COMMERCE – Climbing nine spots in the national rankings and having won 23 of their 26, the Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team is in first place in the Lone Star Conference and hosts a pair of doubleheaders this weekend, including two more games against ranked teams.
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE
NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
For the second time this season,
Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) was selected as the Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week last week after 18.2 shutout innings with 32 strikeouts. She was also named the conference's top pitcher on February 22 and selected as the NFCA Pitcher of the Week that day as well.
Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated) has also earned an LSC Pitcher of the Year award this season.
Sabrina Anguiano (Riverside, Calif.) was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week as well as the Lone Star Conference Hitter of the Week on March 15. She batted .909 with three home runs and seven RBIs in four games against Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin.
LSC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
NFCA NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Lions climbed 12 spots in the national rankings after a 3-1 week against two top 15 teams in the country. A&M-Commerce is ranked season-best No. 9 this week and has a chance to move up even more, taking on No. 12 Javelinas this weekend.
A LOOK AT THE LIONS
A&M-Commerce entered last week in a three-way tie for first place, but after going 3-1, the Lions are now a game up on the rest of the conference with a record of 14-2. The Lions have an overall record of 29-7, looking to reach 30 wins for the fifth time, they had just 33 wins last season and get to that mark with four wins this weekend.
Getting on base and creating havoc once the runners are on base is the name of the game for the Lions, who are second in the country with 137 walks and 110 stolen bases. The Lions are scoring 7.2 runs per game, which is 14
th in the country. After hitting seven more home runs last weekend, the Lions have moved into eighth place in the country with 42 home runs.
Anguiano is batting .452 with six home runs and 25 RBIs. LeBlanc leads the team with eight home runs and has totaled 31 RBIs.
Ayanna Williams (Cedar Ridge – Round Rock) has team-best 36 RBIs.
Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) is slashing .351 batting average, three home runs, and 25 RBIs.
Leo Terry (Emory – Rains) is 22 for 24 in stolen base attempts, her 22 stolen bases are 17
th in the country.
The Lion pitching staff is pitching to an ERA of 2.64 and 268 strikeouts. Otto is 13-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.10, 12 complete games, and 116 strikeouts. LeBlanc has 111 punch outs and an ERA of 2.28, posting a record of 10-3.
WHAT'S AHEAD
The Lions are back on the road next weekend at St. Edward's and St. Mary's before returning home for the final homestand of the regular season.
SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS
Texas A&M International has won five games in a row and is 14-22 on the season. In conference play, the Dustdevils are 7-9. Heather Ruiz leads the team with a batting average of .398, while Briana Arredondo has seven home runs and 23 RBIs. Victoria Gonzalez is batting .374 with four home runs and 13 RBIs.
Darrian Smith is 10-7 on the season and pitching to an ERA of 3.07 and has struck out 109. She has made 18 appearances this season, while Sara Papizan has made 20 appearances and recorded an ERA of 4.06.
This is a rematch of the first round matchup of last season's LSC tournament in which the Dustdevils handed the Lions a 9-3 loss. A&M-Commerce is 10-6 against Texas A&M International and won four of the last six, losing just twice in the all-time head-to-head in Commerce.
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
Texas A&M-Kingsville is 30-5 on the season, having won five straight and is 12-4 in LSC games. The Javelinas will take on UT Tyler on Friday before making their way to Commerce on Sunday. The Javelinas are second in the country in batting average, lead the country in doubles and hits.
Matison Onofrei is batting .472, which leads the LSC and 17
th in the country. She is fifth in the country with 45 RBIs. Jory Cervantes has 17 RBIs while, Kayla Gonzales has 41. Both Gonzales and Onofrei lead the team with eight home runs each.
As a pitching staff, the Javelinas have posted 15 shutouts, which is best in Division II as well. Three of the four pitchers that the Javelinas have used this season are pitching to an ERA below 2.0. Carissa De Los Santos has tossed 44.1 innings and recorded an ERA of 1.11, she is 6-0 on the season. Beth Montes is 12-2 on the season with an ERA of 1.17 and 72 strikeouts. Saidi Castillo is 7-2 with an ERA of 1.88.
This weekend's marks the 21
st and the 22
nd times that the two teams have met with the Lions holding a 12-8 advantage. The Lions and the Javelinas meet in the NCAA Regionals last season, with the Lions winning 6-5 and are 8-0 at home all-time.
– 30 –
Lion Athletics Mission: Committed to a "Best in Class" experience for all.
