SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State softball team opens conference play this weekend, traveling to Wichita Falls and Lubbock to face Midwestern State and Lubbock Christian, respectively.
 
The Rambelles and Mustangs' doubleheader will take place at 2 p.m. on Friday. The Rambelles will close their weekend with the Lady Chaps on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Rambelles went 2-3 in Florida, defeating Embry-Riddle and splitting a doubleheader with Florida Tech before dropping both games against Rollins.
 
SIFUENTES NAMED LSC HITTER AND FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Rambelles third baseman Zoey Sifuentes repeated as the LSC Freshman of the Week and was named the LSC Hitter of the Week for the first time in her career following her weekend in Florida. The Kinesiology major hit .563 (9-for-16) with two home runs, a double, and six RBI over five road games. The Lamesa product scored four runs and was hit by a pitch as she had four multi-hit games and three with an extra-base hit for the Rambelles against Embry-Riddle, Florida Tech (twice), and Rollins (twice). Sifuentes also stole a bag. The freshman is tied for the league lead with seven doubles and also ranks in the top five in batting average (.512), slugging percentage (.951), on-base percentage (.615), OPS (1.566), hits (21), and RBI (18).
 
TROTTER NAMED LSC PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Rambelles senior outfielder Tatiana Trotter was selected as the conference's preseason player of the year, as voted on by the league's coaches, SIDs, and media members. Trotter, an Intelligence and Analysis student from Lubbock, is coming off a season in which she hit .330 with 14 home runs and 47 RBI. She slugged .648 and had a .449 on-base percentage. Trotter also notched seven assists from the outfield en route to being named an LSC Golden Glove winner. The senior was also a third-team Academic All-American selection last season.
 
SCOUTING MIDWESTERN STATE
Midwestern State is 2-8 on the season and 0-2 in conference play. They are coming off a conference-opening weekend in which they dropped both games at home to Lubbock Christian - with the Lady Chaps claiming a 3-2 win in 13 innings in game one before shutting out the Mustangs, 5-0, in game two.
 
The Mustangs are hitting .217 this season, averaging 2.9 runs per game. Chipper Mayorga leads the team with a .394 average and has driven in a team-high eight runs. Paige Scanlan has hit both Mustangs' home runs this season.
 
The Mustangs' pitching staff has a 2.58 ERA and has struck out 38 batters in 73.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .273 against the Mustangs. Kayleigh Bowers leads the team with a 1.80 ERA.
 
The Rambelles are 47-22 all-time against the Mustangs. Last season, the Mustangs took three out of four games from the Rambelles.
 
SCOUTING LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN
Lubbock Christian is 6-6 on the season and is riding a four-game winning streak. This weekend marks their first games at Maner Park this season.
 
LCU is hitting .277 as a team with four hitters exceeding the .300 mark. Kadin Vire paces the lineup with a .488 average, while Coryn Burris leads the team with two home runs and 12 runs driven in.
 
The Lady Chaps' pitching staff has a 3.06 ERA, paced by reigning LSC Pitcher of the Week Natalee Gray. The sophomore is 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA, striking out 15 batters in 22 innings. Opponents are hitting .137 against Gray this season.
 
The Rambelles are 15-8 all-time against the Lady Chaps; the Rambelles won three out of four games against LCU last season.
 
RAMBELLES PICKED THIRD IN LSC PRESEASON POLL
The Rambelles were picked to repeat their third-place finish in the LSC Preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches, SIDs, and media members. The Rambelles received a pair of first-place votes and tallied 753 total points. Two-time defending champions UT Tyler were picked to repeat as conference champions with 849 total points and 39 of 51 first-place votes. West Texas A&M received eight first-place votes and 817 total points. Oklahoma Christian and Lubbock Christian each received a first-place vote to round out the top five. Cameron, Eastern New Mexico, St. Edward's, and St. Mary's round out the top nine in what would fill the spots for the LSC Tournament.
 
25 YEARS OF RAMBELLES SOFTBALL
The Angelo State softball program is playing its 25th season of Division II softball this season. The Rambelles hold a record of 999-366-1 since the 2002 season. In that time, the Rambelles have qualified for 19 NCAA Tournaments, winning six South Central regional championships, the 2004 National Championship, and finishing as the National Runners-Up in 2017.
 
RETURNING STATS
The Rambelles' lineup only returns 364 of their 1,535 at-bats from a season ago, with Tatiana Trotter and Abby Brand the only mainstays returning from last season's lineup. In the circle, Bri Waters is the lone holdover from last season's pitching staff. All in all, 14 new faces will suit up for the Rambelles in 2026.