MARSHALL, Texas – Hosting their first American Southwest Conference series of the season, the #21 East Texas Baptist University softball team will matchup with the Belhaven University Blazers on Saturday and Monday this weekend at Taylor Field. ETBU enters the contest with a spotless mark, at 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the ASC.
The Tigers enter the weekend with BU after a 3-0 sweep of Sul Ross State University on Friday and Saturday last week. ETBU put together a lights out effort against the Lobos, racking up 32 runs and holding the home team scoreless in the 16-0 victory.
MacKenzie Anderson leads ETBU with nine runs, 12 hits and 15 RBI with a batting average of .444. Anderson has also tallied a team-leading five homeruns through the first eight games.
Emily Deramus is tied with Anderson for runs scored on the season, with nine to go along with five RBI and a .455 batting average. FPN National Player of the Week
Daniella Solis has recorded eight runs, 16 hits and eight RBI to go along with three home runs. Solis is also fourth on the team in batting average at .667 for the year.
Beatriz Lara has been a dual threat both in the circle and on the plate. The freshman has managed to score eight runs, tally nine hits and six RBI batting .375. In the circle, she is an impressive 5-0 to go along with 30 strikeouts in six appearances.
Through the first eight contests, the Tigers have totaled 66 runs, 85 hits, 13 homeruns and 58 RBI on an overall team batting average of .383. Defensively, ETBU has averaged 5.3 strikeouts per game.
The Blazers enter the weekend matchup with an overall record of 3-2 and an ASC mark of 1-2. BU dropped the final two games of a three-game series against the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets on Feb. 15
th and 16
th. In the overall series, the Tigers have the decisive edge over the Blazers, going 8-2 in the previous 10 meetings. Allie Gordon leads BU this season with 10 hits, five runs and seven RBI on a hitting percentage of .556.
With the start of an undefeated season so far, Head Coach
Janae Shirley still believes that her team can continue to grow. Facing conference opponents like Belhaven presents the Tigers with that opportunity.
"Playing conference opponents early on in the schedule can be nerve racking but it's what makes teams better. For us, we're used to having this level of competition when we step out onto the field. We want to learn from each game and progress from the weekend before. That's our goal as a team," Shirley said.
A double header is set for 3:00 p.m./5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, at Taylor Field with their annual Childhood Cancer Game. The Tigers will conclude the three-game series on Monday, Feb. 25, at 2:00 p.m.
