ST. GEORGE, Utah – After knocking off the top-two teams in the WAC with back-to-back series wins, Tarleton State is headed west once again looking to keep things rolling at Utah Tech Friday-Saturday
 
On Wednesday, the Purple and White finally cracked the top-25 as they were ranked No. 25 in D1 Softball's Week 8 mid-major rankings.
 
Including the Texans, the WAC has three of nine members ranked in the top-25 through eight weeks of play. Grand Canyon sits in the No. 5 spot while Seattle U sits just inside of the top-20 at No. 17. Tarleton State is responsible for a combined four conference losses for the Lopes and Redhawks accounting for all conference losses for both teams.
 
In week seven of the season, the Texans headed west to Phoenix for the first time since 2023 looking to avenge their last trip to the Lopes when they fell in the series 1-2. No. 24/RV GCU came into the three-game series with a perfect conference record of 2-0 after game three of the Lope's series with Utah Valley was cut short due to winter weather. The squad from Phoenix finished the weekend with a conference record of 3-2 and an overall record of 23-6.
 
Tarleton State handed Grand Canyon bookend losses shutting out the Lopes 3-0 in Game 1 followed by an impressive 5-2 rubber match victory in Game 3 to secure the series. The 3-0 win in Game 1 marks just the second time the Lopes have been shutout this season with the first coming at the hands of then No. 8 Oregon on Feb. 15, 2025, when they were shutout 4-0. Both shutouts this season have come on home turf for the squad from Phoenix.
 
After securing the series win with the 5-2 victory, the Texans not only earned their first ever conference series over the Lopes but handed GCU their first home series loss since 2022 and their first conference series loss (home or away) since 2023.
 
With a successful road trip out west complete, Tarleton State returned home to the friendly confines of the Tarleton State Softball Complex. The Purple and White welcomed the Red and Black from Seattle U to town and gave Texan Nation plenty to cheer about. The Redhawks came into the weekend with a perfect 6-0 conference record but the Red and Black didn't leave the Ville with a perfect conference record.
 
After a combined 18 runs in Game 1 of the series, Seattle U took the opening game of the series moving to 7-0 inside Western Athletic Conference Play. With a Game 1 loss, the Texans had to win two straight to secure their second-straight conference series. Tarleton State did just that handing Seattle U their first two conference losses as the Purple and White took Game 2 4-2 followed by a 10-2 (5) run-rule walk-off in Game 3 to secure series wins over the top-two teams in the conference in back-to-back weeks.
 
Tarleton State has faced four other teams in the top-25 bringing their total to six teams played in the top-25. The four other programs include No. 9 North Texas, No. 15 Marist, No. 16 Austin Peay and No. 24 ULM.
 
Utah Tech had the midweek off this week just as the Texans did. Last time the Trailblazers were in action, they took the series win over Abilene Christian with 5-1 and 8-4 wins to open the series. They then fell in heartbreaking fashion in Game 3 as the Wildcats of Abilene Christian walked the series finale off 9-8.
 
Last time the two teams met they split a pair of games as the series finale was canceled due to inclement weather. Utah Tech took Game 1 3-1 before the Texans rallied back and took Game 2 of the series 7-0 shutting out the Trailblazers.
 
Utah Tech holds a slim lead in the all-time series over Tarleton State 2-3 while the Texans have slightly outscored the Texans 27-23. The largest margin of victory for the Stephenville squad in the last meeting on April 19, 2024, in Stephenville as the Purple and White won 7-0.
 
The trip to Utah for the Texans marks just the second time ever with their first in April 2021.
 
Through eight weeks, the Texans have multiple athletes leaving their mark nationally. Austin German currently sits 10th in the nation in doubles with 13 on the season and leads the WAC. With her 10 doubles through 35 games, she ranks 8th in doubles per game. With all the offensive power from Germain, she is the toughest to strike out on the Texans roster as she strikes out once every 50 plate appearances.
 
Other Texans top in the nation include Kalyn Hill who has caught 12 base runners stealing which puts her tied seventh in the nation and leads all of the WAC. Fox sits 6th in the nation in sac bunts per game at 0.30 as the nation's leader is at 0.45 in Elle Carter of ULM. Fox is also 16th in the nation in on base percentage. Jaelynn Duke and Kiana Gibson are tied for 54th in sac flies with three thus far.
 
On the pitching side of things, Alexa Rehmeier, Sadie Beck and Hannah Blincoe are currently tied for 58th in the nation in saves with two each. Shelby Schultz continues to pound the strike zone as she sits 40th in the nation in strikeouts with 97 thus far and leads the WAC. She also ranks 27th in strikeouts per seven innings at 8.7 and leads WAC. Schultz also sits just inside the top-40 in strikeout-to-walk ration as she is 39th.
 
In the WAC, the Purple and White continue to hold three of the top-five spots in batting average as Germain leads the Texans ranking second in the conference hitting .440. As a team, Tarleton State is in the top-three of 18 different statistical categories in the WAC. The Texans lead the WAC in team strikeouts per seven innings at 6.75 and are 22nd in the nation while they are first in walks with 139 and 24th in the nation.
 
First pitch on Friday is set for 3 p.m. CT and 5:30 p.m. CT. The Saturday morning match is set for a 1 p.m. CT first pitch. The entire three-game series will air live on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available. Tickets are available for the weekend series.
 
Following the Texans traveling to the Trailblazers, Tarleton State will head back home for a four-game homestand as the Purple and White will host North Texas on Tuesday as part of a home-and-home this season and then will return to WAC play on Friday as Utah Valley will come to town for a three-game series.
 
For the latest news on the Texans, follow Tarleton Softball on Facebook, Instagram and X @tarletonsoftball.