COMMERCE – Entering the home stretch of the regular season, the Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team is back in Commerce this weekend as it hosts UIW for three key matchups in the Southland Conference standings.  
 
LIONS' SCHEDULE VS. UIW

Date	Time	Coverage
Friday, April 21	5 p.m.	ESPN+ • Live Stats
Friday, April 21	7 p.m.	ESPN+ • Live Stats
Saturday, April 22	Noon	ESPN+ • Live Stats

 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE LIONS
A&M-Commerce faced No. 12/11 ranked Arkansas on the road in midweek action on Tuesday with the Razorbacks winning 8-1. The game was tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the fifth inning.  
 
WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE LIONS
The Lions host Northwestern State next weekend in the final home series of the season. Senior Day is set for next Saturday.
 
BENNETT ENDS HISTORIC STREAK
Freshman infielder Kaydee Bennett (Caddo Mills) ended her hitting streak at 14 games after failing to get a hit in the series finale against HCU last Wednesday. Her 14-game hitting streak is the longest in the program since 2018. On Tuesday at Arkansas, she ended her 15-game on base streak.
 
A HISTORIC COMEBACK AGAINST THE WILDCATS
The Lions recorded a five-run seventh inning comeback against Weber State this season to win 8-7. According to our research, that is the second-best comeback in the seventh inning this season among Division I programs. 
 
TOP COMEBACKS IN DIVISION I IN 2023

Date	Team	Opponent	Deficit starting 7th	Final Score	Notes
March 4	Texas Tech	Rutgers	5-0 (5)	6-5
March 5	A&M-Commerce	Weber State	7-3 (4)	8-7
March 8	SIUE	Saint Louis	5-1 (4)	6-5	SIUE trailed 5-0 entering sixth
March 4	Seton Hall	North Dakota	5-1 (4)	6-5
March 8	Maryland Eastern Shore	Holy Cross	7-4 (3)	8-7

 
SPEED THRILLS
Bennett has stolen 14 bases this season, which ranks her eighth in the conference. Ashlynn Griffith (Cedar Hill) is 9 for 10 in steal attempts, being tied for 18^th.
 
BATS COME ALIVE IN THE DESERT
After being shut out in the first two games of the Hillenbrand Invitational, the Lions scored eight against No. 18/16 Arizona, including a grand slam by Camile Nunez (Madera, Calif.) to highlight a six-run fourth inning. The Lions followed it up with a 17-12 win over CSUN and came back to win 8-7 over Weber State.
 
LIONS LOVE WALK-OFFS
Three of the five wins for the Lions thus far this season have been in walk-off fashion. Last month, Shelby Hodge (Katy – Cinco Ranch) hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to beat Creighton in extra innings, while America Rubio (El Paso – Montwood) had the walk-off grounder against Weber State. In the conference opener, Avery Zeigler (Southlake Carroll) hit a walk-off one-run single in the eighth for the Lions' first win at home.
 
NUNEZ HITS IT FAR
Nunez hit the program's 34^th grand slam against Arizona on March 4. It was also her first home run of the season for the junior transfer from Vernon College. The Lions have had at least one grand slam in all but one season in program history.
 
FIRST SOUTHLAND ACTION
This season is the first in the Southland Conference for the Lions, who walked it off in eight over Nicholls in their first ever Southland game. A&M-Commerce was picked to finish seventh among nine teams in the preseason poll. At the end of the season, the top seven teams in the SLC will qualify for the conference tournament.
 
SLC PRESEASON POLL

Place	School	1st	Pts
1	McNeese	16	128
2	Southeastern	2	113
3	Northwestern State		91
4	A&M-Corpus Christi		85
5	HCU		58
6	Lamar		49
7	A&M-COMMERCE		47
8	UIW		45
9	Nicholls		32

 
LIONS DOWN AKRON FOR FIRST DIVISION I WIN
A&M-Commerce beat Akron at Tarleton on February 17 to open the Whataburger Invitational by a score of 7-4 for the first win as a Division I program. It was also coach Brittany Miller's first win as a head coach.
 
LIONS WALK-OFF BLUE JAYS
On February 19 at the Whataburger Invitational, A&M-Commerce collected a 5-4 win in eight innings over Creighton. Hodge hit a sacrifice fly to left to bring in the game-winning run. It was the first true walk-off win in a game that lasted seven or more innings since Ayanna Williams (Round Rock – Cedar Ridge) had the game-winning hit against No. 2 Augustana in the season-opener last season.
 
PLAYING THE BEST OF THE BEST
A&M-Commerce's strength of schedules ranks No. 61 in Division I and second in the Southland.
 
TOUGH COMPETITION TO START
The Lions begin the season with numerous games on their schedule against ranked opponents and teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season.

Thus far this season, the Lions have played Maryland, Baylor, Arizona, and Arkansas who were nationally ranked at the time the Lions played them, while Texas A&M, Nebraska, Minnesota, and North Texas have all appeared in national polls at some point this season.
 
PLENTY OF NEW LIONS
A&M-Commerce retains just four players from last season, welcoming 16 new faces to the squad in 2023. The 16 new players are believed to be the most on any roster in Division I this season.
 
ENDED ON A HIGH NOTE
The Lions ended the Division II era by winning the Lone Star Conference Tournament, the program's first conference title, and served as hosts during the NCAA Regional round. It was the third straight postseason that the Lions served as hosts, and it was their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
UIW comes into this weekend's series tied for seventh in the Southland standings, holding one of the final spots into the Southland Conference Tournament. The Cardinals are 13-24-1 on the season and 5-10 in conference play.
 
The Cardinals are batting .261 as a team with 13 home runs on the season. Kendall McGary leads the team with a batting average of .313. She has also hit 2 home runs and 13 RBIs, while Baylee Lemons has team-best 15 RBIs and Avalon Sanchez has three home runs.
 
The UIW pitching staff is pitching to an ERA of 5.58 this season with 158 strikeouts. Annie Gunther is 6-6 in 16 appearances with 20 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.68. Aaliyah Garcia has started 11 games and is team leader with 52 strikeouts.