COMMERCE – The No. 2 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team hits the road Tuesday afternoon for its final non-conference games of the regular season, taking on No. 12 Rogers State University.
 
WHO: A&M-Commerce at Rogers State
WHERE: Claremore, Okla. | Diamond Sports Complex
WHEN: 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 21-6 overall and 14-2 in the Lone Star Conference. Rogers State is 14-8 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA.
RANKINGS: A&M-Commerce is second nationally in the NFCA Division II Coaches' Poll, and Rogers State is ranked 12^th in the nation.

LIVE VIDEO: MIAA Network
LIVE STATS: RSU Live Stats
 
The latest… 
The Lions are ranked second nationally, tying the highest-ever national ranking for the program. North Georgia is the No. 1 team, and neither team was voted lower than second in the nation, with UNG getting 10 first place votes and A&M-Commerce getting six.

The Lions lead the nation in shutouts, with 11 blankings in 27 games, tied with Lubbock Christian. This is in large part due to a 3.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio which ranks in the top 30 nationally. Alyssa LeBlanc ranks third nationally with 118 strikeouts and her 12 wins in the circle is third in the nation behind Erskine's Hanna Houge and Oklahoma Christian's Kali Crandall (14).
 
Madison Schaefer leads the LSC in slugging (.872), on-base percentage (.592), homers (9), and walks (24). She ranks fourth in batting average (.462), runs (29) and has only six strikeouts in 78 at bats for a 4:1 walk to strikeout ratio.
 
The Lions also rank in the top five nationally in fielding percentage at .986 and have drawn 113 walks, which ranks fourth nationally.
 
On the opponent…
Rogers State is coming off of a doubleheader sweep of Northwest Missouri in MIAA play, snapping a four-game losing skid, which was the longest of the season and the Hillcats' longest since a five-game skid in April of 2018. RSU has pitched seven shutouts this year, and M'Kayla Hillman leads the MIAA with a 1.02 ERA.
 
Elexis Watson's seven homers and 23 RBIs lead the MIAA, but the Hillcats only have a .285 average, ranking ninth in the MIAA. Their 2.09 ERA has carried them, ranking second in the MIAA.
 
Abigail Taylor ranks seventh in the MIAA with a .419 average, and Watson ranks eighth in slugging at .742. Andrea Morales ranks second in the league with a .204 average conceded to opponents.

On the series history…
The Lions have a 6-2 all-time lead in the series, and have won four straight. The Lions swept a series in Claremore in 2020, with 7-2 and 7-1 wins.

Earlier this month, the Lions won both ends of a doubleheader with a 5-4 win in eight innings and an 8-0 win in five innings.