The Teams: Tarleton State Texans (28-17, 6-3 WAC) vs. Utah Valley Wolverines (25-16, 6-6 WAC) 
Where: Orem, Utah 
Stadium: Wolverine Softball Field 
Days and Times: Friday at 3 p.m. CT and 5:30 p.m. CT | Saturday at 1 p.m. CT 
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ 

SERIES NOTES 

• This marks the 11th, 12th, and 13th all-time meetings with Utah Valley dating back to May 7, 2021. The Texans are currently 4-6 vs. the Wolverines. 
• This also marks the third time that the Texans have made their way to Orem, UT. TSU is currently 0-6 at UVU. 
• Tarleton State has won the last four consecutive games against Utah Valley, while the Wolverines won the first six. 
• In their last meeting, Tarleton State shutout Utah Valley 4-0 in the WAC Tournament, sending the Texans to the championship game. 
• The Wolverines have outscored the Texans 58-40 in 10 meetings. 
• Tarleton State enters the series with a record of 28-17 (6-3 WAC) while Utah Valley enters with a record of 25-16 (6-6 WAC). 

QUICK HITS 

• Tarleton State went 4-0 last week, defeating North Texas in a midweek matchup (6-1) before sweeping a three-game conference series against Southern Utah (10-3, 7-1, 8-2). 
• Following a midweek win and a conference-series sweep, Braylin Pannill and Jaelynn Duke each earned WAC weekly honors. A three home run week earned Pannill WAC Player of the Week honors, while Duke's 0.58 ERA secured WAC Pitcher of the Week recognition. 
• Back-to-back shutouts and a flawless weekend in the circle earned Shelby Schultz WAC Pitcher of the Week honors for week nine.  
• Jaelynn Duke tied Tarleton State's D1 Era Individual Single-Game RBI Record in their game against ACU on April 2nd (7 RBI) after hitting her second grand slam in only four days. 
• The Texans came out swinging against UT Arlington, recording five home runs, including a grand slam, during WAC opening weekend. 
• After an outstanding weekend against Rhode Island, Shelby Schultz was named D1Softball's Mid-Major Pitcher of the Week for week seven. 
• The Texans have the second most wins across WAC programs thus far (28-17), trailing only California Baptist at 34-14. 
• When the Texans score six runs in a game, they are 26-2 this season. When scoring five runs or fewer, they are 2-15. 
• Head coach Mark Cumpian earned his 300th victory at the helm of the Texans on March 20th against Rhode Island. This is Cumpian's 10th season as Tarleton State's head coach, replacing the winningest coach in program history, Julie Mata, in 2017. Mata earned her 300th win in her 11th season.  
• Tarleton State's bats remain on the national radar, with the Texans continuing to rank among the country's leaders in multiple offensive categories. They are 29th in sacrifice bunts (28, second in the WAC), 30th in total hits (376, second in the WAC), 33rd in walks (169, first in the WAC), 39th in runs (280, first in the WAC), 44th in RBI (251, first in the WAC), 43rd in on-base percentage (.415, second in the WAC), and 57th in batting average (.320, second in the WAC). 
• Shelby Schultz ranks among the best in the WAC. She leads the conference in complete games (9) and walks allowed per seven innings (1.57); is 2nd in shutouts (2), victories (12), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.42); and is 3rd in innings pitched (107.0), strikeouts (82), and saves (2). 

Team Comparison (Tarleton State vs. Utah Valley)  

• Batting Average (.319 to .349) 
• Slugging Pct. (.471 to .533) 
• BB/SO (169/172 to 134/131) 
• On-Base Pct. (.414 to .425) 
• SB-Att (20-23 to 50-65) 
• HR (33 to 35) 
• 2B (63 to 77) 
• 3B (8 to 12) 
• Runs (280 to 269) 
• ERA (4.95 to 5.06) 
• WHIP (1.77 to 1.69) 
• Opp. Batting Avg. (.305 to .303) 
• SO/BB (178/138 to 180/115) 

ANOTHER TEXAN SWEEP 

Following a midweek win and a conference-series sweep, Braylin Pannill and Jaelynn Duke each earned WAC weekly honors. A three home run week earned Pannill WAC Player of the Week honors, while Duke's 0.58 ERA secured WAC Pitcher of the Week recognition. This marks the first weekly honor for both Texans. 

Duke delivered a dominant showing in the circle, anchoring the staff with a 0.58 ERA and a 2-0 record across two appearances. She logged 12.0 of the team's 28.0 total innings, including an impressive outing in which she pitched all 7.0 innings. Duke allowed just one run on the week, walked only one batter, and held opponents to a .205 batting average. 

Pannill powered the Texans on both sides of the ball, turning in a standout week at the plate and in the field. The junior infielder hit .455 (5-for-11) with four runs scored, a double, three home runs, and eight RBI, leading the team in homers, RBI, total bases (15), and slugging percentage (1.364). She also posted a .500 on-base percentage and delivered in key moments with her power production. Defensively, Pannill was just as reliable, recording three putouts and five assists with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage across four starts at third base. 

SCHULTZ STRIKES AGAIN 

Back-to-back shutouts and a flawless weekend in the circle earned Shelby Schultz WAC Pitcher of the Week honors for week nine. This award marks Schultz's second weekly honor in just three weeks. The sophomore was also named D1Softball's Mid-Major Pitcher of the Week following a standout performance against Rhode Island in week seven. 

Schultz was a powerhouse in the circle once again, posting a perfect 0.00 ERA across two complete-game shutouts. The left-hander threw 12.0 of Tarleton State's 19.0 innings in the series, limiting Abilene Christian to just four hits while striking out 11. Schultz did not surrender a run or issue a walk and held the Wildcats to a .103 batting average. 

Schultz has been a key piece in the circle for the Texans all season, leading the team with 82 strikeouts. The sophomore has logged 107.0 innings across 26 appearances with 18 starts, nine complete games, 12 wins and two saves. She has also limited opponents to a .277 batting average. 

RECORD-SETTING DAY FOR DUKE 

Jaelynn Duke tied Tarleton State's D1 Era Individual Single-Game RBI Record in Thursday's game against ACU, recording a total of seven RBI across five innings. Duke is the fourth Texan to reach the mark following Kalyn Hill, Georgia Capell, and Katy Schaefer. The sophomore hit her second grand slam in only four days to account for seven out of the eight RBI on the day. 

HOME RUN RALLY 

The Texans came out swinging against UT Arlington, recording five home runs, including a grand slam, during WAC opening weekend. Isabella Bojkovic and Braylin Pannill opened the series with back-to-back home runs in game one. Jaelynn Duke kicked off day two with a first inning grand slam and followed later with her second homer of the day, along with Casey Schultz. 

BIG CROWD, BIG TEST 

Tarleton State welcomed the second-ranked team in the nation to Stephenville, battling in front of a sold-out crowd and a record-setting attendance at the Tarleton State Softball Complex as the Texans fell 12-0 to No. 2 Texas Tech. In the program's marquee home matchup of the season, Tarleton State matched up with one of the nation's premier arms in NiJaree Canady and showed resilience throughout the night, recording two hits to break up both the no-hit bid and the perfect game in front of a packed house. 

250 KS AND COUNTING FOR SCHULTZ  

Shelby Schultz struck out her 250th batter in the Texans 10-3 win over Southern Utah on April 10th. The sophomore pitched all 7.0 innings, allowing only three runs (two earned) on eight hits while striking out three.  

Schultz reached the 200 mark while at the UNCG Tournament in North Carolina, where the Texans got the 8-1 win in their first all-time meeting against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on March 13th. The Temple, Texas, native finished her rookie season at Tarleton State with a total of 173 strikeouts. 

WIN NO. 300 FOR THE SKIPPER  

Head coach Mark Cumpian earned his 300th victory at the helm of the Texans on Friday, March 20 against Rhode Island, where TSU defeated the Rams 11-1 in a five-inning run-rule victory. This is Cumpian's 10th season as Tarleton State's head coach, replacing the winningest coach in program history, Julie Mata, in 2017. Mata earned her 300th win in her 11th season.  

Cumpian earned his 275th career win on April 22, 2025 vs. Prairie View A&M with a 7-2 win and earned his 250th earlier in the season with 10-2 run-rule walk-off win over Houston Christian (Feb. 14, 2025). 

ON THE NATIONAL RADAR  

Tarleton State's bats remain on the national radar, with the Texans continuing to rank among the country's leaders in multiple offensive categories. They are 29th in sacrifice bunts (28, second in the WAC), 30th in total hits (376, second in the WAC), 33rd in walks (169, first in the WAC), 39th in runs (280, first in the WAC), 44th in RBI (251, first in the WAC), 43rd in on-base percentage (.415, second in the WAC), and 57th in batting average (.320, second in the WAC). 

As of March 4th, the Texans were nationally ranked within the top 25 in 10 statistical categories, including 12th in the nation in hits (206) and 19th in triples (7). TSU also led the WAC in nine categories. 

As of Feb. 17, Tarleton State was nationally ranked top five in seven different statistical categories, including 3rd in both runs and RBI behind SEC schools Oklahoma and Florida. Hayden Fox, Mikayla Wilson, and Mariah Debose were each tied for first or led the nation in different categories as well. 

VICKERS TABBED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK  

Sophomore catcher Macie Vickers was named WAC Player of the Week for week two, becoming the first Texan to earn a WAC weekly honor this season. Vickers started all five games during the Whataburger Invitational, catching for two and hitting as the designated for three. She averaged .438 on the weekend, tallying three runs on seven hits and driving in 10 runs in 16 at-bats, and had three extra-base hits totaling a pair of doubles and a triple. Behind the plate, Vickers did not have a single runner attempt to steal a base on her. 

WILSON AMONG ELITE COMPANY  

Mikayla Wilson earned a spot on Michella Chester's Lineup of the Week for Week 1 alongside some of the nation's best. The freshman from New Braunfels High School started all five games for the Texans in right field during opening weekend, kicking off her collegiate career batting .650 (13-for-20) with a team-high 11 RBI in five games. She also tallied seven runs and 16 total bases with a slugging percentage of .800. As of Feb. 8, Wilson led the Texans in five different offensive categories: at-bats (20), hits (13), RBI (11), total bases (16), and was a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases. 

MID-MAJOR RANKING  

Tarleton State was ranked #25 in D1Softball's Mid-Major Rankings for week two. The Texans were the only team from the WAC to be including in the list. 

RECORD-BREAKING START  

The 2026 Tarleton State Softball season hardly could've started any better. The Texans swept their run at the Runnin' Bulldog Classic in North Carolina opening weekend. This marks the second time the Texans have started a season 5-0 in their NCAA Division I era, their first since 2022 when they started 10-0, as well as the fifth time in program history. Tarleton State also scored a record-setting 53 runs on the weekend, marking the most runs scored in opening weekend since 2017, the second-most all-time runs through the first five games and the most in the D1 era through the first five games. This is the first time Tarleton State has averaged +10 runs through the first five games since 1997 when they averaged 13.4. 

The Texans continued their opening stretch, earning their second-best start through 10 games in the D1 era (9-1). In their first game against Colgate, the Texans also set a new program record of 21 hits, beating their previous record of 20 hits set in 1997 and 2004. TSU went on to earn their second-best start through 25 games in the D1 era with a record of 16-9 and their best start through 30 games in the D1 era at 18-12. 

PRESEASON HONORS 

For the first time in program history, Tarleton State was ranked No. 1 in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Texans received four first place votes, ranking five points ahead of California Baptist. 

Following a big year and her WAC Freshman of the Year selection, Shelby Schultz earned three more honorable titles: Preseason Co-Player of the Year, Preseason Pitcher of the Year, and Preseason All-WAC Team. She helped lead the Purple and White to their WAC Tournament appearance, pitching 8.1 innings in the title game against Grand Canyon.  

During her breakout season, the sophomore pitcher appeared in 33 games while starting 21. She finished the season nationally ranked 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.81), 21st in strikeouts per seven innings (8.4), and 30th in overall strikeouts (173), while leading the WAC in all three categories.  

WOOD RETURNS TO THE COWBOY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD  

Following a handful of years away from Stephenville, Nyka Wood has made her return to Tarleton State as an assistant coach for the Texans. Wood returns to the Cowboy Capital of the World after most recently coaching at Akron from 2022-24. The former four-year standout backstop is no stranger to Cumpian's staff as she served as a Graduate Assistant for the Texans in 2019 after wrapping up her playing career from 2015-18. 

BETTER TOGETHER 

Mark Cumpian and Stefanie Phillips have reached the decade mark of time spent together. The two joined forces as assistants in 2014. They spent three seasons as assistant coaches together before Cumpian took over as head coach. They have been together for 682 games with a record of 391-291 together. The pair reached their 650th game together in Tarleton State's matchup again Pitt during their annual Texan Classic on Feb. 20, 2026. Game No. 2 of the doubleheader against Grambling in 2023 was the duo's 500th game together on the Tarleton State coaching staff. The second game of Tarleton State's sweep at UTA on April 29 was the duo's 300th victory together on the coaching staff. 
 

LET'S GET PERSONAL  
All of the Tarleton State players have great stories and unique things about them -- here are some of the most notable...  

#00 Taylor McKean  

• Loves to run and read — favorite genre is romance  
• Majoring in biomedicine – wants to be a Physician's Assistant  
• Chose Tarleton State because of the traditions, rooted in the backstory – didn't know about TSU before being recruited  
• Her best friend is Mikayla Wilson, didn't know each other before Tarleton State  

#1 Mikaila Gilliland  

• Likes to read, liked to watch documentaries, especially serial killer ones  
• Stephenville reminds her of home, as it's about the same size of home, a cowboy town  
• She likes to rides horses  
• Her uncle, Craig Smith, played shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers  
• Is an avid Fortnite player  

#2 Addison Wittram  

• Likes shopping and watching a good Netflix show. Likes crime shows the most.  
• Bakes a little bit, makes a great cream cheese pound cake  

#3 Hayden Fox  

• Enjoys baking, has a famous chocolate chip cookie recipe   
• Fishes in the summer time  
• Is Greek  
• Loves watching TV shows with her family, like White LOTUS, The Office, cartel shows  
• One reason she chose Tarleton State is it's close to her family, so they can come to the games  
• Her plan postgrad is to become a registered dietician after getting her master's degree  

#4 Madison Runyan  

• Transferred to Tarleton State to live closer to her family and is able to hang out with them more  
• Loves watching movies, has started cooking a lot more – loves watching comedy movies, any Adam Sandler movie especially. Her favorite Adam Sandler movie is Grown Ups  

#6 Braylin Pannill  

• Is a first generation Tarleton State attendee, the first in her family to attend college and the first to play college softball (of course)  
• Likes to go to the beach a lot  
• She's a cleaner  
• Likes to play Fortnite  
• Really likes Jessie Murph  
• She's a dog mom, Willow Grace, a golden Aussie Doodle  

#10 Hannah Reed  

• Is the aunt of three (two nieces, one nephew)  
• Likes to rope whenever she's bored  
• Likes to shop, go on walks  
• Loves watching shows, the Summer I Turned Pretty, mystery shows, Netflix surfs  
• Loves coffee, drinks a lot of it  
• Chose TSU – a lot of her family went to Tarleton State, although she is the first athlete  
• Will pursue her MBA – wants to do something in marketing, might start a business with sister in marketing postgrad – possibly social media management  

#11 Mikayla Wilson  

• Likes to go on runs – has a dog, a Frenchie, Rufus  
• Chose TSU because it felt like home, girls were really welcoming, has the small town field  
• Involved with FCA at TSU  

#14 Avery Pemberton  

• Loves watching shows, favorite show is One Tree Hill  
• Her Great-great-great grandfather invented Coca Cola, John Pemberton  

#15 Gracie Riney  

• Likes to take her dog, Cash, a corgi, on walks and play frisbee, got him in May  
• Likes to watch tv series with her roommates, Molly Cochran – just finished Stranger Things, likes Landman  
• Is Native American, Osage Tribe on her mom's side  
• Chose TSU because close to home and loves the family aspect and traditions – always wanted to know she wanted to come, and on visit, knew she had to come  

#16 Katherine Brunner  

• Likes hunting and fishing when not playing softball  
• Likes lifting and going to the gym  
• Involved with FCA  

#18 Gisele Rayngay  

• Likes to do nails and likes to bleach dye hoodies, likes to craft a lot  
• Likes her dogs and playing with her brothers, has two dogs, loves her grandma  
• Chose TSU because close to home and likes the environment  
• Plan postgrad, wants to become a sports physical therapist and have her own business  

#19 Alyson Higginbotham  

• Likes to line dance  
• Watches Teen Wolf  
• Has changed major three times, now business  

#20 Alyssa Budisalovich  

• Has a 2 year old puppy, Owen  
• Is really good at Fortnite and baking – banana bread and corn bread  
• Chose TSU because of the town and area, community  

#23 Jaelynn Duke  

• Is a great Fortnite player  
• Has a dog, Beaux, doxie, long hair Dotson  
• Really likes Jessie Murph  

#24 Isabella Bojkovic  

• Likes to go to the gym, wants to go law school, wants to be a sports lawyer postgrad  
• Likes to cook or watch The Office  
• Chose TSU, is big on family, family oriented ran program, close to home – parents are able to come to most games  

#25 Abigail Dowell 

• Loves to sew, likes to hang out with friends or her brother at home, family time and spending time at the church  
• Sews things on sweatshirts  
• Plan postgrad is to go to school radiology, will need to go to 2-year course.  

#28 Riley McDaniel  

• Likes to hang out with teammates, bible study together, likes to cook – has a pasta "Riley's Surprise"  
• Likes to watch reality TV, Secret Lives of Mormon Lives and Dance Moms  
• Brother plays high school baseball, uncle golfed at Grand Canyon, rest of her family went to CBU  
• Was the 20th person in her family to go to CBU, grandma was on the first volleyball team there after Title IX  
• Plan postgrad, wants to get certified for strength and conditioning, interning with Tarleton State Athletic Performance  

#30 Alex Aguilar  

• Likes to read, fantasy books and romance  
• Biology major, wants to get into dental school postgrad  
• Likes to try small coffee shops  
• Likes to play Fortnite  

UP NEXT  
The Texans will travel to Denton, Texas on Wednesday to take on North Texas at Lovelace Stadium in another midweek game. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.