WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State hosts No. 6-ranked UT Tyler for a three-game series at Mustangs Park.

The Mustangs and Patriots play a doubleheader Friday afternoon at 2 and 4 p.m. before closing the series with a single game on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY | Midwestern State and UT Tyler meet for the 10th, 11th, and 12th time this week. MSU is 1-8 in the all-time series and has lost its last seven encounters with the Patriots, who swept a series in Tyler last season. UT Tyler outscored the Mustangs, 26-0, in the three-game series at Irwin Ballpark last spring. Midwestern State is 1-3 when hosting UT Tyler, which swept a doubleheader at Mustangs Park in 2022, winning both games in five innings. The Mustangs only win in the series came on March 8, 2020, when Lauren Lindgren hammered a three-run home run in the sixth inning, and MSU beat the No. 2-ranked Patriots, 7-5, in the second game of a doubleheader.

Mustangs Notes

- Midwestern State (4-20, 2-13 LSC) won the rubber game of its three-game series at UT Permian Basin last week, 5-0, as senior pitcher Kennedy Cameron notched a career-high 12 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout. Junior Myranda Jimenez went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles to pace the MSU attack, including an RBI two-bagger as part of a two-run fifth inning. Midwestern State ended a span of 160 games without a shutout. MSU is 1-4 in extra-inning games this season following a 6-5 win in eight innings at UTPB and a 5-4 loss in nine innings. The Mustangs are 1-4 in one-run games. Midwestern State has turned the third-most double plays in the LSC with nine, which is 12th-most among NCAA Division II schools.
- Sophomore Allie Monroe leads the MSU attack with a .301 batting average. The Lawton, Oklahoma, native has accounted for six doubles, two triples, and three homers while driving in 18 runs, which is 12th-most in the LSC.
- Freshman outfielder Paige Gallegos is second on the squad in batting average at .267 with three doubles, a homer, and 11 RBIs. Over the last seven games, Gallegos is hitting .375 with a double, a home run and five RBIs.
- Sophomore catcher Megan Ayala is hitting .333 (6-for-18) with three doubles and four RBIs over her last eight games which includes two-hit efforts against Cameron and West Texas A&M. The native of Denton, Texas, has a .986 fielding percentage with just two errors and 19 assists behind the plate. She has thrown out 6-of-20 runners attempting to steal against the Mustangs.
- Junior first baseman Myranda Jimenez is coming off her second multi-hit game of the season and hit two doubles in the 5-0 win at UTPB, giving her three extra-base hits for the season. Jimenez is hitting .294 (5-for-17) in her last six games for the Mustangs.
- Senior Kennedy Cameron leads the MSU effort in the circle, posting a 2.66 ERA. The Longview native has allowed 17 earned runs on 31 hits with 48 strikeouts and 32 walks in 44 2/3 innings. She ranks fifth in the LSC with a .190 opponent batting average. Cameron threw 126 pitches in a one-hit shutout against UTPB. She struck out 12 Falcons and only issued two walks as she improved her record to 1-4 for the season. Cameron has the sixth-most strikeouts in the conference and is averaging 7.5 strikeouts per seven innings pitched, which is fifth-best in the LSC.

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS | UT Tyler (16-5, 8-4 LSC) has a seven-game winning streak but is 2-4 on the road this season. The Patriots are hitting .337 as a team, which is the third-best team batting average in the LSC and 25th-best among NCAA Division II programs. The Patriots .421 on-base percentage is third in the league and 27th in the nation. The Patriots are scoring 5.9 runs per game.

Cassidi Mullen leads the offensive attack with a .444 batting average, which is fifth among LSC hitters. Sam Schott and Audrey Escamilla have each hit four home runs for the Patriots this season. Schott, who has a .717 slugging percentage, leads the team with 22 runs scored and 18 RBIs. Schott and Courtney Plocheck are both hitting .417 for the Patriots. Plocheck has seven doubles, a triple and a home run this season. Michelle Arias has 17 RBIs and Escamilla has 16 RBIs for the Patriots. JT Smith is hitting .333 for the Patriots and has 11 extra-base hits, including six doubles and two triples. Smith has successfully stolen nine bases on 10 attempts.

Genesis Armendariz has a 2.07 ERA and is 6-3 in the circle with 48 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings. Armendariz has allowed just 56 hits and is holding opponents to a .231 batting average. Crimson Bryant is 5-2 with a 1.40 ERA and has allowed just 24 hits in 35 innings with 41 strikeouts. The opposing batting average against Bryant is .194. Kylee Davis has pitched 30 innings for UT Tyler and boast a 5-0 record with a 1.17 ERA. Opponents are hitting .152 against Davis, who has only allowed 16 hits and has 12 strikeouts. Against Patriot pitching, opponents are hitting a mere .203 and scoring 2.1 runs per game.

NEXT UP | Midwestern State travels to Denton next weekend for a three-game series against Texas Woman's at Dianne Baker Field. The Mustangs are playing a doubleheader on Saturday that begins at 2 p.m. and close the series with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.