THE GAMES
Tarleton Softball is already gearing up for Lone Star Conference play as the No. 14-ranked TexAnns head to Lawton, Oklahoma this weekend for a three-game series against Cameron. Tarleton (9-1) is one of four teams in the loaded LSC standings with one loss or fewer while the Aggies come into the game with a record of 8-3. The first game of the series is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday afternoon with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday to follow.

GAME TIME CHANGE
Friday's series opener was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. but has been moved to 3 p.m. due to weather.
 
TARLETON IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Tarleton Softball opened the 2019 season ranked the No. 14 team in the nation by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. This is the third time in program history Tarleton will open a season among the national top 25 and the first time since they opened the 2016 season ranked No. 10 in the nation. Tarleton is one of three Lone Star Conference teams to begin the season nationally ranked – joining Angelo State (6) and Texas A&M-Commerce (9). The three Lone Star Conference schools are the most by any conference in the national poll. Nine other leagues were represented by two teams.
 
GAME COVERAGE
There will be live stats and video available for the games, courtesy of the home team. Direct links can be found on the Official Tarleton Sports App, Game Day preview story and Game Day graphics on Tarleton's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, as well as on the team schedule page at TarletonSports.com. Follow @TarletonSports or @tarletonsball on Twitter for links to coverage.
 
SCHUTT SPORTS/NFCA DII PLAYER OF THE YEAR TOP-50 WATCH LIST
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association released its annual Top-50 Watch List for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year Thursday afternoon and Tarleton State University has two players to keep an eye on – Georgia Capell and Tanna Huie. The top 50 list is comprised of returning NFCA All-Americans from last season and a slew of players submitted by head coaches and selected by the NFCA Division II All-America committee. They are the second and third players in Tarleton history to be named to the Top-50 Watch List, joining Katelyn Conlee in 2016.
 
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Jordan Withrow and Georgia Capell have been named 2019 Preseason All-Americans by Fastpitch News (FPN). Withrow was named an All-America Second Team pitcher while Capell earned honorable mention honors. Withrow is coming off the best year of her brief Tarleton career as a sophomore in 2018. As a sophomore, Withrow was an honorable mention All-American by FPN and the Lone Star Conference Co-Pitcher of the Year. She also earned all-conference and all-region recognition and was named the LSC Academic Player of the Year. Last spring, she became the first Tarleton pitcher in program history with over 200 strikeouts in a single season (252). Capell made quite the impression as she became the first freshman in program history to be named an All-American. She earned third-team honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). In her debut season, Capell was named the South Central Region and Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year as well as all-conference and all-region.
 
WITHROW TABBED PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Jordan Withrow was named the LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year after a sophomore campaign where she was the LSC Pitcher of the Year, an NFCA All-Region Second Team selection and FastpitchNews.com Honorable Mention All-American. Withrow went 26-6 in the circle with 221.1 innings of work and 252 strikeouts, becoming the first player in program history to strikeout 200 in a single season.
 
MARK'S MILESTONE
Tarleton head coach Mark Cumpian has been an instant success since taking over the Tarleton Softball program. He is currently six victories away from notching career win No. 100 in his young career.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Tarleton was scheduled to play eight games over four days last weekend, but due to weather only managed to take the field four times. The TexAnns went 4-0 over the weekend, closing it out with a victory over Colorado Christian Monday night in Oklahoma City.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES: CAMERON
Tarleton and Cameron have a rich history that dates all the way back to Tarleton's inaugural season (1996). The TexAnns own a 30-14-1 edge in the all-time series, including a 7-5 advantage in Lawton. Tarleton has also won 11 of the last 16 games against the Aggies dating back to 2015.
 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will make its much-anticipated home debut Tuesday afternoon with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Texas A&M International before hosting Texas A&M-Kingsville in a crucial showdown among LSC leaders. For more information on the Tarleton Softball program, follow @tarletonsball on Twitter.