Commerce, Texas – The wait is finally over ... well almost. In just 24 hours A&M-Commerce will play in the first softball game in school history and open the 2015 inaugural season Sunday at noon when the Lions host St. Edwards in the newly minted John Cain Family Softball Field.
 
A&M-Commerce head coach Richie Bruister talked about the excitement surrounding the inaugural season and the first pitch of the first game Sunday.  He said the challenge is to harness the nervousness and turn it into excitement within reason.
 
"During the preseason when we took the team to the high ropes course on campus and they had to walk across a beam 35 feet above the ground," Bruister said.  "There were a lot of nerves involved, so we made them walk across the same size beam on the ground and everyone could do it easily. We told them it is just like playing softball this season. The game has not changed from being the same game they have played all their lives with the same bases and umpires. We do not need to make the game and the season more than it is – just softball."
 
That is not to say the Lions have tempered expectations in the first year.  A&M-Commerce was picked to finish middle of the pack and even earned one first place in the Lone Star Conference's preseason poll.  Coach Bruister did not back off his schedule either, as his team will faceoff against tough regional and national opponents all season especially playing in arguably one of the best NCAA Division II softball conferences in the country – the LSC. 
 
The inaugural season opener against St. Edwards Sunday is a prime example.  The Hilltoppers are one of seven teams the Lions will play that made it into the NCAA tournament in 2014 and that includes defending NCAA Division II Champions West Texas A&M.  Angelo State, who won the LSC tournament in 2014, Cameron, St. Mary's, Texas Woman's and Midwestern are all on the Lions' schedule and all made the NCAA tournament in 2014.
 
"There are two parts to the season and both are equally as important," Bruister said.  "The nonconference schedule and conference schedule are both important because of regional and conference rankings. Our very first game is an important one from a rankings standpoint. St. Edwards has been to the regionals for the past two years.  (Assistant) Coach (Christina) May and I have always developed our players in past programs to be the best and compete with the best so that is our plan right from the start."
 
Bruister and his Lions know they will be competitive when they take the field Sunday and this season, but at the end of the day he want his team to give their best effort.
 
"We know we are going to be competitive when the gloves come off, and we are going to find out who we are then.  After the game we'll ask how did we play, did we give our best effort? We want our players to always give their best effort and hopefully we will come out on top," Bruister added.
 
For the Lions the recipe to success will be the team's defense and pitching staff with the plan to limit opposing teams to three runs or less.
 
"Defense wins championships," Bruister said.  "For us to be successful our pitchers need to keep us in the ball game.  We tell our staff three runs or less per game and it is our offense's job to score."
 
The Lions have diverse and balanced pitching staff with the strength of the group lying in its diversity.
 
"We have a couple of hard throwers and some finesse pitchers," Bruister said.  "They compliment each other well and are able to keep hitters off balance."
 
The seven other players lined up behind the pitching staff, four infields and three outfielders, are a solid group of defenders that Bruister feels should make the routine plays and some of the great plays."
 
"We feel our infield is solid all the way around the horn with good team speed," Bruister added.  "Our outfielders can cover ground and run balls down in the gaps and down the lines.  They possess good arm strength and can get the ball back into the infield quickly."
 
The backstop for the Lions defense, the two catchers, handle the Lions pitching staff and are the commander and chiefs of the defense when on the field.
 
"I think they do a good job of communicating with the umpires and our defense," noted Bruister.  "They do an excellent job of framing and receiving pitches and blocking balls in the dirt to keep runners from advancing."
 
Offensively, the Lions will have balanced attack with a mixture of speed and power on display in the line-up.
 
"We have the ability to win games with the short game – bunting and slapping – and with the long ball," Bruister said.  "We are excited about our offense and the ability to put a lot of runs on the scoreboard.  We are solid from top to bottom and in this conference and region you have to have a great offense to compete."
 
The Lions open play Sunday, February 1 with a doubleheader set for noon to open the 2015 season.  A&M-Commerce will also host the four-team TAMUC Lion Classic the following weekend, Friday, February 6 through Saturday February 7.  The Lions will play Southern Nazarene and Northeastern State Friday at 12:15 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. respectively and then play the same two teams in the same order and the same times Saturday.  Tarleton State will be the fourth team in the tournament.
 
Fans can follow all the action from the 2014-15 season on www.LionAthletics.com, through twitter @Lion_Athletics and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LionsAthletics.