COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team continues its home stand this weekend with a three-game series against Lamar.
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE
PROMOTIONS
Friday's game is Salute to Service night, A&M-Commerce will honor all service men and women in attendance.
Saturday's game is Cancer Awareness Game in collaboration with Hunt Regional Healthcare.
After Saturday's game, there is an Easter Egg Hunt on the Lion Soccer Field.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions welcome Arkansas-Pine Bluff for a pair of mid-week games next week.
SLOW START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
The Lions dropped their first two conference series of the season, falling on the road at A&M-Corpus Christi and at home against Southeastern.
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 53 bases thus far this season on 61 attempts. The 50 stolen bases are tied for 20th in NCAA Division I. Pitts has 13 on the season, which is 51st in the country and
Ashlynn Griffith (Cedar Hill) has 11.
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 66 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.
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 No. 20 Arkansas last 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
Lamar comes to A&M-Commerce with a conference record of 5-1 and an overall record of 18-10. The Cardinals' swept the series against Houston Christian and took two of three against Northwestern State, and are coming off a 3-2 win at home over Sam Houston on Tuesday. Lamar's non-conference wins include Tarleton and Stephen F. Austin. Shenita Tuckerr is batting .360 with seven RBIs, while Veronica Harrison has 19 RBIs and Cameron Niedenthal has 15. Trinity Brandon has hit two of team's six home runs. Emma Wardlaw is pitching to an ERA of 1.83 with 46 strikeouts and is 7-2 on the season, while Karyana Mitchell is 8-1 with an ERA of 2.04 and 47 strikeouts.
-TAMUC-
