The Teams: Tarleton Texans (0-6 WAC) vs. Prairie View A&M (0-0, 0-0 SWAC); North Texas Mean Green (3-3, 0-0 C-USA); Stephen F. Austin (0-4, 0-0 SLC); Incarnate Word Cardinals (0-0, 0-0 SLC)
Where: Stephenville, Texas; Denton, Texas
Stadium: Tarleton Softball Complex (Wednesday); Lovelace Stadium (Friday-Sunday)
Times: 2:00/4:30 p.m. CT (Wednesday); 6:00 p.m. CT (Friday); 10 a.m. / 5:30 p.m. CT (Saturday); 10 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. CT (Sunday)
 
TEXAN SOFTBALL GAME DAY
There is no rest for the weary for the Tarleton Softball team as they prepare for seven games throughout the remainder of this week, beginning with a doubleheader Wednesday for this season's home opener. The Texans take the field at 2 p.m. tomorrow for a twin bill with Prairie View A&M before heading to North Texas this weekend for five games against UNT, Stephen F. Austin and Incarnate Word this weekend. Fans at UNT will be limited to the player comp ticket list only. No general admission tickets will be sold.
 
Tickets to softball home games are NOT available for purchase this season. Due to limited capacity and 50-percent capacity limitations, only player family members on the official team will call list, Texan Club members and Tarleton students will be permitted inside the stands at the Tarleton Softball Complex this season.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUPS

• The opponents for the weekend feature a strong mix of new and old rivalries, beginning with Wednesday's home opener, the Texans and Panthers will meet on the softball diamond for the first time since 1997. The Texans lead the series 2-0.
• When the Texans square off with North Texas, it will pit Mark Cumpian against former Lone Star Conference coaching rival Rodney DeLong, who spent three seasons at Cameron. DeLong was the head coach of the Aggies in 2015 when the Texans defeated Cameron in the South Central Region 1 Finals in Canyon.
• Tarleton and Stephen F. Austin are set to become conference rivals next spring when the 'Jacks join the Western Athletic Conference. This will be the first meeting between Tarleton and SFA in softball despite the close proximity.
• Tarleton and Incarnate Word are former Division II rivals within the Lone Star Conference. Tarleton leads the all-time series 23-18 and have not met since 2013 when the Cardinals departed for the Southland Conference.

 
QUICK HITS

• Wednesday's doubleheader will be just the second twin bill played at the Tarleton Softball Complex since 2019. The Texans had a heavy road schedule to begin last spring and played one home doubleheader, where they swept No. 2 UT Tyler, last March before the season ended.
• Tarleton is coming off a rough stretch where the Texans dropped six games last weekend; however, three came against three perennial national powerhouse programs including nationally-ranked Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
• Tarleton was picked to finish seventh in the WAC preseason polls. Georgia Capell and Destiny Crumpley were named to the Preseason All-WAC team.

 
NEW DIVISION WITH A BRIGHT FUTURE

• WELCOME TO THE WAC: After being a part of NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference since its inception in 1996, Tarleton Softball is on the move to the Western Athletic Conference and NCAA Division I. The softball program is the only active program at Tarleton with an NCAA-only history.
• WAC PRESEASON POLL: Tarleton was chosen to finish seventh in the WAC Preseason Poll released on February 3. The Texans received eight total votes, which was four votes behind fellow transition school Dixie State in sixth place.
• PRESEASON ALL-WAC: Georgia Capell and Destiny Crumpley's reputation of dominance has carried over to the next level as the Texan tandem was named to the Preseason All-WAC Team.
• CUMPIAN: "MAYBE WE WILL": Following the WAC Preseason Poll, Tarleton head coach Mark Cumpian had this to say: "Judging by last year's standings, I'm not sure I would have picked us seventh. I know we're new to NCAA Division I and the WAC and we need to earn our place, but the tradition we've built here speaks for itself. I know that needs to translate at the next level before we can expect the same kind of preseason respect we had at Division II. And it's hard to say how the season will play out. Maybe we will finish seventh – but I can guarantee, if we do, we will be the toughest, most competitive seventh seed the WAC has ever seen."

 
NOTABLES

• HOME, SWEET HOME: Wednesday's doubleheader will be just the second twin bill played at the Tarleton Softball Complex since 2019. The Texans had a heavy road schedule to begin last spring and played one home doubleheader, where they swept No. 2 UT Tyler, last March before the season ended.
• CUMP AT THE 'PLEX: Since taking over the program prior to the 2017 season, Mark Cumpian and the Texans have had a lot of success at the Tarleton Softball Complex. Tarleton is 52-15 (.776) at home under Cumpian.
• TOUGH SLEDDING: Tarleton is coming off a rough stretch where the Texans dropped six games last weekend; however, three came against three perennial national powerhouse programs including nationally-ranked Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Tarleton's opponents from opening weekend are sitting with a combined record of 24-15 (.615), including OU and OSU boasting undefeated marks. Following last weekend, OU and OSU both moved up in the national poll to No. 2 and No. 10, respectively.
• SCHAEFER STARTING STRONG: Unphased by the strength of the opposition, Katy Schaefer managed to put together an impressive start to her Tarleton career. The freshman hit .438 and belted her first career home run against No. 11 Oklahoma State on Sunday. She drove in a team-high four RBI and leads the team with a 1.159 OPS after the first six games.
• TARLETON IN HOME OPENERS: Tarleton is 16-9 all-time in home openers and 2-2 in the first home games of the season in three seasons under Mark Cumpian.
• HAPPY HOMECOMING: Tarleton has a recent habit of waiting before getting to a home game. Tarleton has not had a home game earlier than Feb. 17 in any season under head coach Mark Cumpian. The last time Tarleton played a home event earlier than two weeks into the season was 2016 when the Texans played the season opener at home.
• RACKING UP THE BASES: Georgia Capell moved into a tie for fourth place on Tarleton's all-time total bases list. She has now collected 342 total bases in her career, which moves her into a tie with Alicia Petersma (1999-02). She is 40 bases shy of tying Nyka Wood for third-most in Tarleton history.
• RECORD RETURNER: Georgia Capell has put together a Hall of Fame worthy resumé – and it's only been two and a half years. The round-two junior slugger from Midlothian is primed to lead the Texans offense for the next two seasons at the NCAA Division I level. Capell enters the weekend as the program's all-time home run leader (42) and is top 5 in program history in five other offensive categories: runs scored (147), RBI (138), doubles (42), hit by pitch (29) and total bases (342). She's also on pace to be among the all-time leaders in batting average and slugging percentage.

 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton is expected to return to its regularly-scheduled programming after weeks of schedule changes and additions. The Texans are on track to visit the Louisiana Tech Invitational next weekend for two games each against Louisiana Tech and No. 23 Baylor in Ruston, La.