The Teams: Tarleton Texans (0-0, 0-0 WAC) vs. Bellarmine Knights (0-0, 0-0 ASUN); Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks (0-0, 0-0 MEAC); Furman Paladins (0-0, 0-0 SOCON); North Dakota Hawks (0-0, 0-0 SUMMIT)
Where: Greenville, South Carolina
Stadium: Pepsi Stadium (Friday-Sunday)
Times: 8 a.m. / 1 p.m. CT (Friday); 3:30 p.m. / 6 p.m. CT (Saturday); 8 a.m. CT (Sunday)
 
TEXAN SOFTBALL GAME DAY
A reloaded roster comprised of newcomers and a slew of veteran returners will hit the field for Tarleton State University this weekend in Greenville, South Carolina to take part in the Furman Invitational. The Texans will get the season started with five games, beginning at 8 a.m. CT against Bellarmine.
 
There will only be live stats for the game against tournament host Furman on Friday night. No other game on the weekend will have stats or video. Complete game recaps can be found at TarletonSports.com after the final game each day.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUPS

• This will be Tarleton's first trip to South Carolina.
• The Texans will open the season against fellow second-year reclassifying member, Bellarmine. Tarleton (WAC) and Bellarmine (ASUN) both made the jump to NCAA Division I on July 1, 2020 after spending many years dominating Division II. The Texans and Knights met once before as D2 opponents with Bellarmine winning 2-1 on Feb. 24, 2001 at the North Alabama Classic.
• The meetings against Maryland-Eastern Shore, North Dakota and Furman will be the first in program history between the schools.

 
QUICK HITS

• Tarleton enters its opening weekend of action with a unique streak alive. Each of Tarleton's final five wins of the 2021 season came by either run-rule, walk-off, or both (the walk-off grand slam by Jordan Dickerson against California Baptist). The last time Tarleton won a traditional seven-inning game was April 3, 2021 at Dixie State (11-5).
• The Texans will open play against another school within their reclassification period to NCAA Division I, Bellarmine. This will be the third reclassifying team Tarleton has faced since making the move to Division I ahead of last spring (Dixie State and California Baptist). Tarleton is 3-3 against schools in the midst of moving divisions.
• Mark Cumpian has been quite successful in scheduling his early season tournaments. Tarleton is 43-20 (.683) under Cumpian in non-postseason tournaments, including 11-6 outside the state of Texas. Cumpian's Texans have swept four tournaments over that time span, including a 6-0 trip to Durant, Oklahoma for the 2018 Southeastern Regional Invitational. Tarleton has finished .500 or better in 12 of the 14 tournaments they've played under Cumpian since 2017.
• Due to the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, Tarleton is loaded with a large class of experienced "sophomores" on the playing field. Tarleton has 16 student-athletes classified as a sophomore on the field, including three-year starter Morgan Medford who has started 76 games at shortstop since arriving on campus in the fall of 2019.
• The additional year of eligibility also allows for three Texans to reach "super senior" status – Hallie Saintignan, Julia Wernet, and Georgia Capell. Wernet and Capell enter their fifth year with the program having never used a redshirt season.
• Capell, a three-time All-American at the Division II level, prepares for the final year of a Hall of Fame-worthy career. The Midlothian native enters the season as the only player in Tarleton softball history to hit 50 home runs.

 
WAC UPDATES

• FOUR NEW MEMBERS, TWO ON THE WAY: Just a year after welcoming two schools to the league in Dixie State and Tarleton, the WAC has opened its arms once again by bringing in the 'Texas 4'group of Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, and Lamar. Tarleton will also bring in Southern Utah next year and Incarnate Word in 2023 to grow by eight members over a four-year span. Incarnate Word recently accepted an invitation to join the league.
• OWNING THE LONE STAR STATE: With the addition of the four Texas schools, the WAC now boasts the largest presence of any conference in the nation at the NCAA Division I level in the state of Texas.
• LEAGUE DIVISIONS: With the addition of the four Texas schools, the WAC has gone into two divisions for the first time since 2004. The Texans are a part of the Southwest Division that includes all six of the league's Texas schools – Tarleton, ACU, SFA, Sam Houston, Lamar, and UTRGV.
• LEAGUE DIVISIONS: With the addition of the four Texas schools, the WAC has gone into two divisions in softball for the first time. The Texans are a part of the Southwest Division that includes all five of the league's Texas softball-playing schools – Tarleton, ACU, SFA, Sam Houston, and Lamar.
• PRESEASON POLL: Tarleton was picked to finish fourth in the Southwest Division of the Western Athletic Conference. With eight points, the Texans were picked behind SFA (16), Sam Houston (13), and Abilene Christian (9) in a division that includes all five of the league's Texas schools.
• NEW COMMISH IN TOWN: The Western Athletic Conference Board of Directors has announced Brian Thornton as the seventh commissioner in the 60-year history of the conference. Thornton replaces Jeff Hurd, who will be ending a 10-year run as commissioner and 37 years overall at the conference on December 31, 2021.

 
CAPELL LOOKING TO REWRITE THE RECORD BOOKS
Georgia Capell enters her senior season having already taken over the all-time marks for home runs, runs scored, and total bases. As she looks to distance herself farther at the top of those two categories this season, she is also closing in on all-time records in four other categories:
 

Hits
#	Player	Seasons	Total
1.	Melody Mayse	2013-16	260
2.	Nyka Wood	2015-18	258
3.	Georgia Capell	2018-22	211
4.	Arianna Rodriguez	2010-13	208
5.	Alicia Petersma	1999-02	192

 

Doubles
#	Player	Seasons	Total
1.	Nyka Wood	2015-18	56
2.	Georgia Capell	2018-22	54
3.	Alicia Petersma	1999-02	49
4.	Arianna Rodriguez	2010-13	47
5.	Katelyn Conlee	2013-16	40

 

RBI
#	Player	Seasons	Total
1.	Nyka Wood	2015-18	191
2.	Georgia Capell	2018-22	164
3.	Arianna Rodriguez	2010-13	149
4.	Alicia Petersma	1999-02	129
5.	Katelyn Conlee	2013-16	108

 

Hit By Pitch
#	Player	Seasons	Total
1.	April Gonzalez	2007-10	47
2.	Georgia Capell	2018-22	44
3.	Nyka Wood	2015-18	36
4.	Arianna Rodriguez	2010-13	29
5.	Tanna Huie	2018-19	20

 
NOTABLES

• 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 81 games since the beginning of the 2019 postseason and 66 of those have been away from Stephenville. The Texans are 29-37 in road games since May 3, 2019 and 10-5 at home. Tarleton went 713 days between home losses (April 27, 2019 to April 9, 2021).
• RARE FEBRUARY HOME GAMES: Next weekend, Tarleton is scheduled to play five home games as part of their Whataburger Softball Invitational. That will be the most home games in the month of February for Tarleton since 2017 (5). Tarleton played just one, three-game series at home in 2018 and 2019 before not having a home game in the first month of the 2020 season. Last year, Tarleton only played a home doubleheader against Prairie View A&M before the calendar turned over. Tarleton is 8-5 at home in February under Mark Cumpian.
• CHASING CANTU: In the history of diamond sports (baseball and softball) at Tarleton State University, there has only ever been one person to hit over 50 home runs while wearing the purple and the white. Texan Baseball star Mike Cantu is the program's all-time home run leader with 58 roundtrippers from 1988-91. Capell (50) joins Cantu as the only Texans in university history to club 50 career long balls.
• WALK-OFF WINNERS: Each of Tarleton's last five wins have come by walk-off. Jordan Dickerson's grand slam in the fifth inning to complete a run-rule walk-off against California Baptist on April 9 was the first and Katy Schaefer followed with a game-winning single the next day. Dickerson did it again against UNT on April 21 and Georgia Capell added one with a game-winning double in the series opener against Seattle. Tarleton's final win of the 2021 season came on a Katy Schaefer three-run home run to cap off a five-run sixth inning against Grand Canyon for a walk-off win.
• FULLY-CHARGED BATTERY: After injuries decimated the Tarleton pitching and catching units last season, the Texans made a significant push in those areas this offseason. Tarleton has four catchers on roster with key transfers Brittany Coe (UTSA) and Brady Rowland (Memphis) coming in to join Miranda Pruitt and freshman Paige Nunes. In the circle, Tarleton relied heavily on Tristan Bridges and Julia Wernet last year but will boast the largest pitching staff in program history this season. Tarleton has eight pitchers on staff with the addition of transfers Hannah Mayo (Texas A&M), Reagan Chism (SFA), and Chyanne Ellett (Memphis).
• IT'S A FAMILY THING: Newcomer Ashlee LaRue joins Tarleton after spending one season at Ole Miss. LaRue is a native of Blanco, Texas and has quite the family history with baseball and softball. Her father, Shaun, played professionally with the Cincinnati Reds system. Her aunt, Brooke, played three years for Tarleton from 2007-09. Her uncle, Jason, played 12 years in Major League Baseball for Cincinnati, Kansas City, and St. Louis.

 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will make its home debut on the brand-new turf field at the Tarleton Softball Complex when the Texas host the Whataburger Softball Invitational. Tarleton will open the tournament against Syracuse University Friday at 5 p.m. in Stephenville for its first game of the weekend.