SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State softball team closes their regular season with their toughest test as they travel to Canyon to take on the nation's top-ranked team, West Texas A&M. 

The series will start with the two teams meeting on Friday at 6 p.m. for a single game. They will close the series with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday.  

LAST TIME OUT
Coming off a bye week this past weekend, the Rambelles entered their time off by taking two out of three games from Lubbock Christian. 

The series started with a seventh-inning comeback for the Rambelles, as they turned a 5-4 deficit into a 9-7 win in game one, thanks to clutch hitting from Carter Smith, Laylonna Applin, and Tatiana Trotter. 

The Rambelles lineup struggled in game two as they were shut out, only recording four hits. 

The Rambelles returned to form in the series finale, scoring six runs in the top of the first inning as they held on for a 7-4 win over the Lady Chaps. 

The Rambelles hit .289 as a team, averaging 4.9 runs per game. The Rambelles are second in Division II with 22 triples hit this season, more than doubling their total from a season ago. The Rambelles also rank tenth in the country, having been hit by 46 pitches this season. 

Averie Gunther has been plunked 18 times, the second-most in the country this season. 

Trotter is third in the country with eight triples this season, a new single-season record at Angelo State. 

Zoey De Baca leads the conference with five sacrifice flies this season.

The Rambelles have a 2.10 team ERA, third-best in the LSC, and lead the league with nine saves. They have struck out 253 batters in 323.1 innings, and opponents only hit .237 against the Rambelles, the third-best mark in the LSC. 

Cheyenne Floyd leads the LSC with 20 wins this season, more than twice her win total from a season ago. She is second in the league with a 1.55 ERA and is the first Rambelles pitcher since 2018 to reach the 20-win mark in a season. 

Amelia Hatthorn was named the LSC Pitcher of the Week for her performances in the circle against Texas A&M International and Lubbock Christian.

No. 22 Angelo State at No. 1 West Texas A&M
Game 1: Friday, April 26th at 6 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, April 27th at 1 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, April 27th at 3:30 p.m.
Schaeffer Park

Watch Live | Live Stats

West Texas A&M is 43-5 on the season and 35-4 in conference play; they are 21-1 on their home field and have not dropped a single LSC series this season. 

The Lady Buffs are coming off a road trip in which they went 5-1 against Texas A&M International and Cameron, sweeping the Dustdevils in three closely-contested games before taking two out of three against the Aggies. Their 2-0 loss to Cameron was the first time the Lady Buffs were shut out in a game this season. 

West Texas A&M is hitting an LSC-best .350 as a team and averages 7.9 runs scored per game. Their lineup features four players hitting above .300, paced by Diana Murtha's league-best .500 batting average. The graduate student third baseman has hit 16 home runs while driving in 58 runs and has a Division II-best OPS of 1.724. Additionally, 36 of her 58 hits have gone for extra bases, and she has drawn 42 walks this season. Emilee Boyer has also left the yard 16 times, driving in 49 runs.

WT's pitching staff has a 1.94 team ERA, second in the LSC, and has struck out 263 batters in 299 innings of work. Opponents are hitting .226 against the Lady Buffs, the second-best in the conference this season. The pitching staff comprises the triumvirate of Ashley Mandell, Heidi Vortherms, and Boyer. Mandell is 10-0 on the season with a 1.43 ERA, while Vortherms is 14-4 and has held opponents to a .204 batting average. Boyer is 19-1 on the season and has struck out 102 batters in 123.2 innings. 

WT also features the best defense in the league, with a .979 fielding percentage. Opponents have stolen 42 bases against the Lady Buffs, while they have thrown out four baserunners on attempted steals this season. 

LAST TIME VS. WT
As head coach, Travis Scott is 35-36 all-time versus the Lady Buffs. Last season, WT swept the Rambelles in San Angelo. This marks the first trip to Canyon for the Rambelles since 2021, where they split their doubleheader.

UP NEXT
The Rambelles will compete in next week's LSC Tournament on May 2-4.