COMMERCE – The East Texas A&M university softball team takes on 

WHO: Grambling at East Texas A&M
WHERE: Commerce | John Cain Family Softball Complex
WHEN: Tuesday, March 24 | 3 p.m.
RECORDS: East Texas A&M is 6-27 on the season, while Grambling is 7-18. 

LISTEN: Lion Sports Network | https://www.ketr.org/hd2
WATCH: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/c0e1d705-57b5-4df4-aa72-baa44e05c0c7
LIVE STATS: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=655574
TICKETS: https://vivenu.com/seller/texas-am-university-commerce-v6v3

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions head on the road for a stretch of six straight games, playing at Northwestern State and at Nicholls on April 2-3.      

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.

STREAK SNAPPED AGAINST THE ISLANDERS
The Lions took the series finale over A&M-Corpus Christi on March 14 to snap a 20-game losing streak and pick up their first Southland Conference win of the year. With the win, East Texas A&M is now 4-2 against the Islanders over the last two seasons. It was also the first road win of the season and third for the Lions in the Division I era.  

CHALLENGED THE BEST OF THE BEST
On March 11, the Lions took on defending national champion and No. 3/3 Texas, falling in five innings. The Lions have now played the defending national champion in each of the past three seasons. The Longhorns are expected to rise to No. 1 in most major polls this week.  

PAST THE HALF-WAY MARK
East Texas A&M has six wins on the season following the series at A&M-Corpus Christi. The Lions' 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. East Texas A&M is past the half-way mark of 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
Last week in the series against Lamar, the Lions turned 14 double plays to increase their season total to 14, which is 30th in the country and leads the Southland Conference. The Lions turned 23 double plays in 52 games last season.  

STEAL AT YOUR OWN RISK
As a team, the Lions have caught 20 runners stealing, with Gracie Alejo (Waco - Connally) leading the way with 12 caught stealing by on the year. Alejo is second in the country and first in the Southland with her total.

SMALL BALL GETS THE JOB DONE
The Lions have 15 sacrifice bunts on the season, which is 59th in the country and third in the conference.
 
SHE'S SO FAST, SHE'S SO SAFE
KK Cosek (Helendale, Calif.) has recorded three triples thus far this season, which puts her 30th in the country as well as third in the conference. 

KLOEPPER AND MULLER FINDING THEIR GROOVE
Both Madison Kloepper (Llano) and Maddie Muller (Frisco - Memorial) have appeared in 21 games this season, which puts the duo tied for 40th in the country and tied for fifth in the Southland. The two pitchers have combined to win five of the team's six winning decisions this year. 

HOME RUN QUEENS OF THE SOUTHLAND
Last season, East Texas A&M hit 38 home runs, which led the Southland Conference. Tatum Wright (Frisco - Centennial) has hit six home runs this year, which is 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.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
The Lions and the Tigers meet for the second time this season after a 10-8 win in Commerce by East Texas A&M on February 12. The Tigers have lost eight in a row coming into the game, being 7-18 on the season. The team leader in batting is Cadashia Collins with a batting average of .411, while Jaiden Richard has an ERA of 6.13 in 19 appearances with 15 strikeouts.