TYLER, Texas -- UT Tyler's fast start to the 2020 season, its first season of NCAA Division II provisional membership, resulted in the program's first Division II national ranking, as the Patriots ascended to fourth in the first in-season NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) poll.
 
The Patriots were unranked in the NFCA preseason poll and 10^th in the Lone Star Conference preseason poll.  However, UT Tyler opened the season by claiming the Desert Stinger Classic championship with five victories in Las Vegas, then returned home to win five more, including wins over #23 Arkansas Tech and #14 Southern Arkansas at the Texas A&M-Commerce/UT Tyler Invitational.
 
"This recognition is a tremendous honor for our program, and we're excited for our players to get this recognition so early during our program's transition into Division II," said head coach Mike Reed, who led UT Tyler to the 2016 NCAA Division III national title and has guided the program to an all-time record of 605-118 (.837) over the 16-year program history. "We had two really good weekends against some tough opponents which led to this, but we are certainly aware of the challenges ahead of us with the depth of quality we know we will face in the Lone Star Conference."
 
UT Tyler has a non-conference doubleheader scheduled at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio on Tuesday, Feb. 25, and the Patriots open Lone Star Conference play at home on Friday, Feb. 28, against No. 21-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce to kick off the 32-game conference slate.
 
The Patriots have been led early on by an explosive offense which ranks fourth nationally in Division II in scoring at 9.3 runs per game.  Haleigh Swinney and Serena Saldivar lead the offense with batting averages over .500, as Swinney is batting .548 (17-for-31) with a team-high 18 runs scored, while Saldivar claimed Desert Stinger Classic MVP honors and is batting .516 (16-for-31) with 5 home runs and 21 RBIs.  Saldivar is tied for the Division II lead in home runs and ranks fourth nationally in RBIs.