STEPHENVILLE – The Tarleton TexAnn softball team will return to action in a three-game Lone Star Conference South Division series this weekend in Stephenville. Friday's doubleheader (April 2) is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. followed by a single game on Saturday, April 3 at 11 a.m.

Due to the expected weather, the schedule is subject to change.

Tarleton went 4-4 last week after splitting a doubleheader at St. Mary's in San Antonio and going 3-3 at the 2010 Lone Star Conference Crossover Tournament in Durant, Okla. The TexAnns defeated East Central (10-4), Southwestern Oklahoma (7-3) and Southeastern Oklahoma (9-6).

Julie Norris was 3-3 with a 3.43 ERA in 34.2 innings of action with eight walks and 14 strikeouts last week while Katie Smith was 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA. She pitched in 16.0 innings and struck out two while walking five. The TexAnns had a combined ERA of 3.63 as a staff.

Tarleton is 15-17 overall and is 0-3 in LSC South Division action. Other than a doubleheader with St. Edward's on April 13, all of Tarleton's remaining games are LSC South Division contests. Tarleton is led at the plate this season by Victoria Kelly with a .369 batting average. She has 38 hits, 15 runs scored and 16 RBI. Norris is second with a .346 average while Arianna Rodriguez (.333) leads the team in slugging percentage (.635) and home runs (seven). Rebecca Wessels (.330) and April Gonzalez (.320) are also hitting above the .300-mark. Tarleton is batting .299 as a team to an opponents' ERA of 3.20. 

Norris leads the team in the circle with a 10-10 record and a 2.51 ERA in 134.0 innings of work. She has 30 walks and 83 strikeouts, and opponents are hitting .237 off the senior. Smith is second with a 4.28 ERA in 73.2 innings with 17 walks and 34 strikeouts while Brandie Simmons has seen limited action with a 1.40 ERA in just five innings of work. The staff has a combined ERA of 3.09 and opponents are hitting .267. 

ENMU is 9-26 overall and 0-5 in the South Division. The Zias went 1-5 in the LSC Crossover Tournament last weekend.

Alex Mayo Otis leads the team in batting with a .421 average, 26 runs scored and 51 hits. Rebecca Quinones (.317) also has 26 runs scored while Kristen Cruickshank (.327) leads the squad with 25 RBI. Michelle Anderson (.358) is second on the team in hitting. The squad has a combined batting average of .299.

Kimberly Crouse leads the Zias in the circle with a 4.31 ERA and is 2-12. She has pitched in 74.2 innings per game and has allowed 34 walks and struck out 50. Cruickshank is second on the staff with a 4.46 ERA. She is 6-10 and has pitched in 103.2 innings and has allowed 25 walks while striking out 59. The team has a combined ERA of 5.12 and opponents are hitting .334.

The TexAnns lead the all-time series that began in 1997, 39-12.