PORTALES, N.M. -- Midwestern State is on the road to face Eastern New Mexico in a three-game series at Greyhound Softball Field. The Lone Star Conference rivals will play a doubleheader on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT. The series will wrap up with a 1 p.m. game on Friday.

SERIES HISTORY |Midwestern State leads the all-time series with Eastern New Mexico, 25-11, and the Mustangs have won three of the last four meetings. Last season at Mustangs Park, MSU won the series. The Stangs won the first game of the series, 6-5, in 11 innings. Kennedy Cameron got the final seven outs and picked up the win in relief, striking out four Greyhounds and allowing one hit. MSU won the series finale, 3-2, as Zoe Isom pitched a complete game, scattering seven hits, walking two and striking out a season-high six batters. Midwestern State is 11-5 all-time when visiting ENMU. In 2022, the Mustangs split a doubleheader with the Greyhounds. The Mustangs piled up 14 hits highlighted by three home runs in Game 2 and rolled to an 11-1 win in five innings. ENMU scored five runs in the fifth inning and won the opener, 8-7, despite being outhit, 11-4.
 

Mustangs Notes

- Midwestern State (5-28, 3-21 LSC) forced Oklahoma Christian into an 11-inning marathon in the final game of the three-game set at Mustangs Park last week. Sophomore catcher Megan Ayala and freshman pitcher Addison Lindemann each blasted their first home runs of the season for Midwestern State, but Oklahoma Christian clawed their way to a 4-3 win in extra innings.

Earlier in the day, freshman pitcher Shyanne Florence made her first start for Midwestern State and allowed just one unearned run on three hits over five innings. The right-hander threw 35 of 62 pitches for strikes, but suffered her second loss of the season in her fifth appearance for the Mustangs. Grace Anderson pitched her sixth complete game for the Eagles in a 3-0 win.

Oklahoma Christian used a pair of big innings to beat Midwestern State 8-0 in the series opener. Lindemann was brilliant in a relief role, holding the Eagles to three hits over 5 1/3 innings.

- Sophomore second baseman Kayla Bryant is hitting .318 over her last 10 games (7-for-22) with two doubles and two RBIs during that span. Bryant, who has seven RBIs this season, had a six-game hitting streak snapped in the final game at TWU on March 18. Bryant is hitting .271 (13-for-48) to lead the Mustangs and also leads the team with a .426 on-base percentage. Bryant has drawn a team-leading 13 walks and has only struck out seven times this season. She is 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts.

- Sophomore slugger Allie Monroe is hitting .264 batting average with six doubles, two triples, and three homers while driving in 18 runs. Monroe has the best slugging percentage among the Mustangs at .473 and she leads the team with 43 total bases this season. The Lawton, Oklahoma, native is second on the squad with a .352 on-base percentage. Monroe has scored a run in four of her last five games and leads the Stangs with 12 runs scored this season.

- Freshman outfielder Paige Gallegos has a .252 batting average with four doubles, two home runs, and 15 RBIs. Gallegos has eight multi-hit games this season, including two in the series at TWU. She hit .556 against the Pioneers (5-for-9) with a double, a homer and four RBIs in the series. The Iowa Park, Texas, native leads the team with 26 hits and is second on the team with 36 total bases. She is 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts.

- Sophomore third baseman Maegan Shannon is hitting .215 and has hit safely in five of her last eight games for the Mustangs. Shannon has at least one hit in 17 of her 29 games played this season.

- Nunez, a senior shortstop, opened the season with a six-game hitting streak and has at least one hit in 21 of her 33 games for the Mustangs. Nunez is third on the team with 23 hits, and the transfer from Texas A&M-Commerce has four doubles and a triple this season with six RBIs. Nunez played for head coach Brittanie Talley at Vernon Junior College.

- Sophomore catcher Megan Ayala is hitting .205 with an on-base percentage of .292. Ayala has hit four doubles, a home run and has seven RBIs for the Mustangs. She is leading the LSC with eight sacrifice bunts this season. Ayala has thrown out 11 of 27 base stealers and has only committed three errors behind the plate this season.

- Junior first baseman Myranda Jimenez was 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in a 5-0 win at UTPB on March 3, giving her three extra-base hits for the season. Jimenez was All-Kansas College Athletic Conference and won a KCAC Gold Glove Award last season at Bethany College under the direction of MSU assistant coach Apdiel Vazquez.

- Senior Kennedy Cameron (1-7) has a 4.36 ERA for the Mustangs. The Longview native has allowed 38 earned runs on 46 hits with 61 strikeouts and 55 walks in 61 innings. She ranks sixth in the LSC with a .204 opponent batting average. Cameron threw 126 pitches in a one-hit shutout against UTPB. She struck out 12 Falcons and only issued two walks in the 5-0 win on March 3. Cameron has the 13th-most strikeouts in the conference and is averaging seven strikeouts per seven innings pitched, which is seventh-best in the LSC.

Addison Lindemann (2-9) leads the team with 18 appearances in the circle and has thrown the most innings among Mustang pitchers with 83 1/3 innings pitched. In her last six appearances, Lindemann has 0.73 ERA, allowing just three earned runs over 28 2/3 innings. For the season, Lindemann has a team-leading 4.12 ERA. Lindemann worked 11 innings of relief in two appearances against Oklahoma Christian and allowed eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks. The freshman from Holliday, Texas, has thrown a team-leading five complete games, including an eight-inning outing at TWU, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts and five walks in a 2-1 triumph. She also worked 1 2/3 innings of relief in the final game of the series at TWU and allowed just one hit in the 3-1 loss. Lindemann threw a complete game two-hitter against No. 6-ranked UT Tyler on March 9 and allowed just two earned runs. The right-hander had four strikeouts and three walks in the 4-3 loss to the Patriots. Lindemann had a season-high seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a 5-4 loss at UTPB on March 2. Lindemann pitched the final two innings of a 6-5 eight-inning win at UTPB in the nightcap on March 2 and earned her first win of the season, allowing just one hit and striking out three Falcons. Lindemann made her collegiate debut as a relief pitcher against Colorado Mesa at Scrap Yard Sports in Conroe, Texas. Lindemann worked 6 2/3 innings and allowed just one earned run on four hits, while striking out six Mavericks in the 4-3 loss on Feb. 2. The following day, Lindemann worked 8 2/3 innings of relief without allowing an earned run on four hits with six strikeouts in a 2-1 extra-inning loss to Rogers State. Lindemann threw a season-high 149 pitches against the Hillcats. She also contributes the Mustangs offense, Lindemann is 8-for-34 at the plate (.235) with a double, a home run and four RBIs this season.

- Midwestern State has turned 11 double plays this season, which is sixth-most in the LSC and 43rd-most among NCAA Division II programs.

- Mustang batters have laid down 22 sacrifice bunts, which is fourth-most in the conference and 47th-most in the nation.

- MSU is 2-9 in one-run games this season and 2-5 in extra-inning contests.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS | Eastern New Mexico (19-16, 12-15) has won four of its last six games, including a 3-2 victory in the three-game series at UT Tyler… ENMU is 8-4 at home and has won its last three games at Greyhound Softball Field… The Greyhounds are second in the LSC and 33rd in the nation with a .326 team batting average… Senior Taighen Whitzel is the leading hitter for the Greyhounds with a .453 batting average, which is fourth-best in the LSC… Whitzel is second on the team and third in the conference with nine home runs and 35 RBIs (38th in the nation)… Whitzel is second in the LSC with 87 total bases… Whitzel is third in the conference and 32nd in the nation with a .536 on-base percentage… Alondra Vasquez is second in the conference with 10 home runs… Vazquez has the 17-most RBIs in the Division II with 39, and that is second-most in the LSC… Vasquez is third in the LSC with 12 doubles and is also third in the league with 86 total bases…Samantha Gutierrez is sixth in the league with eight home runs and is tied for third with 35 RBIs (38th in the nation)… Gutierrez is fifth in the league with 10 doubles… Gutierrez is seventh in the conference with 74 total bases… ENMU has blasted 37 home runs as a team, which is third in the conference and 19th in the nation… Greyhounds have hit the second-most doubles in the LSC with 66, which seventh-most in Division II… ENMU is third in the LSC and 13th in the nation with 12 triples… Mikenzey Patterson has hit four triples, which is third-most in the conference and 15th in the nation… Aylene Lucero is seventh in the conference with 10 stolen bases, and Patterson is 10th with nine stolen bases… Marrissa Rodriguez leads the Greyhounds in the circle with an 8-6 record and a 3.43 ERA… Rodriguez has thrown seven complete games… Emma Southerland is 7-8 with a 5.71 ERA and has thrown seven complete games…Opponents are hitting .294 against ENMU pitching this season… ENMU has outscored its opponents, 217-168 through 35 games this season…

NEXT UP | Midwestern State returns home to face Western New Mexico in a three-game series that begins with a doubleheader at Mustangs Park on Saturday, April 6 at noon. The series concludes with a noon game on April 7.