COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team will have its first home games of the season on Saturday. The Lions will take on the No. 3 St. Mary's in a doubleheader at 1 and 3 p.m.
 
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce (10-3) vs. St. Mary's (14-2)
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1 & 3 p.m.
WHERE: John Cain Family Softball Complex in Commerce, Texas
LIVE VIDEO: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/tamucommerce/
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TICKETS: http://lionathletics.com/sports/2016/12/13/2017-softball-ticket-information.aspx

The Lions are coming off of a three game series against Tarleton State, with A&M-Commerce winning two of the three games. Head coach Richie Bruister thought his team didn't play up to its potential and hoped for a sweep, but was proud of his team for finding ways to win while not playing their best.
 
"It was a good weekend but not a great weekend," he said. "Our expectations are to win the Lone Star Conference and we had an opportunity to sweep Tarleton. We were fortunate to win two because we didn't play well all weekend. I'm proud of our team for fighting through and finding ways to win ball games. That's the good part of it."
 
Bruister has high expectations for his team and he is confident the team will live up to them. After returning home, the Lions have been hard at work trying to continually improve.
 
"We've had a good week of practice this week," he said. "We are getting ready for this weekend and learning from those mistakes that we made against Tarleton to eventually give us a chance to sweep people when we need to sweep them and give us a chance to win the conference championship."
 
The Lions now face St. Mary's in their first home series of the season. The Rattlers are 14-2 on the season and are ranked No. 3 in the country in the NFCA Coaches Poll. This is the first time the teams have met in Commerce. The Lions are 1-2 all-time against the Rattlers.
 
"They have won the Heartland Conference the last 14 or 15 out of 16 years," Bruister said. "They are a great ball club and have been for years. It's a good test for us. We look forward to the challenge of playing them. They are well balanced. They have extremely good pitching. They have a great defense and offense. We look forward to it. We are a good matchup. We like what we've got. We like our team with our speed and our power and our pitching. It is going to be another in-region battle against them."
 
The games will be the first two of 10 consecutive home matchups over the next three weeks. Bruister hopes the fans will come out to the ballpark and make their voices heard, especially as the Lions battle one of the top teams in the nation.
 
"You've got an opportunity to see two of the best teams in Division II softball," he said. "You want to take advantage of that opportunity. The weather is going to be nice. Bring a jacket and come out and enjoy the atmosphere. Come on out and enjoy the best softball in the country. And bring out your kids or your team, whatever it may be, to see two of the best teams in the country go at it head-to-head."
 
Bruister especially likes how close the fans can get to the action. He hopes his team can put on a good show and come away with two wins. He knows the crowd has an impact on the home team.
 
"The way our stadium is built, the sound is in there," he said. "You can hear the catcher's mitt pop when the ball comes in. You are 25 feet away from home plate. It is an opportunity to be up and close to the action. We invite everybody to come out and to cheer us on. Our players play better when you do that."