PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico softball is back in action at Greyhound Softball Field this weekend in a three-game series against No. 3 UT Tyler. Before the Hounds begin play on Saturday, please take a look at the Four Bases.

First Base – Sweep Success: Last weekend, Eastern swept a road series against the University of Texas Permian Basin. It marked the first time the Hounds had a three-game sweep since 2019 when they did so also against the Falcons. ENMU won game one 5-2, game two, 3-2, and game three 9-1 (5 inn.). Three different pitchers earned a win and six players had two or more hits. The Greyhounds sit in eleventh place in the LSC standings after earning three wins in conference play over UTPB.

Second Base - Historical Moments: Senior Brook Leger dominated in the circle over the series last weekend. She won game one after going all seven innings and allowing just two unearned runs on seven hits. After throwing nine strikeouts on the day, she hit the century mark on the season. In a tightly contested game two, the Albuquerque native came into the matchup with the bases loaded and just one out on the scoreboard. The threatening situation did not faze her as she struckout the next two hitters swinging. Leger went on to earn the save – her second of the season.

Third Base – Atta' Zay: Azalea Martinez is having a great season for ENMU in 2023 as she leads the LSC and is third among NCAA DII players with 15 doubles. She ranks fifth in RBI's (35), sixth in total bases (78), eighth in hits (41), and eleventh in homers (6) among LSC players. Martinez is hitting .325 over 39 games. The starting centerfielder has scored 26 runs and is on a five-game hitting streak. She is also one of seven players in the conference with a perfect fielding percentage.

Home – Upset Hunting: UT Tyler leads the all-time matchup with Eastern New Mexico, 4-0. In three of those matchups they have shutout the Hounds. Last season, the two programs played in a close 6-3 result that saw Azalea Martinez record three hits and Taylor Harrison pick up one. Both Jokaira Paredes and Jennifer Gress were hit by pitches during the game. This year, the Patriots come into Portales as the number three team in the country. Both programs hold one win and two losses against Angelo State in 2023. UTT has also lost to Central Oklahoma and Nova Southeastern this year. The top bat to watch for UT Tyler is JT Smith who carries a .443 average with 51 runs scored. The top arm is Kansas transfer Tatum Goff who holds a 1.47 ERA with a 22-0 record.