SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State softball team returns to Mayer Stadium for the first time in three weeks this weekend as they open their home Lone Star Conference Schedule against Eastern New Mexico on Saturday and #6 West Texas A&M on Monday. Both doubleheaders are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. on their respective days.

The Rambelles, who are 16-4 overall on the season and ranked 18^th in this week's NFCA Division II Top 25 poll, are coming off a weekend in which they went 1-3 to open conference play on the road against Cameron and Oklahoma Christian.

The Rambelles are hitting .322 at the plate as a team, seven players owning a batting average above .300 and a pair of Rambelles – Paxton Scheurer (.443) and Ashlynn Box (.436) – who are hitting over .400 on the season.

Despite not leaving the yard once this past weekend, the Rambelles are still second in the conference with 26 home runs this season, with Scheurer still leading the conference with nine this season.

Additionally, Scheurer leads the conference with 34 RBIs this season and is third in the country in that category.

The Rambelles have shown patience at the plate this season, drawing 81 walks, best in the league and eighth-best in Division II.

On the basepaths, the Rambelles have stolen 39 bases in 42 attempts, led by Ashlyn Lerma's 15 steals, which ranks second in the conference.

In the circle, the Rambelles' pitching staff owns a 2.67 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 126 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .250 off the Rambelles this season, ninth in the LSC.

Genesis Armendariz and Torrey Hogan have been the mainstays in the circle for the Rambelles this season, throwing a combined 104 innings of work. Armendariz has a 8-3 record on the season with a 2.23 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 53.1 innings while Hogan has a 3.18 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 502 innings in the circle.
 
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
Eastern New Mexico is 8-12 overall on the season and 1-3 in conference play, taking a win in a split with #23 Texas A&M-Commerce before being swept by #1 UT Tyler.

The Greyhounds are led by starting pitcher Brook Leger, a sophomore from Albuquerque who leads the conference with 111 strikeouts in 66.2 innings of work. Her 111 strikeouts are 41 more than second-place Emily Otto of Texas A&M-Commerce, who has 70.

The 41-strikeout gap from Leger to Otto is the same gap from Otto in second place to UT Tyler's Sarah Gartman in 25^th place, who has 29 strikeouts this season.

This has been a breakout season for Leger, who only had 77 strikeouts in 84.1 innings of work in her previous two seasons.

The Greyhounds are 6-4 this season in games Leger has started and 2-8 in games she doesn't start.

The Rambelles are on a 12-game winning streak against the Greyhounds, having not lost since March 5, 2016, in San Angelo by a score of 12-9.
 
SCOUTING THE LADY BUFFS
West Texas A&M, the sixth-ranked team in the country and the defending national champions, are 12-5 overall on the season and like the Rambelles, went 1-3 in their opening weekend of LSC play, splitting with #1 UT Tyler before dropping both games to #23 Texas A&M-Commerce.

The Lady Buffs, who are hitting .357 on the season, are led by Brittin Rufus' .519 batting average, as well as Ruby Salzman's .431 average and 18 RBIs. The LSC Preseason Player of the Year, Salzman has only struck out five times in 62 plate appearances.

Heidi Vortherms is 7-2 on the season with a 1.56 ERA while relief pitcher Emma Parrish owns a 0.88 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 16 innings of work.

The Rambelles and the Lady Buffs split in the regular season last year before the Lady Buffs beat the Rambelles in the LSC Tournament final.
 
Following this weekend, the Rambelles hit the road for doubleheaders against UT Permian Basin and Western New Mexico.