COMMERCE – The East Texas A&M University softball team is in San Antonio for a mid-week Southland Conference series, which is also the last road trip of the regular season.
LIONS' SCHEDULE AT THE CARDINALS
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions are back in Commerce to host HCU this weekend, beginning the final home stand of the regular season.
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 currently ranked in the top five across all major polls.
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
The Lions have turned 14 double plays this season, which is 94th in the country and fourth in the Southland this season. The Lions turned 23 double plays in 52 games last season.
STEAL AT YOUR OWN RISK
As a team, the Lions have caught 24 runners stealing, with
Gracie Alejo (Waco - Connally) leading the way with 15 caught stealing by on the year, which is third in the country, while leading the Southland.
SMALL BALL GETS THE JOB DONE
The Lions have 18 sacrifice bunts on the season, which is 125th 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.
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 a home run against SFA to increase her season total to 12, which is 87th in the country, while also being second in the Southland.
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 CARDINALS
UIW is batting .336 as a team coming into this week, which is 31st in the country, while being first in the conference and 34th in the country with a scoring average of 6.81. The Cardinals have also recorded seven shutouts, which is 28th in the conference and second among conference schools. UIW is 27-15 overall this season, 12-6 against conference opponents and a loss at Northwestern State on Saturday snapped a five-game winning streak. The Cardinals' marquee non-conference wins include BYU and Penn State.
Victoria Altamirano leads the team in all three triple crown categories batting .444 with 18 home runs, and 52 RBIs, while slugging 1.008. Bryanna Fuentes is batting .417 with 33 RBIs and Jaisy Caceras has 37 RBIs. In the circle, Samanta Portillo is 4-2 in 16 appearances with an ERA of 3.47 in 46.1 innings. Bella Mitchell has started 14 games and is 9-5 with 44 strikeouts. Seven pitchers had logged at least an inning in the circle for the Cardinals this season.
-ETAMU-
