LAWTON, Okla. – The Aggie softball team gears up for a tough series as the face off against No. 6 West Texas A&M in a three game series that will take place April 13-14.
Cameron is currently on a five game Lone Star Conference winning streak after sweeping Eastern New Mexico a week ago. CU is now 28-13 overall and 16-4 in league play, which has them in third behind West Texas A&M by just a half a game. The Aggies have also been successful when playing at home this season with just three loses at McMahon Field and only of those was against a conference opponent. They find themselves receiving votes in this week's National Fast Pitch Coaches Association Top-25 Poll.
As a team, the Black and Gold are batting .290 with 217 runs scored and 109 extra base hits. They lead the LSC with 13 triples and are third in homeruns with 38. In the circle, CU has a team ERA of 3.10 with 122 total strikeouts and an opposing batting average of .300. They are also 69-94 on the base paths and have a team fielding percentage of .962.
Individually, the duo of
Paige Daino and
Breezy McComas each tied the Cameron career homerun record last weekend, each hitting their 42 homer in game two of the series and their 43 in game three, both in back-to-back fashion. Daino is ranked 16th nationally and tied for third in the LSC in homers, while McComas is tied for eighth in the league. Daino is batting .316 with a team best 32 RBI, while McComas is batting .328 with a team leading 32 runs scored.
Brenna Busby currently leads the Aggies with a .336 batting average, and has seven homeruns, eight RBI, and a team-high 41 hits. Her sister,
Callie Busby, is batting .310 with 29 RBI and 21 runs scored, and has a .994 fielding percentage behind the plate.
In the circle,
Bethany Hines is tied for second in the nation and for first in the LSC with 21 victories, which has her in second in the CU record book for single season wins total. In 165.2 innings pitched, Hines has struck out 100 batters and holds opponents to hitting just .286 against her. She is also hitting .277 with 23 runs scored, 17 RBI, and four triples.
The Lady Buffs come into the series ranked sixth in the latest NFCA DII Top-25 Poll and on a 10 game winning streak after beating Texas A&M-Commerce in three games this past weekend. West Texas is 32-6 overall this season with a 17-4 LSC mark.
Statistically, WT is one of the best offensive teams in the nation, ranking in the top-10 nationally in scoring, homeruns, batting average, among others. They are hitting .384 with 322 runs scored and 70 homers. Their pitching is also tough to hit against, as they have a team ERA of 2.08 with 148 total strikeouts and an opposing batting average of .258.
Individually, the Lady Buffs have at least four players ranking in the top-10 of the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, and runs scored. Shea Ibrahim, who was just recently named LSC Hitter of the Week, leads the way with a .467 average, while Ashley Hardin leads the team with 44 runs scored and Allie Smith has a team best 44 RBI.
Kilee Halbert and Alexis Alfonso rank three and round in the LSC in ERA, while Halbert leads the way with 17 wins and 91 strikeouts in 119 innings pitched.
The series between the Aggies and WT will take place on Thursday and Friday, with Saturday listed as a make-up day. Thursday, the two teams are scheduled to play a single game at 3 p.m. and then on Friday they will play a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., weather permitting.
Cameron will be back on the road next weekend, as they visit Western New Mexico for a three game series, April 21-22.
