TYLER, TEXAS – #4 UT Tyler will get their first look at Lone Star Conference competition for the 2021 season with four games against conference foes at the ASU George & Ola McCorkle Challenge.
The tournament hosted by Angelo State has been rescheduled to Monday and Tuesday following the inclement weather across the state of Texas this weekend. The Patriots will now face UT Permian Basin on Monday at 10:15 a.m. and #9 Angelo State at 3 p.m. later that afternoon. UT Tyler will finish up the four games played as non-conference competitions on Tuesday with games against Texas A&M International at 11 a.m. and #9 Angelo State at 1:15 p.m.
All games are set to take place at Mayer Field in San Angelo, Texas.
UT Tyler opened up their 2021 campaign with a pair of dominate wins over the University of Montevallo in Madisonville, Texas by final scores of 12-1 and 10-3, and will now shift their attention to four games against conference foes. The two days will also give the Patriots their first look at a nationally-ranked opponent in 2021 as Angelo State sits at no. 9 in the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, five spots behind the Patriots, who sit at no. 4 in the poll.
RANKED AS THE BEST IN THE LSC
UT Tyler remained as the top ranked squad in the Lone Star Conference in the first regular season NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll on Wednesday morning, receiving 353 total votes after the two wins against the University of Montevallo last weekend. The Patriots are the highest ranked of the six Lone Star Conference teams to appear in the poll, as Texas A&M-Commerce (7), Angelo State (9), Oklahoma Christian (12), Texas A&M-Kingsville (23) and Lubbock Christian (25) all found their way into the top 25 this week.
SWINNEY RECOGNIZED AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL
Haleigh Swinney led a Patriot offense that hit .471 as a team in the two wins over the University of Montevallo last weekend and was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II Player of the Week. Swinney combined to go 7-for-8 from the plate in the two games and registered six RBI's and five runs scored for the weekend.
The Crosby, Texas native had four extra-base hits for the weekend and went a perfect 4-for-4 in a 12-1 season-opening win for the Patriots on Friday afternoon. Swinney had a hand in seven of the 12 runs scored for the Patriots in that contest, and then went 3-for-4 in the 10-3 win for UT Tyler on Saturday.
A TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
UT Tyler quickly showed that they will possess the balance both at the plate and in the circle in 2021 to compete amongst the nation's base in the first two wins of 2021 for the squad.
Ashley Perez had four RBI's in both wins and hit .714 for the weekend to provide even more offense for the Patriots behind Swinney.
Shelby Hughston was also extremely efficient at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs and a pair of RBI's last weekend.
The Patriots struck out just four times as a team in the 12 innings played against the Falcons and had five different individuals record multiple hits in the series.
The effort inside the circle was just as quality for UT Tyler as the Patriots threw 12.0 innings as a staff and gave up just one earned run.
Payton Foster got the start and win in game number one of the series, throwing a complete game, four-hit effort that featured four strikes and just one extra-base hit.
Erin Hill got the start in game number two and picked up the win after going six innings and striking out six Falcons along the way. She was relieved by
Chelsea Smith in that game, who retired all three batters she faced in the seventh inning to help close out the game for the second victory of the weekend.
HISTORY WITH THE COMPETITION
UT Tyler will meet both UT Permian Basin and Angelo State for the first time in program history on Monday and Tuesday, but did get the better of Texas A&M International in the meeting between the two squad's last season. UT Tyler won that game back on Feb. 7, 2020 by an 8-6 final score in a contest that was also a non-conference game for the two teams.
