COMMERCE— The No. 9 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team returns to Lone Star Conference action with a three-game home stand against sister school Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
WHO: No. 9 Texas A&M-Commerce (25-3, 10-2 LSC) vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville (17-15, 7-8 LSC)
WHERE: John Cain Family Softball Complex in Commerce, Texas
WHEN: Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 24 at 1 & 3 p.m.
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LIVE WEBCAST: lionathletics.com/live
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The Lions had a busy spring break, winning eight games over the week. They went 5-0 at home with sweeps of Missouri Western State and UT Permian Basin. The team also picked up a season-sweep of St. Edward's, knocking off the Hilltoppers twice in Austin. Head coach Richie Bruister was proud of his team for locking in all week.
 
"It was a busy week, a fun week and a very tiring week," he said. "Any time you can put up eight wins in a week, that is a fun week. It certainly wasn't spring "break". It was more like spring "work". We are glad to be back home for a normal week."
 
After a stellar week at the plate and behind it, catcher Mariah Jameyson was named LSC Hitter of the Week. She hit .650 with 13 hits and 18 RBIs and had her second grand slam of the season. It is the third time she has been named Hitter of the Week in the last four weeks to go along with her back-to-back National Player of the Week awards. Bruister continues to marvel at his All-American catcher and the maturity and focus she has displayed since the season began.
 
"It doesn't appear that she wants to share any awards with anybody," Bruister said with a laugh. "I'm very proud of her. One of the things I've talked about is just her maturity. A lot of times after people win those conference awards or those national awards, the following week they don't do as well. She hasn't had that problem. She has continued to be very successful. That just shows the maturity she has as a senior.
 
"And we talk about it all the time, how much she works. She is there before practice, she stays after practice. It is really good to see the benefits she is getting. She is setting herself up for another outstanding year. She is leading the nation and conference in categories. And she is also a great defensive catcher and just a great person. She is obviously a great team leader for us."
 
The Lions are now ranked No. 9 in the country in the latest NFCA Coaches' Poll. It is their highest ranking ever. Bruister is enjoying the recognition and also is proud of the way his team is staying focused with a greater confidence than he has ever seen in his time with the Lions.
 
"To be nationally ranked, our kids are walking around with a new sense of confidence in themselves," he said. "We are proud to put on that softball jersey or that shirt walking around campus. It is nice to hear, when the teams are announced at our games, to hear the No. 9 nationally-ranked team. Then you go into the starting lineup. That is a great feeling."
 
The Lions are currently on a nine-game winning streak, their second such streak this year. During the spring break, the Lions won six of their seven games by run rule, outscoring opponents 82-12 during that stretch. Bruister likes what he is seeing from both the offense and the defense and knows it has taken all 10 players in the lineup to produce such results.
 
"It is definitely a team effort," he said. "Our offensive numbers have definitely been there. A lot of that is due to our depth. We have had some injuries this year but we have had some people step up and we haven't seen a drop off. If teams decide to pitch around the middle of our lineup, then those five, six, seven, eight and nine hitters have come through and put up some big runs for us. To average 11-plus runs, it takes everybody to get that done.
 
"Then the pitching staff has done awesome. Emily Otto has been steady for us. Katie Dean and Selena Rima have come on strong in the last couple of weeks. That has been a huge lift for our pitching staff. Our ERA is under two. When you are scoring 11 and giving up less than two, you are going to win a lot of ball games."
 
The Lions are currently 25-3 on the year and 10-2 in the Lone Star Conference. The team is one game back in the standings as the league nears the midway point. Bruister knows his team has performed well so far and is confident the team is right where it needs to be to make this a special season.
 
"Right now we are right where we want to be," Bruister said. "We are sitting in second place, one game behind Angelo. And we still have those top teams to play. We are excited about where we are. We have had a tough schedule. We are happy with where we are right now. And we are looking forward to the rest of our conference play. Lone Star Conference softball is the best softball in the country. It is the toughest conference by far, from the first place team to the last place team. Anybody can beat you. You have to come out and be on top of your game every single day."
 
The Lions look to improve their standing with a three-game home stand this week against LSC rival Texas A&M-Kingsville. While the Javelinas have been up and down in stretches this year, Bruister sees a talented team that has a great pitching staff. He knows it will not be easy to win three games, but he is confident in his team and hopes to have a good home field advantage.
 
"This weekend we have Kingsville, another really good ball club," he said. "They are led by their pitching staff who is throwing the ball very well. We need our home crowd to show up and to come and support. It sure helps our girls to play better when they are out there. It gives us a little extra motivation when we need it and gives us a home field advantage to intimidate the other team. Our fans have done a good job of that so far. We would love to see that continue and have all of our students come out with their friends and family as well the community."