The Teams: Tarleton Texans (8-15, 0-0 WAC) vs. Abilene Christian Wildcats (6-14, 2-1 SLC); UTEP Miners (4-8, 0-0 C-USA); Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-8, 0-0 Big XII)
Where: Stephenville, Texas; Lubbock, Texas
Stadium: Tarleton Softball Complex (Wednesday); Rocky Johnson Field (Saturday-Sunday)
Times: 6:00 p.m. CT (Wednesday); 12:00 / 4:00 p.m. CT (Saturday); 12:00 p.m. / 2:00 p.m. CT (Sunday)
 
TEXAN SOFTBALL GAME DAY
Tarleton continues to battle against some of the biggest softball names in the state as the Texans prepare for five games against three opponents between Stephenville and Lubbock this week. Tarleton will return home Wednesday night for a 6 p.m. showdown with longtime rival Abilene Christian before hitting the road Saturday and Sunday for a game against UTEP and then three against Big XII opponent Texas Tech.
 
Tickets to softball home games are available for purchase this season in advance only. No walk-up ticket sales will be permitted. Fans and students must order their tickets in advance at TarletonSports.com/tickets.
 
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUPS

• After a midweek rematch with Abilene Christian in Stephenville Wednesday night, the Texans will finalize their preconference slate with a four-game tournament against Big XII foe Texas Tech at Rocky Johnson Field in Lubbock. The Texans will play the opening game of the weekend against UTEP before squaring off against the Red Raiders in three straight games.
• Tarleton and Abilene Christian have one of the richest rivalries in school history. The teams began competing on the softball diamond in 1997, which was Tarleton's second season of competition. ACU holds a slim 32-28 lead in the head-to-head matchups, but the series is knotted at 16-16 in Stephenville. Tarleton has won seven of the last 12 meetings since 2010. The game between the two schools in Abilene earlier this season was the first since their time as Division II rivals. They have not played in Stephenville since 2012.
• Tarleton's games in Lubbock against Texas Tech and UTEP will be the first all-time meeting against each of those schools.

 
QUICK HITS

• This weekend's events were a last-minute addition to the Tarleton Softball schedule. The Texans were originally scheduled to take part in a tournament at the University of New Mexico. However, the governor of New Mexico banned sports participation within the state until just recently so Tarleton was forced to make alternate arrangements.
• This will be the fifth opponent for the Texans this season out of the Big XII Conference. The Texans are seeking their first win against a Big XII opponent after squaring off with #3 Oklahoma, #10 Texas, #11 Oklahoma State, and formerly ranked #23 Baylor. Texas Tech is the first Big XII opponent the Texans have faced this year that has not been ranked in the NFCA National Poll this year.

 
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

• NOTHING EASY: Tarleton has not taken an easy road to victories in their first season as a Division I institution. The Texans have put themselves up against some of the stiffest competition in the country. The first 17 opponents that Tarleton has seen this year have a combined record of 156-141 (.525), including the teams the Texans will see this week. Of those 17 opponents, eight of them have already reached double-digit wins this season and six of them boast a winning percentage over .750, including NFCA nationally-ranked No. 1 Oklahoma who remains undefeated at 22-0.
• ALL-TOURNAMENT IN RUSTON: Katy Schaefer and Hallie Saintignan were named to the All-Tournament team following their weekend in Ruston, La. In her first return to her home state of Louisiana, Saintignan led the Texans at the plate in four games. The Benton, La. native hit .429 with six hits, two runs scored and two RBI while playing a clean centerfield. Meanwhile, Schaefer continued to dominate at the dish with a .357 average against La Tech and Baylor. The round-two freshman went 5-14 with a double and three RBI on the weekend, including a two-run, go-ahead double to give the Texans an 8-7 lead over La Tech.
• BEARS. BRIDGES. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.: Tristan Bridges was masterful in her two performances against the Baylor Lady Bears in Ruston. Bridges tossed complete games in both starts against BU and had a 2.69 ERA for the weekend to lead the team. In her 13.0 innings of work, she struck out eight batters and gave the Texans a chance to win the tournament finale before suffering a hard-luck loss in a 2-0 pitcher's duel.
• WAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Julia Wernet earned the TicketSmarter WAC Pitcher of the Week award after two outstanding pitching performances. Wernet defeated the Panthers of Prairie View A&M and the Tigers of Texas Southern for two wins on the week, including a three-hit shutout of Texas Southern in Austin Friday night.
• SCHAEFER AMONG WAC BEST: Katy Schaefer has been a star since arriving to Tarleton this offseason. The Sweeny, Texas native is hitting .382 through the first 23 games of the season, which is the fifth-highest average in the WAC. She is also in the top five in the WAC in hits (26), RBI (18), and slugging percentage (.618).
• ROAD WARRIORS: Since the 2019 regular season finale against West Texas A&M on April 27, Tarleton has been the very definition of weary travelers. Tarleton Softball has played 51 games since the beginning of the 2019 postseason and 47 of those have been away from Stephenville. The Texans are 25-22 in road games since May 3, 2019 and 4-0 at home over that span.
• BREAKING OUT: After a 2-24 start to the season at the plate, Georgia Capell had a breakout performance in the final three games of the North Texas Invitational and has been the team's leading hitter since. Beginning with the Friday nightcap against UIW in Denton, Capell is hitting .333 with five doubles, five home runs and eight RBI.
• RECORD RETURNER: Georgia Capell has put together a Hall of Fame worthy resumé – and it's only been two and a half years. Capell enters the weekend as the program's all-time home run leader (47) and is top 5 in program history in five other offensive categories: runs scored (161), RBI (150), doubles (47), hit by pitch (33) and total bases (378). She's also on pace to be among the all-time leaders in batting average and slugging percentage.
• TOUCH 'EM ALL: Georgia Capell continues to move up the all-time offensive record lists at Tarleton. This season, she has passed Arianna Rodriguez for the second-most runs scored all-time. Capell enters the week with 161 career runs scored and is 14 shy of tying Melody Mayse (175) for the program record.
• DRIVE 'EM HOME: Georgia Capell has moved into a tie for second all-time in RBI with Arianna Rodriguez. She is 41 RBI shy of tying Nyka Wood for the program's top mark.
• BATTLING WITH THE BIG XII: This weekend's games against Texas Tech will feature the fifth Big XII opponent that Tarleton has seen this season. The five opponents from B12 are the second-most from any conference that Tarleton will see this season, behind only the six WAC opponents. The Big XII teams, including Texas Tech, that Tarleton has faced this season have a .552 win percentage this season and boast the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation – Oklahoma with a perfect 22-0 record.
• AGAINST BIG XII OPPONENTS: In six games this season against Big XII opponents, Jordan Dickerson is the team's leading hitter with a .333 average. Miranda Pruitt is also hitting .333 against Big XII opponents this year, but in only three games. Pruitt's grand slam against Texas last weekend gives her the team lead in RBI against Big XII teams this season.

 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will take a quick, midweek road trip down south for doubleheaders against Incarnate Word Tuesday in San Antonio and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Wednesday. The Texans will have the weekend off before returning to action March 30 against Texas State in San Marcos.