COMMERCE – After playing its first six road games of the Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team opens a nine-game homestand with a weekend series against Southeastern and welcoming No. 20 ranked Arkansas.
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions continue the homestand against Lamar next weeekend.
SLOW START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
The Lions dropped the first conference series of the season last weekend at A&M-Corpus Christi, falling in all three games to the Islanders. A&M-Commerce has lost 14 in a row coming into Friday.
PLAYED AGAINST THE NATION'S BEST
On March 6, the Lions played at Oklahoma, who was ranked No. 1 in the coaches rankings entering the game, marking the first time the Lions played a team ranked No. 1 in any sport in the Division I era, surpassing the men's basketball team playing at No. 6 Texas in 2022-23. The Sooners scored five in the first inning and won 9-0 in five. A&M-Commerce's
Tehya Pitts (Denton - Guyer) and
Tatum Wright (Frisco - Centennial) had a hit each.
MEEP MEEP
The Lions have stolen 50 bases thus far this season on 57 attempts. The 50 stolen bases are 14th in NCAA Division I and the per-game average of 1.92 stolen bases per game is 33rd. Both Pitts and
Ashlynn Griffith (Cedar Hill) have 11 each on the season.
A RARE DOUBLE NO-HITTER
A rarity happened in Denton between A&M-Commerce and Missouri. Both the Lions'
Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) and the Tigers' Cierra Harrison tossed complete games and neither allowed a hit in the game. Missouri took a 1-0 win thanks to a walk, two steals, and a sacrifice fly in the first inning. It was the first double no-hitter in college softball this year.
BACK-TO-BACK JACKS
The Lions just hit one home run at home during the 12 home games in 2023, it took just two innings in the 2024 season to surpass that total.
Charli Anger (Lubbock - Cooper) and
Diamond Sefe (Carson, Calif.) went back-to-back in the season opener against UMass Lowell to put the Lions ahead. Through 19 home games this season, the Lions have four home runs.
TOUCHING HOME PLATE
Thus far this season, the Lions have scored 65 runs at home, while having scored just 28 last season.
PITTS CATCHES ON FIRE AGAINST SIUE
In the three-game series against the Cougars, Pitts batted 7 for 11 (.636) to lead the Lions.
MULLER GETS IT DONE IN THE CIRCLE
Pitching in her first weekend as a Lion,
Maddie Muller (Frisco - Memorial) started three games in the Lion Classic. She pitched to an ERA of 0.86, going 2-0, with 10 strikeouts.
TENTH SEASON OF LION SOFTBALL
This is the 10th season of Lion Softball. The first season of competition for the program was the 2015 season, and this is the second season for the Lions in NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference.
WELCOME NEWCOMERS
This season, the Lions have 10 newcomers on the 22-player roster. Of the 10 newcomers, freshmen Anger, Arzola,
Jenna Joyce (Royse City), and
Tehya Pitts (Denton – Guyer), made their Lion debuts last week as did transfers: Muller from Arkansas Rich Mountain,
Ashley Diaz (Chino, Calif.) from Mt. SAC,
Lencia Powell (Birdville) from Weatherford College,
Darby Hickey (Plano Senior) from Temple College, and
Stephanie Tapia (Yuma, Ariz.) from Pima Community College.
Brooke Hilton (Plano East) made her collegiate debut behind the plate against Omaha.
PLAYING THE BEST OF THE BEST
The Lions play six games against Power Five conference teams and eight games against teams that played in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
The games against Power Five conference opponents include three-game series against Houston, and a game against No. 20 Arkansas this weekend, both at home, while heading to Oklahoma, the winner of the last three Women's College World Series, and at Texas A&M. A&M-Commerce already played against Missouri, who was ranked No. 15 in the country at the time.
Along with the Power Five conference opponents, the Lions also welcomed Omaha in non-conference play, who made the NCAA Tournament last season and host McNeese during Southland play. The Cowgirls were a Regional Finalist last season.
PRESEASON POLL
In the preseason poll released by the Southland Conference, the Lions were picked ninth, after finishing in that exact position in their first season in the conference last year. A&M-Commerce received 17 points.
2024 SOUTHLAND SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Rank |
Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
McNeese (16) |
128 |
| 2 |
Southeastern (2) |
114 |
| 3 |
Nicholls |
97 |
| 4 |
Lamar |
78 |
| 5 |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
72 |
| 6 |
Northwestern State |
63 |
| 7 |
HCU |
49 |
| 8 |
UIW |
30 |
| 9 |
A&M-COMMERCE |
17 |
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
A&M-Commerce welcomes Southeastern for the first conference series at home this season. All five conference games that the Lions won last season were at home. The Lady Lions had won six in a row, prior to a loss against UIW to close out the first series in conference play. SLU's non-conference wins include one at Ole Miss, Syracuse, Maryland, UTSA, and Southern Miss. Maddie Watson is batting .439 on the season with 14 RBIs, while Bailey Krolczyk has 18 RBIs and three home runs on the season. Cera Blanchard is pitching to an ERA of 1.43 with 43 strikeouts, being 7-1 on the season. The Lady Lions are 18-6 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Arkansas, who has finished in the top four of the SEC in each of the past three seasons, including winning two SEC titles. The Razorbacks are 20-5 on the season and begin conference play at Auburn this weekend. Bri Ellis has hit eight home runs along with 28 RBIs, while Kennedy Miller is batting .429 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. Robyn Herron is 7-5 on the season with 77 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.52. Morgan Leinstock is pitching to an ERA of 1.36 with 63 strikeouts.
-TAMUC-
