COMMERCE— The No. 9 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team will host its first five games of their home schedule this week. The Lions host No. 20 Arkansas Tech in a doubleheader on Wednesday before beginning Lone Star Conference play with a home series against MSU Texas.
 
No. 20 Arkansas Tech
WHO: No. 9 Texas A&M-Commerce (7-1) vs. No. 20 Arkansas Tech (5-3)
WHERE: John Cain Family Softball Complex in Commerce, Texas
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 3 & 5 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE WEBCAST: lionathletics.com/live
 
MSU Texas
WHO: No. 9 Texas A&M-Commerce vs. MSU Texas (5-2, 0-0 LSC)
WHERE: John Cain Family Softball Complex in Commerce, Texas
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 at 1 & 3 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE WEBCAST: lionathletics.com/live
 
The Lions are coming off of a pair of wins over the weekend. The offense exploded with a 27-3 win over New Mexico Highlands and a strong defensive effort in a 3-0 win over St. Mary's. Head coach Richie Bruister was proud of the way his team played in some adverse conditions.
 
"I was definitely excited with everything," he said. "The offense broke out against New Mexico Highlands. We put up some big runs there. Certainly exciting. And then we got a great defensive performance in that second game against St. Mary's. Otto pitched a gem and we had some timely hitting. Kimber Neal stayed hot for the entire weekend. It was exciting to see both aspects of our game playing this weekend. We got some big region wins."
 
The Lions opened up the week with 27 runs against New Mexico Highlands. The output set a program record for runs in a single game. 16 of those runs came in the second inning, also a program record. 22 different Lions saw action in the game, including 20 different hitters. Bruister was excited to see success from the top to the bottom of the lineup, and from the bench players.
 
"They are fun to watch," Bruister said of his offense. "Everybody, one through nine in that lineup, did some damage. And we had a lot of people come off the bench and get hits. It was great for them to be ready for the opportunities they had and make the most of it. We put our subs in and they got the job done and took advantage of the time they had at the plate. It was exciting to see everybody have a big impact on the game."
 
The Lions then got a good defensive performance against St. Mary's, shutting out the Rattlers in a 3-0 win. After winning a in blowout fashion earlier and in a defensive battle later, Bruister liked seeing his team being able to win in multiple ways.
 
"In that first game, we used everybody in the dugout, except our starting pitcher for game two," he said. "Against St. Mary's, we knew it was going to be a tough battle. It was extremely cold out there. When we left the field, the weather report said it felt like 27 degrees. It was not favorable conditions. But it ended up being a lot warmer in our dugout than theirs."
 
The Lions will now play their first games of the season at their home field. The Lions begin by hosting No. 20 Arkansas Tech. The Lions and Golden Suns met in the second game of the season, with  the Lions coming out with an 8-4 win. Bruister is looking forward to two more battles against nationally-ranked ATU.
 
"It is great to be at home in our beautiful facility with our wonderful fans," he said. "We are bringing in the No. 20 team in the country to play the No. 9 ranked team. It is a great atmosphere for softball. Everybody should want to come out and watch that. It is a great opportunity to see two of the best teams in the country go at it on the field. They are a great ball club and we are going to have to play great to come out and get a couple wins."
 
The Lions will then open their conference season. They host MSU Texas, who currently sits at 5-2 on the year. Bruister is prepared for another grind through the gauntlet that is the Lone Star Conference.
 
"We have one of the toughest conferences in the country," he said. "We are starting out against a really good team in Midwestern. They have a winning record right now. They will be coming in hungry to do well. That's the Lone Star Conference. It is a gauntlet. You have to play well every single game, every single pitch. If you don't, people will take advantage of that and beat you. We have to show up and play hard and do the things that we do best and play as a team."