No. 28 Midwestern State vs Dallas Baptist

Thursday, April 28 – 3:30 p.m.
Arlington Tennis Center (Arlington, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 7-0

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Midwestern State starts play in the Lone Star Conference Tournament on Thursday, April 28. The 28th-ranked Mustangs and Dallas Baptist go head-to-head in the quarterfinal round. Arlington Tennis Center hosts all matches of the tournament. The first serve is set for 3:30 p.m.

LSC POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT

Midwestern State qualified for 20 conference tournaments since 1998. The team won five championships, including back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. Last year's Lone Star Conference Tournament was canceled due to weather.

Thursday, April 28, 2022
Quarterfinal #1: No. 3 Cameron vs. No. 6 Western New Mexico, Noon
Quarterfinal #2: No. 2 UT Tyler vs. No. 7 UT Permian Basin, Noon
Quarterfinal #3: No. 1 Midwestern State vs. No. 8 Dallas Baptist, 3:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal #4: No. 4 St. Mary's vs. No. 5 Arkansas-Fort Smith, 3:30 p.m.

Friday, April 29, 2022
Semifinal #1: Winner Quarterfinal #1 vs. Winner Quarterfinal #2, 1 p.m.
Semifinal #2: Winner Quarterfinal #3 vs. Winner Quarterfinal #4, 1 p.m.

Saturday, April 30, 2022
Final: Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

Midwestern State has a 15-7 record for the 2022 season. The team finished the LSC regular season with an undefeated record. MSU clinched the conference championship last Saturday with its win over 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 10-5 record from line one. The senior lost one LSC match against No. 55 Tomas Almeida (Cameron) to hold a 6-1 record in conference play. His 69 career singles wins is third in MSU history. The Castelldefels, Spain, product's 129 combined wins are tied for sixth in the program record books.

Martinez Roca and Ben Westwick rank second in the nation in doubles play. The duo has an 18-2 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 seven LSC battles.

Westwick is 12-9 in singles play this season. The junior is 7-3 at the Mustangs' third line and 3-1 at line four. Westwick is the only Mustang undefeated in all seven Lone Star Conference matches.

Brice Bradshaw is 11-10 in all singles play this year. The sophomore has ten 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 6-3 record in doubles play. The duo has six wins in LSC play.

Marcal Miret Avante has a 15-4 record in his first collegiate season. He has a 7-1 record at line four. The freshman is undefeated at line five with two wins. He holds a 6-1 tally in the Lone Star Conference, winning his last four matches.

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

Charles Heffernan is 9-5 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 to gain the 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 184-90 (.672) 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 10-13 record for the 2022 season, going 0-7 in LSC matches. The Patriots finished eighth in the conference standings.

Grant Mackenzie dropped to Martinez Roca on Saturday. The senior from Houston, Texas, is 2-8 in his last ten matches. Mackenzie has a 5-9 tally at line one this season. He and Roman Hill defeated Scharfenberg and Slocombe by 7-5. The duo has back-to-back victories.

Hill has an 8-10 tally in all singles play. The sophomore from Fort Worth, Texas, has four wins at line five. He clinched one league win over Joao Duleba of Cameron. Hill then lost the next four matches.

Gabe Garrido, who lost to Bradshaw last week, is 11-7 in all singles play. The senior from Amarillo, Texas, is 2-4 in the Lone Star Conference. He and Andrew Dayman lost their first match together against Bradshaw and Ford.

Aaron Capone did not win a conference match, falling in all seven engagements. The junior from Burleson, Texas, played his last three matches at line four. Capone and Ricardo Carvajalino are 8-6 for the year. They fell to Martinez Roca and Westwick at No. 1 doubles on Saturday.

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

ABOUT THE SERIES

In 16 years and seven 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 three. Midwestern State swept Dallas Baptist in last week's conference finale. MSU has four wins versus DBU in Arlington, Texas.

UP NEXT

With a win, Midwestern State moves on to the semifinal round of the tournament. The team would face the winner of No. 4 St. Mary's and No. 5 Arkansas-Fort Smith. The semifinal match is on Friday, April 29, at 1 p.m.