COMMERCE – The East Texas A&M University softball team plays its first game away from the friendly confines this season on Wednesday evening, heading to North Texas for first of three games against the Mean Green. 

WHO: East Texas A&M at North Texas
WHERE: Denton | Lovelace Stadium
WHEN: Wednesday, February 18 | 6 p.m.
RECORDS: East Texas A&M is 5-5 on the season, while North Texas is 2-8.  

LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ | https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401855823
LIVE STATS: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=639954&vislive=tame

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
Following the game in Denton on Wednesday, the Lions return home to host the Lion Classic Friday-Sunday at the John Cain Family Softball Complex. Along with the Mean Green and the Lions, the other three teams in the 13-game tournament are SIUE, St. Thomas, and Southern. 

A NEW ERA OF LION SOFTBALL BEGINS
• East Texas A&M is now a full Division I member, achieving full member status a year ahead of schedule, and is eligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament this season.
• The Lions also debut their new Nike uniforms, being the only school in the Southland that is outfitted by Nike.

HALF-WAY THERE
East Texas A&M picked up two wins last weekend at the Lion Invitational to increase its season win total to five through the first 10 games of the season. The fifth win of the season came in the ninth game, which is the earliest the Lions have won their fifth game in the Division I era. The Lions are also halfway to equalling to last season's win total of 10 games, which is the most in a season in the Division I era.  

TATUM GETTING HOT
Despite having played just eight games thus far this season, Tatum Wright (Frisco - Centennial) has started where she left off last season, in which she was named to second team all-Southland. Wright has totaled five home runs, which is tied for top 15 in the country, while batting .520 with 13 hits and seven RBI's. She is slugging 1.120 on the season thus far and her batting average is second in the conference. 

LIONS LOVE TURNING TWO
The Lions have turned five double plays through the first 10 games of the season, which is 24th in the country and second among Southland schools. The Lions turned 23 games in 52 games last season.  

KLOEPPER FINDING HER GROOVE
Madison Kloepper (Llano) has appeared in eight of the 10 games in the circle, having started two games and pitched 28.1 innings. She has recorded an ERA of 3.71, while being 3-2 in decisions. Her three wins are 37th in the country and lead the Southland. 

HOME RUN QUEENS OF THE SOUTHLAND
Last season, East Texas A&M hit 38 home runs, which led the Southland Conference. The six home runs hit by the Lions thus far this season ranks them fourth in the conference.  

LOOKING TO REPEAT HISTORY
East Texas A&M is looking to return to the Southland Conference Tournament for the second year in a row. Last season, the Lions made their first ever postseason appearance in the Division I era and won 10 games overall, which is the most in the Division I era. 

HELLO NEWCOMERS
This season's rosters features eight newcomers, with five being freshmen and three being transfers. All newcomers have appeared in at least one game this season.

MEEP MEEP
The Lions are 13 for 15 in stolen base attempts this season, which puts them top 100 in the country with an average of 1.30 stolen bases per game. 

LAYING DOWN THE BUNT
Thus far this season, the Lions have recorded nine sacrifice bunts, which is seventh in the country and leads the conference. Charli Anger (Lubbock - Cooper) is averaging 0.30 sacrifice bunts per game, which is 37th in the country and tied for the conference lead. 

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
The Lions and the Mean Green meet for the fifth time overall and for the first time since 2024. North Texas is 4-0 all-time against East Texas A&M, with the two teams playing three times this week. The Mean Green are off to a 2-8 start, having recorded wins over ULM and Murray State. Elizabeth Moffitt leads the team in most offensive categories with a batting average of .300, four home runs and nine RBIs, while Anneca Anderson is pitching to an ERA of 4.57 with two complete games, 11 strikeouts and is 1-1 in the circle.