Durant, Okla. – A&M-Commerce takes its six-game winning streak to open its inaugural 2015 season on the road for the first time with five games at the Southeastern Regional Invitational hosted by Southeastern Oklahoma State Friday, February 13 through Sunday, February 15 at the Durant Mulit-Sports Complex.
The Lions will play their first neutral site game of the season with No. 16 St. Mary's Friday at 12:30 p.m. The Rattlers went 50-14 a season ago to win the Heartland Conference for the fifth straight season. In 2015, St. Mary's is off to a 6-0 start including wins over No. 4 Southeastern Oklahoma State and No. 1 West Texas A&M. The Rattlers are hitting .299 as a heat while limiting opponents to a .215 batting average. In the circle, St. Mary's holds its opposition to just 1.83 earned runs per game while recording 25 strikeouts.
A&M-Commerce faces a quick turnaround with Newman scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday afternoon. The Jets are 1-1 on the season with a doubleheader split against Southwestern Oklahoma State. Newman went 16-29 overall and 7-17 in Heartland Conference play in 2014. In just two games, Newman is hitting .349 early in the season while holding opponents to a .268 average. They give up 3.77 earned runs per game through two games.
Saturday the Lions again play a doubleheader with Southwestern Oklahoma State at 12:30 p.m. and Washburn at 3 p.m.
Southwestern Oklahoma State is 1-5 in the early going of the season with their lone win over Eastern New Mexico. The Bulldogs went 13-39 and 9-31 in the Great American Conference last year. This season they are hitting .288 while opponents are sporting a .347 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs allow 5.97 runs per game as a pitching staff.
Washburn is 1-2 in three games this season with their only win coming against Southwestern Oklahoma State. Last season, the Ichabods went 20-23 overall and 12-14 in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association. This season the team is hitting at a .304 clip, while their opponents have a .353 batting average. The pitching staff allows 4.34 earned runs per game.
On the third and final day of the tournament, the Lions will take on host No. 4 Southeastern Oklahoma State at 12:30 p.m. The Savage Storm is off to a sluggish start in 2015 at 2-4. Last season, Southeastern Oklahoma State went 45-20 overall and 28-11 in the Great American Conference. The Savage Storm advanced all the way to the NCAA National Tournament before falling to Valdosta State in the national semifinals.
In its inaugural season, the Lions are off to a sizzle 6-0 start, but have played all six games in the newly minted John Cain Family Softball Field in Commerce.
Luci Ponce and
Monica Cherry lead the team at the dish with .533 and .500 batting averages respectively and seven RBI each. The Lions like to run on the base paths and have taken 33 bases on the season. As a team, the Lions sport a .338 hitting percentage while holding opponents to just a .253 mark thanks to the work of
Selena Rima and
Aundria Romero in the circle. Rima boast a 1.05 ERA with 19 strikeouts and a 3-0 record with one save, while Romero is 3-0 with 2.21 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
In the team's final game of the Lions Classic, a 7-0 win over Northeastern Oklahoma State, head coach
Richie Bruister collected his 350th career win. Bruister is 350-196 currently in his 11th season as a head coach. He went 161-92 in five seasons at Henderson State and 183-104 in five seasons at Texas Woman's. His .637 winning percentage entering the 2015 season was the 32nd highest winning percentage among NCAA DII coaches.
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.
