COMMERCE – The No. 21 ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team has won three in a row, including two wins over No. 4 West Texas A&M and climbed two spots in the national rankings. The Lions are home for their next six games, beginning with a weekend series against Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE
NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Lion pitcher
Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) was named National Pitcher of the Week by NFCA on February 22, following a perfect game against Fort Lewis on February 16. She was also named Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week, joining teammate
Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated), who earned the award earlier this season.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
A&M-Commerce have been nationally ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings in all but one poll this season. The Lions moved up two spots this week before a season-best ranking of No. 21
A LOOK AT THE LIONS
The Lions are 17-5 on the season, having won 11 of their last 12. A&M-Commerce has stolen 60 bases this season, which is ninth in the country. The Lions are also 3-1 in Lone Star Conference play after the first weekend of conference play, they are batting .316 as a team.
Ayanna Williams (Round Rock – Cedar Ridge) had 27 RBIs thus far this season, which is 15
th in the country. She is batting .385 on the season and has four home runs.
MacKenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig – East Central) leads the team with a batting average of .408 with four doubles, two triples, two home runs, and 11 RBIs.
Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) totaled six hits at West Texas A&M last weekend and she has had six RBIs in her last six games.
Sabrina Anguiano (Riverside, Calif.) also had six hits against the Lady Buffs and had the game-winning home run in game one.
In the circle, Otto is 8-2 on the season, having won five of her last six starts. She is pitching to an earned run average of 2.44 with 70 strikeouts. LeBlanc has won her last five starts and is 5-2 on the season. She has ERA of 2.75 and totaled 47 strikeouts.
WHAT'S AHEAD
The Lions host a mid-week doubleheader against Embry-Riddle on Wednesday at 4 p.m. LSC play resumes at Midwestern State on March 18 at 2 p.m.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Western New Mexico is 4-13 on the season and 1-3 in conference play. A 12-10 win over Midwestern State in game two on Sunday snapped an eight-game losing streak. The Mustangs are batting .321 as a team and have hit 10 home runs.
Breeanna Simmons has 19 RBIs on the season and four home runs. Janae Ruiz is batting .528 on the season to lead the team. Larysssa Morales has 15 RBIs. Aryana Munoz has 27 strikeouts and three of the four wins for the Mustangs in the circle.
The Lions are 12-0 against the Mustangs since Western New Mexico joined the LSC. At home, the Lions are 7-0.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
UT Permian Basin is 16-9 on the season and swept the doubleheader at Texas Woman's on Sunday. The Falcons have won eight of their last nine and have two games at No. 1 UT Tyler on Saturday before making their way west to Commerce on Sunday.
As a team, the Falcons have hit 15 home runs and batting .353, while scoring 162 runs. Julia Brumford is hitting the team triple crown with an average of .522, six home runs, and 32 RBIs. Aracely Araiza has 21 RBIs and two home runs. Destini Trahan is 6-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.24, punching out 58. Cynthia Ng and Becky Berth are also anticipated to see some time in the circle this weekend. Ng is holding opposing batter to bat under .290 and Berth has thrown three complete games.
The Lions are 15-0 against the Falcons all-time. This is the first meeting between the two teams in Commerce since 2018. The Lions are 5-0 all-time against the Falcons at the John Cain Family Softball Complex.
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