West Texas A&M is the lone unbeaten team at 12-0 as Lone Star Conference teams start league play this week.
LSC teams are playing a single round-robin schedule with a doubleheader (two games) against each league opponent starting on March 5. The LSC Champion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference games.
LSC schedule and results available here:
http://www.lonestarconference.org/calendar.aspx?path=softball&&
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
HITTER
Ruby Salzman, West Texas A&M, SO, Biology, CF, Northridge, Calif., Chatsworth
Salzman was a dominate force at the plate as the sophomore hit .769 (10-for-13) in four games to help the Lady Buffs move to 12-0 with doubleheader sweeps of Oklahoma Panhandle State and Central Oklahoma. She ended the week with a perfect 3-for-3 effort with home runs in the third and fifth innings against UCO. The sophomore posted an impressive 1.615 slugging-percentage with eight RBIs. Salzman now leads the conference with seven homeruns as she recorded her 31st and 32nd career homeruns in game two against the Bronchos.
PITCHER
Erika Cortez, Texas A&M International, SO, Criminal Justice, P, Rio Hondo, Texas, UTSA
Cortez has been a force on the mound for TAMIU in her first year with the program. In the Dustdevils lone game this week, she threw an eight-inning complete game shutout, allowing just six hits and striking out six to lead TAMIU to a 2-0 win over No. 4 UT Tyler. It was the second time in three days, Cortez led the Dustdevils to a victory over a top-10 team.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Hitter
F-9 Brooke Makemson, Lubbock Christian
F-23 Shanna McBroom, West Texas A&M
M-2 Ruby Salzman, West Texas A&M
Pitcher
F-9 Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas A&M-Commerce
F-23 Taylor Franco, Lubbock Christian
M-2 Erika Cortez, Texas A&M International
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Mattye Tyler, Midwestern State, registered a .632 batting average over six games. On 12 hits and 19 at bats, the sophomore had five runs, eight doubles, and six RBIs. She sits at a 1.053 slugging percent and a .636 on base percent. Her offensive strikes were instrumental in the Mustangs' 5-1 week. Tyler's best game came against Southwest Baptist on Feb. 27, in the Drury Invitational where she grabbed a season-high three hits and three doubles. Thus far in the year she sits at five runs, 16 hits and eight RBIs in 10 games and 31 at bats. She leads the nation and conference in doubles with 10. Her doubles per game average is 0.89, which is good for ninth in the country and fifth in the Lone Star Conference. Tyler currently leads the team in a number of categories including hits, doubles, and on base percent.
Katelyn Dunckel, Oklahoma Christian, was OC’s most consistent producer during a week in which the Eagles faced No. 11-ranked Concordia-Irvine (Calif.) in a three-game series. She had a double in each game against Concordia-Irvine. In the series opener, a 9-4 OC loss, she went 2-for-2 and scored twice. She had two hits and drove in two runs in a 7-4 loss in the second game and added a double in the final game, which OC won 2-1. She stole three bases in as many attempts and will enter conference play on a six-game hitting streak.
Alex Moreno, St. Mary's, helped lead St. Mary's to two wins over No. 7 ranked Texas A&M-Commerce. In the two games against the Lions, Moreno went 5-for-7. In the second game against Texas A&M-Commerce, Moreno blasted two home runs and drove in five runs. The senior is now hitting .407 on the year with four doubles and four home runs.
Alexis Massie, St. Edward's, was outstanding in the first weekend of action, posting three homeruns in just 14 at bats with an impressive 1.429 slugging percentage. Massie also had three doubles...resulting in six extra base hits in 14 at bats.
Ashley Perez, UT Tyler, hit .294 for the week as UT Tyler finished up play in the George and Ola McCorkle Classic and competed in the Irwin Classic over the weekend. The Patriots highlight of the week came in a win over no. 9 Angelo State on Monday in 4-1 fashion. Perez totaled seven RBIs for the Patriots over the course of the six games played, leading the team with a pair of doubles for the week.
Taylor Franco, Lubbock Christian, pitched her fifth complete game shutout and sixth complete game overall this season Saturday in an 8-0 win over (RV) Central Oklahoma. She went five innings in the complete game and struck out three batters and allowed five hits. Franco also pitched a scoreless inning in relief in the second game of the doubleheader to place her with 45.1 total innings pitched and has yet to all an earned run.
Emilee Wilson, West Texas A&M, posted an .87 ERA and recorded two victories on the mound for the Lady Buffs as WT moved to a 12-0 start to the season. Teams hit .176 against the sophomore earning only one run in 10.1 innings.
Erin Hill, UT Tyler, surrendered just two earned runs over 18.2 innings of work in her three starts last week. Her lone loss came in a 7-5 loss against No. 3 Augustana in which she limited the Vikings to just a single earned run over 4.2 innings of work. She earned the win against no. 9 Angelo State on Tuesday afternoon with a complete game performance in which she once again allowed just a single run against a nationally-ranked opponent. In total, Hill went 11.2 innings and allowed just two earned runs against a pair of top-10 nationally ranked clubs on the week. The senior paired her outstanding performances in top-10 meetings for the No. 4 Patriots with a complete game shutout win against Our Lady of the Lake on Saturday. She allowed just four hits over her seven innings of work in that contest, striking out three batters. She finished the three starts for the week with 10 strikeouts and walked just three batters.
McKenna Leamon, St. Edward's, earned two wins including one against #2 TLU at Seguin. She threw one complete game and scattered six hits in 11.1 innings of work.
Jacey Henry, Midwestern State, was 3-0 for the week with wins against Hardin-Simmons, Illinois-Springfield, and William Jewell. The pitcher totaled 18 innings over three games with only 19 hits and seven runs. The junior recorded six strikeouts and only two walks with five errors. Her game earned run average sits at 1.75 for Hardin-Simmons and 2.00 against UIS and William Jewell. Henry's season save era is up to 4.14. She has done quite a number behind the plate as well. The Marietta, Okla., native rates a .381 average, .952 slugging percent, and .364 on base percent in six games. In 21 at bats, she recorded eight hits and five runs, including one double, one triple and three home runs. She also registered 11 RBIs and only one error. As of Feb. 27, Henry is fifth in the nation and third in the conference in home runs (4). She also is 13th in the country and third in the Lone Star in RBIs (13).
Kali Crandall, Oklahoma Christian, started three of OC’s four games on the week. She pitched the first two innings of an 11-0 win over Newman on Tuesday, allowing one hit and striking out two. She threw 4 2/3 innings and struck out five while surrendering three runs in a 9-4 loss in the series opener against No. 11 Concordia-Irvine (Calif.) but rebounded in the finale, throwing a complete-game five-hitter and striking out eight as OC won 2-1.
Isabella Saldivar, St. Mary's, in just her third appearance of the season, came on in relief against No. 7 Texas A&M-Commerce. The sophomore tossed two innings to earn the first win of her career. She allowed no hits while striking out two Lion hitters to lead the Rattlers to a 10-4 victory.