TYLER -- The UT Tyler softball team begins its first season of Division II competition this weekend, traveling to Las Vegas to take on a 50-game schedule. All 27 schools on the Patriots' schedule are first-time opponents for a program which produced a 595-118 record in 15 seasons as a Division III program.
Head coach Mike Reed, who wrapped up UT Tyler's Division III era with his 700th career coaching win last season, leads the Patriots into their first year of Lone Star Conference membership, and the schedule features 10 games against Top 25-ranked foes and 16 games against teams which finished in the top-10 of the NCAA Division II South Central regional rankings at the end of last year.
The Patriots' first weekend of games takes place at the 11th Annual Desert Stinger Classic in Las Vegas. UT Tyler takes on five brand-new opponents, meeting Oklahoma Baptist and Simon Fraser (B.C.) on the opening day of the season (Friday, Jan. 31), followed by Saturday, Feb. 1 games against Saint Martin's (Wash.) and Colorado Christian, and a Sunday, Feb. 2 matchup against Dominican (Calif.).
Live stats for every game of the tournament will be provided by the tournament host Montana State-Billings, through Stretch Internet, and complete tournament information (tickets, schedules, statistics, history) can be found at the Desert Stinger Tournament page. Follow the links below for live stats for each game of the tournament.
11th Annual Desert Stinger Classic: Live Stats Central
Friday, Jan. 31, 2 p.m. (PST): UT Tyler vs Oklahoma Baptist | Live Stats
Friday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m. (PST): UT Tyler vs Simon Fraser | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 1, 4:30 p.m. (PST): UT Tyler vs Saint Martin's | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m. (PST): UT Tyler vs Colorado Christian | Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 2, 11:30 a.m. (PST): UT Tyler vs Dominican | Live Stats
Roster
Twelve players return from last year's 36-4 campaign, which was the third-highest single-season win percentage in program history and extended the Patriots' streak of 30-win seasons to 13 years. Leading the way is two-time NFCA Diamond Catcher of the Year and NFCA All-America first team junior Ashley Perez, who batted .437 (52-for-119) with 13 doubles, 6 home runs, and 51 RBIs in 40 games last season. She is joined by three other everyday starters from last year, including Mak Dominguez (.404, 44-for-109, 8 doubles, 19 RBIs), Serena Saldivar (.398, 35-for-88, 10 doubles, 8 HR, 37 RBIs), and Haleigh Swinney (.337, 32-for-95, 5 SB).
Senior pitcher Whitney Romero brings three years of starting experience in the circle into the 2020 campaign, and fellow senior Miranda Leal is the program's all-time saves leader (12) with 61 career relief appearances. Romero went 12-2 last year with a 2.36 ERA, limiting opposing hitters to a .222 batting average, while Leal notched 5 saves for the second straight year, finishing with a 1.51 ERA across 37 innings in 20 relief appearances last season.
The 2020 roster features 16 newcomers, with 12 joining the Patriots as freshmen along with four transfers. Among them are NFCA JC All-American second team catcher Kylie Brown, who batted .459 with 18 HR and 69 RBIs as a sophomore at Yavapai College in Arizona, and outfielder Tristin Anders, who helped lead Angelina College to a national runner-up finish at the NJCAA World Series last year. Sophomore pitcher Sarah Gartman threw over 100 innings for Division III Louisiana College last spring, recording a 12-8 record with a 2.71 ERA.
Schedule
After this weekend's Desert Stinger Tournament, UT Tyler will share hosting duties with Lone Star Conference rival Texas A&M-Commerce in the TAMUC/UT Tyler Invitational. The Patriots host another 5 games against new competition, including their first games against nationally-ranked opponents with matchups against #23-ranked Arkansas Tech (Feb. 8) and #14-ranked Southern Arkansas (Feb. 9).
UT Tyler's Lone Star Conference opener is a Feb. 28 doubleheader at home against #10-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce, and less than a week later, the Patriots travel to Stephenville, Texas, for a March 6 doubleheader at 21st-ranked Tarleton State. Other ranked opponents within the 30-game Lone Star Conference schedule include #15-ranked Cameron (April 2, home) and #2-ranked Texas A&M-Kingsville (April 18, home).
About the Lone Star Conference
With the addition of UT Tyler plus another five programs from the former Heartland Conference, the Lone Star Conference now features 17 softball programs. Eight of the teams ranked in the top-10 of the final set of NCAA Division II South Central regional rankings last year now compete in the Lone Star Conference. The Patriots were picked 10th in the LSC preseason poll, as defending national runner-up Texas A&M-Kingsville was picked the preseason favorite.
LINK: 2020 LSC Softball Preseason Poll
Quotable (head coach Mike Reed, senior Whitney Romero, junior Ashley Perez)
