COMMERCE – After two weeks of games scrapped by poor weather, the seventh-ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team returns to the diamond this weekend, hosting a portion of the Irwin Classic.
 
The No. 7 Lions will hosts defending champion from 2020 – No. 3 Augustana – and St. Mary's in a double round robin on Friday and Saturday.
 
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 3-1, Augustana has not played yet this season, and St. Mary's is 2-4.
LIVE VIDEO: LSC Digital Network
LIVE STATS: Direct Link
 
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26
1 p.m. - Augustana at A&M-Commerce
3:30 p.m. - St. Mary's at A&M-Commerce
6 p.m. - St. Mary's vs. Augustana
 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27
11 a.m. - Augustana vs. St. Mary's
1:30 p.m. - Augustana at A&M-Commerce
4 p.m. - St. Mary's at A&M-Commerce
 
About the Lions
The Lions enter the weekend holding a 3-1 record and are ranked No. 7 in the NFCA poll. A&M-Commerce his hitting .343 as a team and has a 1.38 team earned run average.
 
Madison Schaefer leads the team with a .636 batting average to rank second in the Lone Star Conference, while Samantha Dutton ranks seventh in the LSC with a .556 average. Kinsie Hebler's .643 on-base percentage and seven walks rank third in the conference.
 
Alyssa LeBlanc has a 3-0 record in the circle with a no-hitter and leads the LSC with a 0.00 ERA and a .089 opponents' batting average, allowing only four hits in three appearances.
 
About the Vikings
Augustana opens its season ranked No. 3 in the nation and is the still defending national champions after the 2020 season was cut short. The Vikings are coming off a 16-3 2020 campaign and are on a seven-game winning streak.
 
The Vikings are led in the circle by All-American Ashley Mickschl who is also the NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Mickschl twirled 72.1 innings in 2020 and tallied a 1.87 ERA while collecting 11 of the Vikings wins. In the batter's box, Kendall Cornick was tabbed as the Vikings' Preseason Player to Watch after she hit .365 with 18 runs scored and 14 RBI.
 
Mary Pardo was the Vikings' top run producer last season, totaling 19 RBI, much in thanks to a team-best eight doubles and four home runs. She hit .348 while starting all 19 games.
 
About St. Mary's
The Rattlers are 2-4 overall with wins over Tabor College, first a 10-2, five-inning affair, then an 8-0, run-rule contest. St. Mary's was tabbed ninth earlier this season in the Lone Star Conference.
 
Amber Gonzales owns the top batting average on the team at .429. Alex Moreno has tallied a pair of home runs in the six contests. Three different pitchers have started two games while Alex McLennan and Julia Cruz each own one of the two victories this season. McLennan has the most innings pitched at 17.2 and owns a 0.4 ERA.