- Live Stats

STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton State will head to Texas A&M-Kingsville this weekend for a three-game Lone Star Conference series against the Javelinas, beginning with a 5 p.m., Friday night doubleheader.
 
AT A GLANCE
Records: Tarleton State TexAnns, 9-14 (1-2); Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas, 5-16 (0-3 LSC)
Game Coverage: Live Stats will be available by visiting JavelinaAthletics.com or by visiting the softball schedule page at TarletonSports.com.
 
GAME SCHEDULE
Game 1: Friday at 5 p.m.
Game 2: Friday at approximately 7 p.m. or immediately following game one.
Game 3: Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Games 1 & 3: Randi Fentress, TSU (5-6, 3.83 ERA) vs Ariel Kellogg, TAMUK (3-7, 5.34 ERA)
Game 2: Brenna Hennan, TSU (4-6, 4.67 ERA) vs Carlie Clark, TAMUK (1-8, 5.85 ERA)
 
MATA INCHES CLOSER TO WIN NO. 500
With a win over No. 25 Angelo State last weekend, Tarleton head coach Julie Mata earned her 496^th career victory. After a stellar playing career as a basketball star for the TexAnns in the late 80's and early 90's, Mata took over as the head softball coach in the school's second season of 1997 and has lifted the TexAnns into national prominence. Now, Mata is on the verge of a momentous accomplishment in her career - 500 victories.
 
TEXANN PITCHING STAFF AMONG LEAGUE LEADERS
Tarleton's primary tandem pitching staff of Randi Fentress and Brenna Hennan has placed themselves among the top pitchers in the Lone Star Conference, as Fentress is in the top 10 in six pitching categories and Hennan in four categories. Fentress leads the league in innings pitched (91.1), is second in complete games (8), strikeouts (78), looking strikeouts (24), fourth in opponent batting average (.232) and eighth in hit batters (3) while Hennan is fourth in wild pitches (1), seventh in shutouts (1), ninth in hit batters (3) and 10^th in strikeouts (30).
 
WELLS TURNING THINGS AROUND
Over the first eight games of the season, sophomore transfer Taylor Wells was suffering through hitting woes with a .267 batting average and just one extra-base hit. But in four games since returning from injury, Wells has turned things around with a .417 average in those four games with a triple, home run, three RBIs and a team-high .833 slugging percentage. She now leads the team in batting average for the season at .367.
 
AN EYE ON ILLEGAL PITCHES
Of all the pitchers who have logged innings in the Lone Star Conference this season, there have been a combined 13 illegal pitches thrown this season and nine of them have come from Texas A&M-Kingsville pitchers, including a league-leading six from Carlie Clark.
 
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
Texas A&M-Kingsville started out the season with a 5-5 record but have struggled of late. Since beating Fort Lewis College 7-5 on the opening day of the WT Woodward Invitational, the Javelinas have lost 11 straight games and scoring two or less runs in nine of them. Bailey Offill is the only Javelina hitting above .300 on the season and leads the team with a .317 average.
 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will head to Wichita Falls to take part in the first-ever LSC Showcase, where they will play six difference LSC foes over a four-game tournament, beginning with host-team Midwestern State at 7 p.m. March 13.