SAN ANGELOÂ - The Angelo State softball team will be on the road in Lawton, Oklahoma this weekend taking on Cameron for the final three games of the regular season.
Game times for the series were moved this week due to weather, as the Rambelles (49-4, 24-3 LSC) will face the Aggies (32-15, 20-6 LSC) in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Friday before the series finale at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
With three wins over Texas A&M – Commerce this past weekend, ASU clinched at least a share of the Lone Star Conference title. In order for the Rambelles to win the title outright, they will have to win at least one game on the road in Oklahoma this weekend. It is the first conference championship for ASU since 2012.
The Rambelles are led by a dominant pitching staff of Brandy Marlett, Kenedy Urbany and Morgan Hill. Overall, the staff has an ERA of just 1.40, which ranks No. 5 in the nation and the three have combined for 19 shutouts on the year which is fourth in the country.
Marlett was named LSC pitcher of the week for her performance against TAMUC, marking the fifth time this year she has won the award and the seventh time the award has gone to an ASU pitcher this year. The junior hurler broke the single-season Angelo State strikeout record last week, racking up 253 for the year which is 5th in the nation.
Urbany has the lowest ERA of the three pitchers at 1.06, earning her 17th win of the season against Texas A&M-Commerce. The senior has pitched 112.1 innings on the year and held opponents to just a .203 batting average in that time.
Hill ranks first on the team and in the top 10 nationally in saves with five on the year. The Salado native has a 2.71 ERA in just under 60 innings pitched on the year.
Urbany has also had a strong year at the plate, earning Lone Star Conference Hitter of the Week honors after the 5-0 week against St. Edward's and TAMUC. Urbany is second on the squad in home runs this year with 11 and it batting .329 overall.
First on the team in both home runs and batting average is freshman outfielder Courtney Barnhill. Barnhill has mashed 12 home runs on the year and is the only Rambelle hitting above the .400 mark.
Leading the team in doubles is catcher Taegan Kirk with 17. Kirk has started in 52 games on the year for ASU, hitting .352 and adding in seven home runs in that time.
Yet another Rambelle leads the team in triples this season in junior Madison Greenwell. The ASU leadoff batter has an on-base percentage of .411 for the year to go along with her .351 batting average and has used her speed for the team-leading five triples.
The middle infielders Danae Bina and Bailey Wallace have also had strong seasons at the plate, batting .331 and .328 respectively. Wallace has been hit by pitches 31 times this season, which is more than twice as much as any other Rambelle and is third in the nation.
Alexis Evans, Brooke Mangold, Karina Rocha, Amanda Ramage and Katlyn Herzog have all made contributions for the Rambelles as well this season. Evans and Mangold have each played in more than 50 games this year, hitting .252 and .261 respectively. Rocah has played in 41 games this season as well with a .256 average and six home runs in that time, and Ramage is hitting .269 in 52 at-bats this year.
Cameron is currently third in the conference behind Angelo State and West Texas A&M. The Aggies are led by Breezy McComas, who is hitting .351 for the year with 10 home runs and nine doubles.
Both games of Friday's doubleheader can be heard locally on 1260 KKSA with Jeremy Bryant on the call.
