Kingsville - After 15 games away from home to start the season, the Texas A&M - Kingsville softball team will play its first games at Vernie and Blanche Hubert Field on Friday when the Javelinas face off against the Lobos from Sul Ross St. in a doubleheader that's set to start at noon.

Kingsville is 7-8 in the early going and 2-2 in Lone Star Conference play, which started last weekend. The Lobos are 4-9 to start the year and 1-3 in LSC play. They have lost five of their last six games heading into the matchup.

"We're really excited to be at home for the first time," Head Coach Orlando Salinas said. "We've been battle tested, we're 2-2 in the conference right now. We're playing a good Sul Ross team on Friday. We're looking forward to continuing to build our team chemistry and continue to develop as a pitching staff and as a whole. So, overall, we're super excited. This conference is as tough as it gets, but our girls are up for the challenge and we can't wait for this weekend."

Offense has ruled the day for TAMUK through the team's first 15 games. The Javelinas are fifth in the conference in runs scored with 107 on the season while ranking second in both total hits and total bases. That total bases number has been helped by a stellar eye shown off in the box by Javelina batters, who lead the LSC in walks with 12 more than any other team so far this season.

Leading the way for Kingsville offensively has been graduate student outfielder Lindsey Evans, whose .641 batting average is the 11th-best in the nation. Not only that, but her slugging percentage of 1.154 ties her for the 12th-best in all of D2. While she is tied with sophomore Laney Doelitsch for the team lead in homers with four, she is second on the squad in RBIs, beat out only by her fellow graduate student OF, AJ Jasso. Jasso has 19 ribbies, tying her for eighth-most in the LSC. 

That high-powered offense will look to get back on track after a Sunday doubleheader with Eastern New Mexico in which the Javelinas scored seven total runs across the two games - under half of their average entering the matchup.

Facing them will be a Lobo offense that has struggled as of late, scoring more than one run in just two of its last six games. When the Lobos do get on base, however, they're very aggressive along the paths, having stolen the sixth-most bases in the LSC this year. 

This will be the first of two different doubleheaders played in Kingsville this weekend, as the softball team will take on UT-Permian Basin on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m..