No. 28 Midwestern State vs Dallas Baptist

Saturday, April 23 – 11 a.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 6-0

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State hosts Dallas Baptist in the final LSC match of the regular season. The 38th-ranked Mustangs and the Patriots face off at MSU Tennis Center at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The senior day ceremony will follow the match.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

Midwestern State has a 14-7 record for the 2022 season. The team has an undefeated Lone Star Conference record. MSU owns a share of the conference championship and can clinch it with a win against DBU. The Mustangs hold the 28th spot in the ITA National Team Rankings. The team also took the first spot in the DII South Central Regional Rankings last week. MSU could host the regional matches if they maintain the top spot.

Alex Martinez Roca ranks 20th in the nation in singles play with a 9-5 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 second in the nation in doubles play. The duo has a 17-2 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 two losses were to Southern Arkansas and Baylor University. The pair won six LSC battles.

Westwick is 11-9 in singles play this season. The junior is 6-3 at the Mustangs' third line and 3-1 at line four. Westwick is undefeated in his six Lone Star Conference matches.

Brice Bradshaw is 10-10 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 5-3 record in doubles play. The duo has five wins in LSC play.

Marcal Miret Avante has a 14-4 record for the season with a 6-1 record at line four. The freshman is undefeated at line five with two wins. He holds a 5-1 tally in the Lone Star Conference, winning his last three matches.

Quentin Scharfenberg and Stephen Slocombe recently paired up to play at No. 3 doubles. The duo won their last two matches, including the battle against Ethan Muza and Christopher Frantzen of Baylor.

Charles Heffernan is 8-5 playing at line five while Stefan Andrei has an 8-2 record at No. 6. Heffernan has a 3-3 Lone Star Conference record. Andrei clinched MSU's matches against UT Tyler and Cameron last week. 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 183-90 (.670) 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 PATRIOTS

Dallas Baptist has a 9-12 record for the 2022 season, going 0-6 in LSC matches. The Patriots lost back-to-back matches versus UT Tyler and St. Mary's. In all away games, DBU has two wins. The team defeated Hendrix and East Texas Baptist in February.

Grant Mackenzie lost his last six matches for the Patriots. The senior from Houston, Texas, is 2-8 in his last ten matches. Mackenzie has a 5-7 tally at line one this season. He and Gabe Garrido fell in their last three battles at No. 1 doubles. The duo is 2-10 for the season.

Garrido, who played the last three matches at line one, is 11-5 in all singles play. The senior from Amarillo, Texas, is 2-4 in the Lone Star Conference.

Aaron Capone has yet to win a conference match, falling in all six engagements. The junior from Burleson, Texas, plays at lines two and three. Capone and Ricardo Carvajalino are 7-8 for the year, playing primarily at No. 2 doubles.

Carvajalino amounted to a 7-9 record in 2022. The freshman from Fort Worth, Texas, is 5-5 at line four.

Roman Hill has an 8-8 tally in all singles play. The sophomore from Fort Worth, Texas, has four wins at line four. He clinched one league win over Joao Duleba of Cameron. Hill and Dayman Andrew earned their first win at No. 3 doubles on April 8.

ABOUT THE SERIES

In 16 years and six matches, MSU has yet to drop a single point to DBU. The Mustangs have swept the Patriots 9-0 in four matches and 7-0 in the last two. The 2021 meeting between Midwestern State and Dallas Baptist was the first conference match. MSU has two wins versus DBU at home (in 2013 and 2019).

UP NEXT

Midwestern State begins play in the Lone Star Conference Championship next week. The Mustangs and the other seven LSC teams will battle in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, April 28. The semifinal matches and championship match will take place on Friday, April 29, and Saturday, April 30.