COMMERCE – After playing its last four games at home, the East Texas A&M University softball teams begins a six-game road swing at Northwestern State this weekend.
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE AT THE DEMONS
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions close out the road trip 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 ranked No. 1 across all 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 four double plays to increase their season total to 14, which is 35th 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 21 runners stealing, with
Gracie Alejo (Waco - Connally) leading the way with 13 caught stealing by on the year, which now leads the country.
SMALL BALL GETS THE JOB DONE
The Lions have 16 sacrifice bunts on the season, which is 73rd 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 in a tie for 50th in the country.
KLOEPPER AND MULLER FINDING THEIR GROOVE
Madison Kloepper (Llano) took the circle in Tuesday's game against Grambling, which was her 22nd appearance of the season and
Maddie Muller (Frisco - Memorial) has appeared in 21 games. Kloepper is now tied for 37th in the country with 22 appearances, while Muller is tied for 61st in the country. 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) hit two home runs against Grambling to increase her season total to eight, which is second in the conference as well as 128th in the country.
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 DEMONS
The Demons won just seven games a year ago, but have already doubled their wins total, being 14-18 coming into this weekend and are also 4-5 against Southland opponents, having recorded just four conference wins last season. The Demons took the series over defending conference champion McNeese two weeks ago. The Lions are 5-4 against the Demons over the last three seasons, having won the series both times in Commerce, while winning one of three in Natchitoches two years ago.
JT Smith is batting .337 to lead the team and also has team-best 20 RBIs, while being tied for team lead in home runs with two on the season. Brynn Daniel is batting .325 with 12 RBIs and then Mattison Buster is pitching to an ERA of 3.01 with 65 strikeouts. She has 24 appearances on the season.
-ETAMU-
