DATES: Mar. 5 | Mar. 7
TIMES: 1:00 p.m. | 11:00 a.m.
OPPONENTS: #17 West Texas A&M | Eastern New Mexico
LOCATION: Tyler, Texas | Suddenlink Field
PATRIOT'S RECORD: 6-4-0 (0-0 LSC)
BUFF'S RECORD 12-0 (0-0 LSC)
GREYHOUND'S RECORD: 0-0 (0-0 LSC)
LIVE VIDEO LINK (PPV): https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/utt/
LIVE STATS LINK: https://uttylerpatriots.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
TYLER, TEXAS – #10 UT Tyler will open the 2021 Lone Star Conference softball schedule this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders against #17 West Texas A&M on Friday and Eastern New Mexico on Sunday.
Those pair of games each day are set for a 1 p.m. start on Friday and an 11 a.m. start on Sunday. UT Tyler will enter the first weekend of Lone Star Conference play with an overall record of 6-4. The Patriots finished the 2020 season with an LSC record of 5-3 prior to the season being shutdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UT Tyler did not face West Texas A&M or Eastern New Mexico prior to the shutdown last spring, and will compete against both program's for the first time in UT Tyler softball history.
UP TO THIS POINT
UT Tyler's LSC opener against West Texas A&M will mark the third straight contest in which the opposition ranks inside the NCFA Top 25 rankings. The Patriots dropped each of those previous two contests to no. 16 Rogers State by a 2-0 final and #3 Augustana by a 7-5 final.
UT Tyler opened the Irwin Classic last weekend on their home field with two wins against Our Lady of the Lake, and generated six hits in the final two frames against Augustana on Sunday afternoon to generate some momentum leading up to this weekend's LSC opener.
The Patriots will already carry the experience of taking down one top-25 opponent, as they defeated no. 9 Angelo State by a 3-2 final back on Feb. 22 in the George & Ola McCorkle Challenge in San Angelo. The Patriots went 2-2 in that tournament as well, defeating the Rambelles and UT Permian Basin, 7-1, in the opening game of the tournament.
STAYING IN THE TOP 10
The challenging start to the 2021 season combined with dominant wins over the University of Montevallo and the ranked win against Angelo State have kept the Patriots within the top ten of the national rankings, sitting at the no. 10 spot in the latest NFCA Division II National Rankings. UT Tyler has been ranked in the top 10 of the NFCA poll in every poll since the Patriots were eligible for a ranking at the Division II level back in week one of 2020.
SCOUTING THE BUFFS
West Texas A&M entered the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll for the first time since 2019 this week at no. 17 after beginning their 2021 campaign at 12-0. The Lady Buffs are the lone remaining undefeated team in the Lone Star Conference and recently defeated Central Oklahoma by 6-5 and 7-3 final scores last weekend.
Ruby Salzman was named the LSC Hitter of the Week after going 10-for-13 (.769) last weekend and is the second Lady Buff to earn the award after Shanna McBroom was named the Hitter of the Week in week one. West Texas A&M ranks second in the Lone Star Conference with a team batting average of .413 for the season.
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
Eastern New Mexico will take the field for the first time in 2021 this weekend as New Mexico state health orders prevented the Greyhounds from competing in intercollegiate competition up to this point. The Greyhounds will meet Texas A&M-Commerce tomorrow night for their season opener in Commerce, Texas.
Eastern New Mexico finished the 2020 season prior to the COVID-19 shutdown in second place in the LSC standings with a league record of 5-1 and an overall record of 11-8. The Hounds will be led in the circle by Brooke Leger, who finished with a 4-1 record in 2020 and struck out 36 batters in 30.0 innings of work.
A FORMIDABLE DUO IN THE CIRCLE
Payton Foster and
Erin Hill have led the Patriots in the circle all season and have paced a staff that ranks atop the Lone Star Conference and ninth in Division II with a 1.03 ERA. Hill has posted a record of 4-1 in her five starts on the year, and has allowed just four earned runs over her 30.0 innings of work.
Foster has been just as effective in her six starts, posting an ERA of 1.12 and a team-high 21 innings.
Sarah Gartman has come on in relief of Hill and Foster in four games and has showcased a deep roster of Patriot arms with an ERA of 1.62 herself.
PRODUCTION AT THE TOP OF THE LINEUP
Ashley Perez (.452) and
Haleigh Swinney (.432) have led a Patriot offense that enters the weekend with a .293 team average. Perez leads the team with eight doubles and 11 RBI on the year, while Swinney has posted a 1.070 OPS from her leadoff spot in the lineup.
