April 4, 2008

CANYON, Texas - In the hunt for the first ever Lone Star Conference Tournament appearance in program history, the West Texas A&M softball team will take to its home field at Lady Buff Yard for the first time since March 12 this weekend when it hosts the Tarleton State TexAnns in a three-game Lone Star Conference South Division series. The set will begin on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. and concluding Sunday with a single game slated for 1:30 p.m.

Sunday's contest will be an extra special day at Lady Buff Yard as WT softball partners with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure (Greater Amarillo affiliate) and the Woman's Imaging Center at the Northwest Texas Healthcare System to "Paint the Yard Pink." The event is promoting breast cancer research and will feature area cancer survivors as well as the Lady Buffs' first ever appearance in pink jerseys. For more information on the "Paint the Yard Pink" event CLICK HERE!

The Lady Buffs, who are coming off a confident showing at the LSC Crossover Tournament, enter this weekend with a 19-24 record and a 4-5 mark in the LSC South. WT trails Texas Woman's (5-4 LSC South) by one game for fourth place in the standings. The tope four teams from each of the LSC's divisional standings qualify for the LSC Championships, which are scheduled for May 1-3 in Durant, Okla.

Freshman Kaitlyn Witte has been on a tear at the plate, batting .440 with three home runs and 10 RBI last week to capture co-LSC South Player of the Week honors. In addition to Witte, another pair of WT underclassmen have been gaining momentum on offense as sophomore catch Dani Couger collected a .333 average with her first home run of the season last week and freshman Audrey Wallace drove in seven runs. The Lady Buffs will also be boosted by the return of junior infielder Breanna Adams, who will be active this weekend after missing the previous month with an injury.

In the pitching circle, WT has seen both Andrea Renteria and Shannon O'Dea on the top of their game to help the Lady Buffs emerge victorious in six of their last nine contests. O'Dea pitched a staff-high 28.1 innings last week, producing a 2-1 record with a 1.73 ERA, while Renteria picked a team-high three wins and 16 strikeouts in 27.1 innings of work.

The TexAnns come to Canyon with a 16-19 overall record and a 4-2 mark in LSC South action. TSU junior shortstop Kelli Gayle leads TSU at the plate with an impressive .381 batting clip, while junior Brittnee Rice tops the TexAnns in home runs with six and in RBI with 30. In the circle, freshman Lauren Zearfoss has produced an 8-3 record and a 3.01 ERA to anchor the team's pitching staff.