The WTAMU Lady Buffs softball team is preparing to take the field for the 2013 season in which they hope to return to the glory of the 2011 team that captured the Lone Star Conference tournament championship. The No. 9 Angelo State Rambelles are the preseason favorites to win the LSC, but WT is hoping to prove the preseason rankings wrong, yet again.

The Lady Buffs were picked to finish third in the LSC behind the Rambelles and the Texas Woman’s Pioneers. WT got 181 points in the poll that determined LSC preseason rankings, with zero first place votes. The Lady Buffs will also enter the season ranked eighth in the South Central Region and unranked in the NFCA Coaches’ Poll.

WT finished 2012 with a 35-18 overall record and were 16-11 in LSC play. The Lady Buffs will hope to get rid of the bad momentum that they ended the season with last year. WT dropped three of their last four games, including an LSC Semifinal loss (11-3) to the No. 1 seed and then No. 10 ASU.

The Lady Buffs are hoping to find new stars after losing star pitcher Marci Womack and outfielder Kim LeComte. Sophomores Robbie Dailey and Allie Cranfill along with senior Adriana Garcia are candidates to fill those roles. Dailey led the team with a .408 batting average in 2012 and Cranfill led the team with 19 homeruns, 55 RBIs and 114 total bases. Garcia finished 2012 with a 6-2 record and 5.19 ERA, second-lowest ERA and second in wins behind Womack.

WT will look to improve on an 8-8 record away from Canyon. The Lady Buffs were 23-7 at Schaeffer Park and 4-3 at neutral sites. The softball season will begin for WT in Las Vegas, Nev. when the Lady Buffs take on Western New Mexico in the Desert Stinger Invite. First pitch is Feb. 8, at 1:30 p.m.