No. 40 Midwestern State at No. 4 Baylor

Tuesday, April 19 – 2 p.m.
Hurd Tennis Center (Waco, Texas)
All-Time Series: BU leads 2-0

WACO, Texas -- Midwestern State battles Baylor at Hurd Tennis Center on Tuesday. The Mustangs and the Bears, both top-rated in Division II and Division I, face each other for the fourth time in Waco. The first serve is set for 2 p.m.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

Midwestern State has a 14-6 record for the 2022 season. The team won the last four matches to help build an undefeated Lone Star Conference record. MSU is 5-2 when playing on the road, dropping to No. 8 Ouachita Baptist and No. 11 Southern Arkansas. Baylor is the first Division I team the team will face this season. The Mustangs hold the 38th spot in the ITA National Team Rankings.

Alex Martinez Roca ranks 19th in the nation in singles play with a 9-4 record from line one. The senior lost his first LSC match last week against No. 55 Tomas Almeida to move to a 5-1 record in conference play. His 68 career singles wins ties for third in MSU history. The Castelldefels, Spain, product's 127 combined wins are eighth in the program record books.

Martinez Roca and Ben Westwick rank third in the nation in doubles play. The duo has a 17-1 record. They beat two other ranked teams including No. 9-ranked Francisco Oliveira and Santiago Kearney (Ouachita Baptist) and No. 47 Gonzalo Fernandez and Moritz Mayer (UT Tyler). Martinez Roca and Westwick's only drop was to Southern Arkansas on March 12. The pair won their last 11 matches, including six LSC battles.

Westwick is 11-8 in singles play this season and won four consecutive matches. The junior is 6-2 at the Mustangs' third line and 3-1 at line four. Westwick is undefeated in his six Lone Star Conference matches.

Brice Bradshaw is 10-9 in all singles play this year. The sophomore has nine victories at line two. The Hoover, Ala. native has one win against a ranked opponent. He beat 60th-ranked Stipan Madzar of Southeastern Oklahoma State on March 23. Bradshaw teamed with Corbin Ford to post a 5-2 record in doubles play. The duo has five wins in LSC play.

Marcal Miret Avante has a 14-3 record for the season with a 6-0 record at line four. The freshman is also undefeated at line five with two wins. He holds a 5-1 tally in the Lone Star Conference, winning his last three matches. Miret Avante and Stephen Slocombe are 8-7 for the year.

Charles Heffernan is 8-4 playing at line five while Stefan Andrei has an 8-1 record at No. 6. Heffernan won his last three matches, including two in LSC play. Andrei clinched MSU's matches against UT Tyler and Cameron. This led to his LSC Player of the Week accolade on April 13.

AT THE HELM

Scott Linn enters his 12th season at the helm of the Midwestern State men's and women's tennis programs in 2021-22. He guided the Mustangs to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances since arriving in Wichita Falls in the fall of 2010. The Mustangs have thrived under Linn's leadership as he revived the program to the highest level. Under Linn, the men's program posted a 183-89 (.673) mark with seven NCAA Tournament appearances. The team advanced to the national quarterfinals in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019 after a five-year absence from the postseason.

SCOUTING THE BEARS

Baylor is 22-3 for the 2022 season, winning their last three matches. The Bears have one loss at home this season in which the team fell to No. 12 Michigan. BU won their last three matches. In the ITA Rankings, Baylor is fourth.

Adrian Boitan is third in the ITA National Singles Rankings. The junior from Constanta, Romania, is 17-0 at line one this season. He has a 19-1 overall record.

Matias Soto is 39th in the ITA listings. The senior from Copiapo, Chile, has a 13-8 tally for the season. He is 7-7 at line two for the Bears. Soto and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi are No. 18 in the national doubles list. The pair are 18-4 at line two with six consecutive wins.

Sven Lah takes the 71st spot in the national rankings. The senior from Ptuj, Slovenia, is 9-6 at line three this year. He has a 19-8 record, winning his last three matches.

Tadeas Paroulek is No. 78 on the national singles stage. The sophomore from Prague, Czech Republic, has seven wins at line five. This season he is 13-8 in all singles play.

Finn Bass rounds out BU's rankings at No. 123. The junior from Rock, Cornwall, United Kingdom, has a 17-8 overall tally. He posts a 6-4 record at line four for the year. He and Lah take the fifth spot in the ITA National Doubles Rankings. The duo is 16-9 this season.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Midwestern State and Baylor have four matches in the series, all taking place in Waco, Texas. BU took wins in the first two matches in 1987 and 1999. The 2016 and 2021 battles were exhibition matches in which MSU fell 6-1 and 7-0.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State finishes the regular season on Saturday, April 23. The Mustangs host Dallas Baptist at MSU Tennis Center for senior day. The Lone Star Conference match kick starts at 11 a.m.