KINGSVILLE, Texas – In one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2019 softball season, the No. 6 Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team will visit the No. 9 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs for a three-game series that begins on Friday in Canyon, Texas at Schaeffer Park.
These two teams arrive at this showdown after starting the season in very different places. West Texas was picked to finish second the Lone Star Conference in the preseason after a 2018 campaign that saw them nearly capture their second consecutive conference championship. They were coming off their sixth consecutive appearance at NCAA Regionals, a run that includes the program's first national championship in 2014. The Buffs have also been ranked for more than a month, rising as high as sixth in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.
The Javelinas were slotted sixth in the conference in the preseason one year after making their first appearance in the LSC postseason since 2009. Despite a 14-0 start, it took the Javs more than a month to break into the NFCA poll. The squad's current streak of six straights wins has helped them capture first place in the LSC and leapfrog WT in the national rankings into the sixth spot.
The Javelinas have been executing both at the plate and in the circle during their current six-game win streak, which has included three run-rule victories and as many shutouts. TAMUK's pitching staff has allowed only three runs in its last five games, a stretch that included freshman Saidi Castillo's (Kingsville, Texas) perfect game on Friday.
Castillo continues to cement her status as one of the best pitchers in the country. Her 132 strikeouts, 16 wins and .889 win percentage are all in the top 10 in Division II. She's also been leading a staff that currently sports the 19th best ERA in the nation and has tossed nine shutouts, the 13th-highest total in the NCAA.
No team in the LSC has swung a hotter bat than the Javelinas in March and that charge has been led by sophomore Anastasia Leibas (Del Valle, Texas). In 12 games since the start of the month, TAMUK's shortstop is hitting .513 with five homers and 17 RBIs, good for a 1.128 slugging percentage. In her team's last series, Leibas registered six hits in nine at bats, including three homers, and drove in 10 runs. For the season, she's batting an even .400. As a team, the Javelinas are batting .324, which would be the highest mark in program history for an entire season.
The Javelinas will not be the only team in Canyon with a lethal lineup. The Buffs are hitting .338 on the season, which places them 15th in the NCAA and A&M-Commerce is the only program in the country that has more than WT's 59 homers. They've also tallied 284 runs, 30 more than anyone else in the LSC.
The players at the head of the line for West Texas are senior Kylee Moore and freshman Ruby Salzman. Both players are in the top five in the conference hitting and own averages above .400. Salzman is tied for third in the nation with 12 homers and Moore isn't far behind with 11, tying her for seventh. Moore is also in the top 20 in Division II in on-base percentage with a .557 clip.
The West Texas pitching staff has been led Shayne Starkey and Kyra Lair, who've combined to start every game but two in 2019. Lair's 12 wins have her behind only Castillo and Commerce's Emily Otto in conference statistics and both hurlers are in the top 10 in the LSC in strikeouts.
In 45 all-time meetings, the Buffs own a 28-17 advantage and they haven't lost a series at home against the Javelinas since 2008. When these teams met in 2018, however, the Javelinas sprung a surprise on their conference rivals, taking two of three from then No. 11 WT, including a walk-off win in the series finale. TAMUK enters this matchup with an opportunity to take consecutive series from the Buffs for the first time since 2007-08.
The time for Friday night's first pitch is 6 p.m., while Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. Live stats and video and a recap following the final out will all be available via Javelinaathletics.com. You can stay current with everything related to Javelina softball by following @TAMUKSB and @JavelinaSports on Twitter, @JavelinaSports on Instagram, visiting Javelina Sports on Facebook and checking out Javelinaathletics.com.
