The Teams: Tarleton Texans (0-0, 0-0 WAC) vs. Texas A&M (0-0, 0-0 Big XII); Michigan State (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten); Northern Kentucky (0-0, 0-0 Horizon); Texas A&M-Commerce (0-0, 0-0 SLC)
Where: College Station, TX
Stadium: Davis Diamond
Times: 4 p.m. CT (Thursday);  2 p.m. / 7:30 p.m. CT (Friday); 12:30 p.m. CT (Saturday); 11:30 a.m. (Sunday)
Video: SEC Network on ESPN+ (vs. Texas A&M only)
 
TEXAN SOFTBALL GAME DAY
Tarleton Softball is back.
 
The Texans will open the 2023 season and look to build on their postseason run to the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) last May when they take on Texas A&M tomorrow at 4 p.m. After the Thursday evening opener, the Texans will play four more games over the weekend against Michigan State, the Aggies again, Northern Kentucky, and Texas A&M-Commerce.
 
Live stats will be available for all games with video being broadcast for both games against Texas A&M on the SEC Network on ESPN+.
 
SERIES HISTORY

• Tarleton will open the 2023 season with its first regular season trip to Davis Diamond in College Station. The Texans will open the season against three brand new opponents before closing out the weekend against a familiar foe.
• The meetings against Texas A&M, Michigan State, and Northern Kentucky will be the first in program history between those schools. Tarleton's first three games of the season will come against coaches in their first year at their respective school. Thursday's opener will be debut of Trisha Ford for Texas A&M while Friday's game against Michigan State will be the Spartan's second game of the first day at MSU for head coach Sharonda McDonald-Kelley.
• In the tournament finale, Tarleton will rekindle its rivalry with Texas A&M-Commerce who is also reclassifying to NCAA Division I. Tarleton and Commerce were Lone Star Conference rivals from 2015 (TAMUC's first year of softball) through 2020 before the Texans departed for the WAC. Tarleton is in its third year of reclassification while Commerce is in its first year. Tarleton is 7-15 all-time against Commerce at the Division II level.

 
QUICK HITS

• Tarleton is coming off its first 30-win season as a member of NCAA Division I. The Texans reached 30 wins by winning the second game of the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) in Fort Collins, Colo. last May. The Texans' invitation to compete in the NISC marked the first postseason invitation for any program at the Division I level for Tarleton State University.
• Tarleton returns 18 letterwinners to this year's team, including the entire defensive infield unit of Brady Rowland (C), Katy Schaefer (3B), Morgan Medford (SS), Tristyn Trull (2B), MacKenzie Peterson (1B), and Austin Germain (UT). Germain started games at three different infield positions last year including 3B, 2B, and 1B. Tarleton also welcomes back Jordan Dickerson to the infield mix after she missed the entire 2022 season due to injury. Dickerson started 51 games and hit .274 with 15 RBI for Tarleton in 2021.
• Tarleton's top two arms return to the circle for their second season together – Tristan Bridges and Reagan Chism. The two Texans combined for 56 appearances, 19 wins, and 156 strikeouts in 2022. The team ERA leader Kennedy Ferguson (2.95) also returns for Tarleton after missing the final two months due to injury.
• Head coach Mark Cumpian enters the season nine wins shy of 200 for his career.

 
A LOOK AT THE WAC

• After splitting into divisions for one year, the WAC has returned to a non-divisional league platform. Tarleton was part of the Southwest Division last year.  This year, the WAC will consist of 12 schools all vying for the title of regular season champion.
• Tarleton was chosen to finish sixth in the WAC Preseason Poll released on February 2. The Texans received 62 total votes, which was two votes ahead of ACU. Grand Canyon was picked at the top of the conference with Seattle U (2), SFA (3), California Baptist (4), and Utah Valley (5) finishing ahead of the Texans.
• Morgan Medford returns to her shortstop position as a reigning second-team All-WAC selection from last spring. The junior from Denton hit .323 with 48 runs scored, including a school record five runs against Sam Houston on April 9.
• Katy Schaefer was tabbed to the Preseason All-WAC team on Feb. 2. The junior from Sweeny is coming off a .359 season with nine home runs and 49 RBI.

 
BRIDGES CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME STRIKEOUT LIST
Tristan Bridges begins the season among the Tarleton top-10 list for strikeouts. The junior enters the season with 320 career strikeouts. She now has her sights set on Haley Freyman at No. 6.
 

Strikeouts
#	Player	Seasons	Total
1.	Jordan Withrow	2017-20	676
2.	Carla Geeslin	2001-04	521
3.	Randi Fentress	2011-14	445
4.	Caryn Holbrook	1997-00	384
5.	Samantha Swanda	2011-12	349
6.	Haley Freyman	2015-18	333
7.	Tristan Bridges	2019-22	320
	Brooke Saulters	2007-08	320
9.	A.J. Bristow	2003-05	280
10.	Jill Ratliff	1999-02	276

 
TURNING THINGS AROUND QUICKLY
The Texans' 30 wins in 2022 highlighted an incredible turn of events for Tarleton, who won only 17 games in its debut Division I season in 2021. The Texans enjoyed a 12.0 game improvement, which was the 17th best in NCAA Division I from 2021 to 2022. The programs with at least an 11.5 game improvement are as follows:
 

Biggest Turnaround from 2021 to 2022
Rank	School	Head Coach	'21 W-L	'22 W-L	Imp.
1.	Penn St.	Clarisa Crowell	7-34	32-22	18½
2.	Boise St.	Justin Shults	20-25	40-10	17½
3.	Grand Canyon	Shanon Hays	19-30	39-16	17
4.	Murray St.	Kara Amundson	22-29	40-18	14½
	South Dakota	Robert Wagner	13-39	28-25	14½
6.	Belmont	Laura Matthews	15-26	33-17	13½
	Louisiana Tech	Josh Taylor	22-30	39-20	13½
	North Florida	Marcie Higgs	21-23	42-17	13½
9.	Fla. Atlantic	Joan Joyce	12-35	29-26	13
	Georgia Tech	Aileen Morales	20-26	38-18	13
	Omaha	Mike Heard	20-28	32-14	13
	USC Upstate	Chris Hawkins	29-17	48-10	13
13.	Nebraska	Rhonda Revelle	22-22	41-16	12½
	New Mexico	Paula Congleton	10-36	26-27	12½
	Presbyterian	David Williams	15-19	36-15	12½
	UNCW	Kristy Norton	15-23	32-15	12½
17.	Akron	Meaggan Pettipiece	8-46	18-32	12
	Samford	Kimball Cassady	18-27	34-19	12
	Tarleton St.	Mark Cumpian	17-36	30-25	12
20.	Oregon St.	Laura Berg	20-26	39-22	11½
	Rutgers	Kristen Butler	8-36	25-30	11½
To determine games improved, add the difference in victories between the two seasons to the difference in losses, then divide by two. Ties not counted. This includes postseason play.

 
NOTABLES

• REPLACING A LEGEND: When the Texans take the field against Texas A&M on Feb. 9, it will be the first game since April 28, 2018 that Georgia Capell's name won't be on the lineup card. Tarleton's all-time leader in home runs, runs scored, total bases, hits, etc. wrapped up what is certain to be a Hall of Fame career last May at the NISC. She had played in 186 consecutive games at Tarleton since that 2018 regular season finale at UT Permian Basin in Odessa.
• TRIO OF TEXAN TWIRLERS: Since 2015, Tarleton has developed three of the top pitchers in the history of the program. The combination of Haley Freyman, Jordan Withrow, and Tristan Bridges have combined to start 266 of the 413 games (64%) Tarleton has played in the last eight seasons.
• BETTER TOGETHER: Mark Cumpian and Stefanie Phillips have reached the decade mark of time spent together. The two joined forces as assistants under former head coach Julie Mata in 2014. They spent three seasons as assistant coaches together before Cumpian took over as head coach and Phillips became the top assistant. The coaching duo have been together for 464 games and have a record of 273-191 (.588) together.
• CUMPIAN AMONG THE BEST: While reclassifying programs are not counted among the national records and yearly record books, Tarleton head coach Mark Cumpian would be considered among the elite coaches in the nation. The seventh-year head coach enters the season with a career record of 191-113 for a win percentage of .628, which would rank him among the top 45 active coaches in the country for win percentage. Cumpian enters the season tied with James Landreneau of McNeese State and Rhonda Revelle of Nebraska.
• LEADOFF ON LOCK: When the season begins, Morgan Medford will have hit leadoff for Tarleton in 55 consecutive games. She was a model of consistency for the Texans in 2022. Medford was the only player to start all 55 games in a single defensive position and lineup spot. She started all 55 games leading off and playing shortstop.
• SEASON-OPENING SHUTOUT: Last season, Tristan Bridges spun the first shutout in a season opener since Tarleton began the 2017 season – Mark Cumpian's first – with a 5-0 victory over Washburn. Tarleton's all-time wins leader Haley Freyman blanked the Ichabods with one hit over seven innings for Cumpian's first win as a head coach. Five years and 161 wins later, Cumpian began his sixth season and earned his 162nd career victory with a complete-game shutout from Tristan Bridges against Bellarmine.
• AGAINST THE P5: Tarleton faced off against teams from the Power 5 conferences 14 times during their first two seasons in NCAA Division I. Tarleton's first win against those schools was an 11-9 win in extra innings over Texas Tech on March 20, 2021. It's most recent win came when Tarleton defeated Syracuse 2-1 on back-to-back home runs with two outs in the seventh on Feb. 18, 2022. Tarleton is 2-12 against Power 5 opponents.

 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will open its new stadium with an eight-game home stand beginning Wednesday afternoon against Prairie View A&M at 3 p.m. The Texans will play the Panthers in a doubleheader and then turn their attention to the Whataburger Invitational Friday through Sunday before closing out the home-opening slate with a single game against North Texas at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22.