WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State closes out its season with a four-game homestand, beginning Saturday with a Senior Day doubleheader against Sul Ross State that begins at 2 p.m. Western New Mexico visits Mustangs Park on Monday for a twin bill that starts at noon.

Hayeli Acosta, Madison Stewart, Tatum Waller and Marisela Landa are the four seniors that will receive special recognition on Saturday.

Midwestern State (6-40, 4-32) is seeking its first win since a 6-1 triumph at UT Dallas on April 11.  The losing streak extended to nine games with two losses at No. 13-ranked Angelo State last week, falling to the Rambelles, 7-3 and 4-0. The Mustangs were shut out for the 15th time this season.

Midwestern State has dropped its last 10 home games. MSU is 1-15 at Mustangs Park this season with its only win coming on Feb. 22, when the Mustangs routed UT Permian Basin 18-1.

The Mustangs are 2-10 in one-run games this season and have lost four games in extra innings. MSU has also lost five games decided by two runs this season.

Midwestern State is hitting .234 as a team and scoring 2.5 runs per game. 

Chipper Mayorga is leading the Mustang offense with a .324 batting average and 21 RBIs this season. The freshman from San Antonio has at least one hit in six of her last eight games, including a two-run double in the first game at Angelo State last week. She leads the team with 45 hits and has 11 multi-hit games this season.

Mayorga is tied with Landa for the team lead in doubles with seven this season, and she leads the team with 52 total bases. 

Acosta is hitting .280 for the Mustangs. The senior from Dallas has hit safely in 13 of her last 17 games and is batting .333 during that span. Acosta is second on the team with 37 hits and 40 total bases this season, including three doubles. Acosta has a team-leading 19 runs scored for the Mustangs.

Sydnie Rios has hit safely in 12 of her last 16 games and is hitting .306 in that span. She had a six-game hitting streak snapped in the first game of the doubleheader at Angelo State, but the freshman from San Antonio went 2-for-3 in the nightcap.

Mayorga, Acosta and Rios have started all 46 games this season. Landa has started 45 games and Waller has 44 starts for the Mustangs.

Midwestern State has six home runs as a team this season and Paige Scanlin has belted three of those homers. Waller, Landa and Stormy Daniel have also hit home runs.

The Mustangs have successfully swiped 55 bases on 71 attempts to steal and average 1.2 steals per game this season. Daniel leads the team with 13 steals on 15 attempts this season. 

The Midwestern State pitching staff has a 4.69 ERA this season. Opponents are hitting .319 against MSU and scoring 5.9 runs per game.

Kayleigh Bowers leads the team and is 10th in the conference with 124 innings pitched this season. The junior right-hander from Phoenix has thrown nine of the 11 complete games for MSU this season, and she leads the team with 58 strikeouts. Bowers has started half the games for the Mustangs this season and made three relief appearances.

Isabella Cornell has started 10 games. Audrey Sierra has six starts. Shyanne Florence has made four starts, and Kaylin Salazar has started three games. Sierra and Florence have also pitched complete games this spring.

Cornell, Sierra, Florence and Salazar have combined for 45 relief appearances this season. Cornell has the second-most innings pitched with 61 1/3 and recorded the only save of the season.

Midwestern State has turned 20 double plays this season, which is tied with Angelo State for fifth-most in the Lone Star Conference and 15th-most in NCAA Division II.

SUL ROSS STATE (7-36, 5-31)

Midwestern State faced the Lobos for the first time in program history last season and won three of the four games, including both games at Mustangs Park. MSU outscored Sul Ross State 26-8 in the four games combined.

The Lobos arrive in Wichita Falls with an eight-game losing streak, and they are 3-15 on the road this season. Sul Ross State was swept by St. Edward's last weekend as the Hilltoppers shut out the Lobos in both games, 5-0 and 2-0.

Sul Ross State's last victory was a 5-4 win at UT Permian Basin on April 10.

The Lobos are hitting .237 as a team this season and scoring 2.9 runs per game.

Samantha Bustos leads the offense with a .297 batting average and 55 total bases. Baylie Savage and Elizabeth Clemente each have 17 RBIs, and Andrea Apodaca has a team-leading four home runs.

Jaclyn Pate has thrown 94 innings and leads the Lobos with 16 starts this season. Pate is 2-14 with a 6.55 ERA, and opponents are hitting .346 against her this season.  She has recorded 40 strikeouts with 33 walks and thrown 10 complete games.

The pitching staff at Sul Ross State has a team ERA of 7.16 and opponents are .346 against the Lobos, who have a team WHIP of 2.22.

WESTERN NEW MEXICO (22-24, 18-18)

Midwestern State leads the all-time series with the Western Mustangs, 26-10, but has lost three of its last four games against WNMU. Western New Mexico split a doubleheader at Mustangs Park last year, winning the second game in extra innings, 9-7, after MSU dominated the first game, 7-0.  Midwestern State is 13-1 when hosting Western New Mexico, which won two slugfests in Silver City last season, sweeping the doubleheader, 11-7 and 10-9.

Western New Mexico, which is vying for a berth in the LSC Softball Championship, visits Lubbock Christian for a doubleheader before meeting the Mustangs in Wichita Falls. 

The Western Mustangs are 6-10 on the road this season but have won six of their last seven games. WNMU split a doubleheader at St. Mary's last weekend, winning the nightcap 5-3 after the Rattlers won the opener, 7-6.

Ciara Spencer is hitting .365 and Abbi Markus is hitting .364 for Western New Mexico, which is hitting .303 as a team with 68 home runs this season, which is the second-most dingers in the LSC. Only West Texas A&M has hit more with 86 homers this year.

Markus leads the team with 15 homers, which is third-most in the LSC, and she has 35 RBIs this season. Marliegh Manns leads the team 41 RBIs.

The WMNU pitching staff has a 6.28 ERA and opponents are hitting .326 against Western New Mexico.

Alixe DeAnda has made 23 starts and thrown 11 complete games. She has recorded 55 strikeouts over 117 innings and opponents are hitting .292 against the junior from Sun Tan Valley, Arizona.

LeBraida Tenorio has thrown 90 2/3 innings in 25 appearances, including 18 starts, and has a 6.49 ERA with opponents hitting .320 against her this season. 

UP NEXT

The nine-team, single-elimination LSC Softball Championship is scheduled for May 6-9 (Wednesday-Saturday) at the site of the league's No. 1 seed. The LSC Tournament Champion will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Championship.