COMMERCE – For the first time in the Division I era of Texas A&M University-Commerce, the University of North Texas plays in Commerce as the Mean Green play the Lion Softball team in a doubleheader on Wednesday evening.
LIONS' SCHEDULE AGAINST THE MEAN GREEN
PROMOTIONS
Wednesday's theme is Way Back Wednesday: 70's/80's Night
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions close out the week with a three-game series at home against McNeese.
SLOW START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
The Lions are still searching for their first conference win of the season. Despite not having a game, the Lions are just two games out of a spot in the conference tournament.
STREAK SNAPPED
A&M-Commerce walked-off a 14-6 win in five innings on March 26 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to snap a 21-game losing streak. The 14 runs scored tied the season-high for runs and 16 hits are a new season-best.
Charli Anger (Lubbock - Cooper) hit a three-run home run in the first inning, while
Ashley Diaz (Chino, Calif.) ended the night with a two-run walk-off inside the park home run.
Last Tuesday, the Lions took the win over UT Arlington, which snapped a four-game losing streak. A&M-Commerce is now undefeated on Tuesdays this season.
BIG WIN OVER THE MAVERICKS
The Lions picked up a 5-2 win over UT Arlington last Tuesday at home. After taking the early lead on a two-run home run, the game was tied at two, but the Lions scored three in the fourth to take the win. It was the program's first win over a school in the DFW Metroplex in the Division I era. A&M-Commerce is 2-0 on Tuesdays this season.
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 68 bases thus far this season on 79 attempts. The 68 stolen bases are tied for 22nd in NCAA Division I. Pitts has 18 on the season, which is tied for 36th in the country and
Ashlynn Griffith (Cedar Hill) has 12.
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. The duo has three home runs each this season, being tied for the team lead.
TOUCHING HOME PLATE
Thus far this season, the Lions have scored 87 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 nine 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 as did Wichita State and A&M-Commerce hosts 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 MEAN GREEN
North Texas, who has been to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and finished as the runner up in Conference USA last season, is 21-17 this season, having lost four in a row coming into Wednesday. The Mean Green are 10-5 in the American Athletic Conference and have wins over Minnesota and Northwestern. Cierra Simon is batting .343 with 14 RBIs, while Mikayla Smith is batting .306 along with team-best seven home runs and 21 RBIs. In the circle, McKenzie Wagoner is 7-5 with an ERA of 2.87, while Mackenzie Childers is pitching to an ERA of 3.70, going 9-5 in the circle with 93 strikeouts.
-TAMUC-
