COMMERCE – A tall test is ahead for the East Texas A&M University softball team on Wednesday as the Lions face the defending national champion and No. 3 Texas in Austin.     

WHO: East Texas A&M at No. 3/3 Texas
WHERE: Austin | Red & Charline McCombs Field
WHEN: Wednesday, March 11 | 6 p.m.
RECORDS: East Texas A&M is 5-21 on the season, while Texas is 22-1. 

LISTEN: Lion Sports Network | https://www.ketr.org/hd2
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ | https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401846643
LIVE STATS: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=629256&vislive=tame

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions resume Southland play this weekend at A&M-Corpus Christi with a doubleheader on Friday and the series finale on Saturday.   

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.

CHALLENGING THE BEST OF THE BEST
This is the third straight season that the Lions are facing the defending national champion on the road. Each of the past two seasons, East Texas A&M played at Oklahoma in 2024 and 2025. 

HALF-WAY THERE
East Texas A&M picked up two wins at the Lion Invitational to increase its season win total to five. 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.  

LIONS LOVE TURNING TWO
The Lions have turned nine double plays this year, which is 69th in the country and leads the Southland Conference. The Lions turned 23 games in 52 games last season.  

STEAL AT YOUR OWN RISK
As a team, the Lions have caught 14 runners stealing, with Gracie Alejo (Waco - Connally) leading the way with nine caught stealing by on the year. Alejo is fifth in the country and first in the Southland with her total. 

SHE'S SO FAST, SHE'S SO SAFE
KK Cosek (Helendale, Calif.) has recorded three triples thus far this season, which puts her 14th in the country as well as first in the conference. 

KLOEPPER AND MULLER FINDING THEIR GROOVE
Both Madison Kloepper (Llano) and Maddie Muller (Frisco - Memorial) have appeared in 17 games each this season, which is tied for 27th in the country, as well as fifth in the conference. 

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

LAYING DOWN THE BUNT
Thus far this season, the Lions have recorded 13 sacrifice bunts, which is 50th in the country and third in the Southland.  

SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS
Texas has won its last 20 games with its loss coming to No. 9 Nebraska in the third game of the season. The Longhorns' nationally-ranked wins include No. 9 Nebraska, No. 25 Washington (twice), No. 16 Arizona (twice), No. 10 Stanford, No. 24 South Carolina (thrice). Texas is eighth in the country in batting average (.373) and seventh in earned run average (1.90). 

Katie Stewart ranks 17th in the country with a batting average of .500 and is seventh in the country with 12 home runs. Teagan Kavan's earned run average of 1.96 is 20th in the SEC to lead the team.