustangs to a 22-19 (13-17) record. The 22 wins marked the program's highest total since the 2016 season. Overall, the Dewar, Oklahoma native has compiled a 56-71 (32-58) record during his time in Wichita Falls.
 
UP NEXT
The Mustangs open the Harding Invitational on Friday, February 7 with games against Northeastern State (Okla.) at 12 p.m. and Harding (Ark.) at 2 p.m.