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KINGSVILLE, Texas (Softball) – Having already been eliminated from qualifying for the Lone Star Conference tournament, Texas A&M-Kingsville (15-25-1, 6-17-1) can play spoiler when they host Midwestern State (22-22, 9-15 LSC) this weekend at Vernie and Blanche Hubert Field. The Mustangs need to sweep the four-game series to qualify for the tournament. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the doubleheader on Saturday will start at 1 p.m.
 
Promotion
Saturday will be senior day for the Javleinas' three seniors. Jaeleen Castro, Ariel Kellogg and Valerie Ramirez will be honored in a ceremony following the completion of the twinbill.
 
Sponsor
Saturday – Kleberg Bank
 
All-Time Series vs. MSU
MSU maintains a 19-5 lead all-time over the Blue and Gold. The Mustangs have won 12 straight and 16 of the last 17 meetings. TAMUK's last win came on Feb. 12, 2011 by the score of 1-0 at Hubert Field. In Kingsville, MSU is 7-3 including a three-game sweep in 2012.
 
Scouting Texas A&M-Kingsville
Riding a 10-game hitting streak, Rachael Longoria enters the final four games with a team-high .387 batting average. The only other player hitting over .300 is Loren Donaldson at .350. Five home runs and 22 RBI have come off her bat to pace the squad.
 
Plating 22 runs and bashing four homers has been Ramirez. She is batting .275 and is one of four players to start every game this season.
 
Haley Boyett is 13-for-15 stealing bases and has been credited with a team-high nine outfield assists. Second on the team with six assists from left field is Jaeleen Castro.
 
Featuring a staff-low ERA of 4.10 is Carlie Clark. She is 4-5 with six complete games and has tossed two of TAMUK's three shutouts. Karri Smith was a workhorse last weekend at Tarleton State, pitching every inning of the last three games. For the year, she is 6-14, has an ERA of 5.24 and leads the staff with 57 strikeouts and 18 complete games. Appearing in 16 games with nine starts, Bella Rosas comes in with a 4-6 mark and 6.74 ERA.
 
Scouting Midwestern State
Kelley Schaefer leads MSU with a .355 batting average and is one of six regulars hitting over .300. She has also recorded nine home runs, 32 RBI and scored 27 times.
 
Katelyn Vinson is fourth in the LSC with 16 homers and has driven in 42 and scored 33 runs. Katy Vandewater has also reached double-figures in dingers with 10 and paces the Mustangs in RBI (43).
 
Entering the series a perfect 15-for-15 stealing bases is Haley Howerton. Paige Stevens is second with 11 swipes and Taylor Bermudes is next on the squad with six steals.
 
In the circle, Tayler Jerrick has a staff-low 3.55 ERA and team best three shutouts. For the season she is 6-7 in 16 games, 14 of them starts, and has tossed 88.2 innings. Her 63 strikeouts are tied for the most on the staff with Katlyn Holmes, who is 9-8 with a 5.86 ERA. Holmes' 108.2 innings are team-high while she has also been credited with all three of the Mustangs' saves.
 
Rounding out the hurlers is Erin Knox. She is 7-7 with a 5.56 ERA in 84.1 innings, gone the distance in 10 games and has struck out 46.
 
Rain, Rain Go Away
For the fifth time this season rain has forced the cancelation of games. Wednesday the Javelinas's doubleheader at Houston-Victoria was washed away after heavy rain fell on the field an hour before first pitch. The other four twinbills that have been canceled this year were against Angelo State, Huston-Tillotson, Texas A&M International and Texas A&M-Commerce.
 
Historic Tie
The Javelinas recorded a tie for the second time in school history in the series finale against Texas Woman's. The game ended 1-1 with an out in the top of the sixth. It just so happens that the first tie came against the Pioneers in Denton, Texas on Mar. 17, 2006 by the score of 2-2 in 10 innings.
 
Season Split vs. SEU
For only the second time since 2011, TAMUK split the season series with St. Edward's. The Hilltoppers won the first game of each the two twinbills the teams played and the Javelinas took the second contest. The last time the Blue and Gold split the season series against SEU was in 2013.
 
Clark Named LSC Pitcher of the Week
With her performance last week on the rubber, Clark was named the Lone Star Conference's Pitcher of the Week. She went 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA, 13 strikeouts, three complete games and one shutout. It is the first weekly conference award for the sophomore.
 
Sweep of Zias
Texas A&M-Kingsville entered into the hunt for a spot in the LSC Tournament with a sweep of Eastern New Mexico. It was the first time the Javelinas took every game in a series in conference play since March 12-13, 2010. That series also took place at Hubert Field against the Zias.
 
Home Sweet Home Part 1
The Javelinas love to play games at Hubert Field. This season they are 11-1 after sweeping the four-game series from ENMU. TAMUK is batting .370 and averaging 5.7 runs a game. On the rubber, Javelina pitchers have combined for a 2.36 ERA, 65 strikeouts and a .275 opponents' batting average.
 
Home Sweet Home Part 2
Clark has dominated in the circle at Hubert Field in 2015. In six starts, she is 5-0 with five complete games, two shutouts, a 1.41 ERA and 38 strikeouts.
 
K-Town
Clark has been a strikeout machine at home this season. Of her 46 strikeouts, 38 of them have come in the circle at Hubert Field. In the season opener against Texas A&M International, she struck out eight. She followed with nine versus Huston-Tillotson, including the first three batters of the game on the minimum nine pitches, and another eight against Texas A&M-Commerce.
 
Castro's Plunked Mark
Back on March 13 in the second game of the day at Cameron, Castro was hit by a pitch to reach base. With that plunk, she was hit for the 23rd time in her career to move into sole possession of first place on the school's all-time list. The previous record holder was Kenna Gipson who played for the Javelinas in the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
 
Winning February
Texas A&M-Kingsville completed February with a 6-5 record. It was the first time they have finished the first month of the season with a winning record since 2009 when they went 14-6. The 2012 Javelinas came close, going 8-8 in the first month of the season.
 
Bombs Away
TAMUK blasted four homers in the final game of the Southeastern Regional Invitational against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The home run total is the most by the Javelinas in a game since also hitting four at Eastern New Mexico on March 25, 2011.
 
Live stats will be available for the entire series and Saturday's contests will be video streamed on the Javelina Broadcast Network for free. Links can be found on the softball schedule page.
 
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