DENVER, COLO. – The University of Texas at Tyler softball program will face elimination in the 2022 NCAA Division II World Series in game number seven of the eight-team double-elimination bracket against no. 4 seeded Southern Indiana.
 
The Patriots fell by a 5-1 final tally in game one against no. 8 seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday afternoon, and will now meet no. 4 seed Southern Indiana tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. CST in the first elimination game of the tournament. Southern Indiana fell to no. 5 seeded Rogers State by a 7-2 final in game two on Thursday afternoon, and will enter Friday's meeting with the Patriots with a 49-12 overall record on the year.
 
UT Tyler is now 47-8 overall on the year after claiming the Lone Star Conference Regular Season Championship, the South Central Super Region I Bracket, and the South Central Super Regional Championship in route to earning their spot in the Division II World Series.
 
All games in the tournament will take place at the Regency Athletic Complex on the campus of MSU Denver.
 
LIVE STATS AND LIVE VIDEO
 
The live stat and live video link for tomorrow's game can be found HERE.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
 
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets either at the venue or online at the link located HERE.
 

TICKET PRICES
All-Session Adult	$30
All-Session Senior (65+), Student (with ID), Youth (17 & Under)	$15
Single Day Adult	$10
Single Day Senior (65+), Student (with ID), Youth (17 & Under)	$5

 
THE BRACKET
 
 
WORLD SERIES HISTORY
 
UT Tyler softball made their eighth appearance in an NCAA World Series on Thursday afternoon. The Patriots qualified for the NCAA Division III World Series on seven different occasions (2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2009) and are 16-13 all-time in NCAA World Series play.
 
UT Tyler is in the first full season of Division II postseason eligibility after completing the mandatory three-year transition period from 2019-21. The Patriots claimed the 2016 NCAA Division III National Championship and finished as the NCAA Division III National Runner-Up in 2015 after qualifying for the NCAA Division III World Series in four straight seasons (2015-2018) prior to the transition to NCAA Division II.
 
GAME ONE
 
UT Tyler began game one of the 2022 NCAA Division II World Series with a 5-1 loss at the hands of no. 8 seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills. The loss will force the Patriots to overcome a defeat once again in the NCAA Tournament after losing a single game in both the South Central Regional and South Central Super Regional Tournament.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills scored five runs off of just four hits in the second, third and fourth innings to jump ahead of UT Tyler early, and then survived seven Patriot hits in their final four trips to the plate. UT Tyler stranded 10 base runners and committed three fielding errors, both uncharacteristic numbers for a Patriot team that entered the bracket as the no. 1 overall seed. The Patriot offense totaled just a single hit in their first three trips to the plate, and quickly fell behind 5-0 before finding their stride offensively beginning in the bottom of the fourth inning.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills took advantage of the slow start offensively for UT Tyler, hitting a two-run homer in the second and then striking for a trio of doubles between the third and fourth innings to add the additional three runs.
 
UT Tyler got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out RBI single from Ashley Perez that scored Courtney Plocheck to make it 5-1 after five full innings of play, but stranded a pair of baserunners in the sixth and seventh innings despite finding their footing at the plate.
 
Senior Mak Dominguez and sophomore Hanna Fradkin led off the bottom of the sixth inning with back-to-back singles to continue the momentum generated with the Perez RBI in the fifth, but three consecutive flyouts for the Patriots in the next three at bats stranded both runners on first and second.
 
The seventh inning followed suit for UT Tyler, as senior Shannon Klaus and Plocheck both led off with singles to start the frame, but couldn't manage to advance any farther after three consecutive outs for the Patriots once again.
 
POSTSEASON PLAY
 
UT Tyler softball is now 97-43 in postseason play all-time and are 62-27 in NCAA National Tournament play dating back to their inaugural appearance in the 2008 season.
 
UT Tyler beat no. 8 Colorado Christian in game one of the South Central Regional in their first NCAA Division II National Tournament appearance. The Patriots then lost to no. 4 seeded Lubbock Christian 5-1, and then defeated no. 5 seeded Angelo State 2-0 to get to the finals of Tyler Regional.
 
UT Tyler went on to defeat no. 4 seeded Lubbock Christian twice on Saturday of the regional finals by 3-1 and 9-2 finals to advance to the NCAA South Central Super Regionals. They then bested no. 3 seeded Texas A&M-Kingsville 5-1 in game one of the Super Regionals and then won the deciding game three by a 6-4 final over the Javelinas after losing game two by a 6-5 final in nine innings.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
 
UT Tyler has appeared as the no. 1 ranked team in the nation according to the 2022 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll in 13 out of the 14 editions of the poll in 2022. The Patriots have been ranked as the unanimous no. 1 team in eight of those weeks and five straight weeks entering postseason play.
 
A PAIR OF ALL-AMERICANS
 
Senior Ashley Perez and sophomore Tatum Goff were both named to the 2022 NFCA First Team All-American list as announced by the organization on Wednesday afternoon. Perez was also named to the 2022 D2CCA All-America First Team list and Goff to the 2022 D2CCA All-America Third Team list, earning the 30^th, 31^st, 32^nd and 33^rd All-American accolades for the UT Tyler softball program.  
 
UT Tyler was one of eight programs with two honorees on the NFCA list and joined Augustana as the only programs with multiple first teamers. 
 
Ashley Perez was also named the 2022 Diamond Sports/NFCA DIvision II Catcher of the Year, becoming just the fifth three-time honoree of the award dating back to the inception of the award in 1997 after claiming the 2018 and 2019 version of the award at the Division III level.  Perez was selected as a Top 25 finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Player of the Year as well.
 
Perez is now a four-time NFCA All-American after earning second team honors last season and a pair of Division III First Team honors in 2018 and 2019. The Pflugerville, Texas native earned NFCA First Team All-South Central Region and All-LSC First Team honors in 2022, her second consecutive season earning both first team accolades.
 
She leads UT Tyler with a .442 batting average in 2022 and stands as the NCAA Division II active leader in career RBI (224) and doubles (75). Perez has established herself as one of the most decorated position players in the history of UT Tyler softball, breaking the all-time career record for hits (266), homeruns (43), RBI (224), doubles (75), slugging percentage (.768) and total bases (472).
 
Goff earns her inaugural First Team All-American honor as a redshirt-sophomore in the program after transferring from the University of Kansas. She leads the Patriots with a 1.69 ERA for the season in the circle, striking out 134 batters in 120.0 innings pitched.
 
She has been especially effective at the plate during the postseason run for UT Tyler, batting .414 with a team-high 13 RBI in the eight Regional and Super Regional contests for the Patriots.
 
ALL-REGION ACCOLADES
 
Goff and Perez were each named to the NFCA and D2CCA First Team All-South Central Region lists while Bayli Simon, Sarah Gartman and Courtney Plocheck were named to the D2CCA Second Team All-South Central Region list and Amanda Marek to the NFCA Second Team All-South Central Region list.
 
The D2CCA honors are nominated and voted on by sports information directors from the South Central Region which includes the LSC and RMAC. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region nominated their student-athletes and voted on the teams.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
 
The UT Tyler softball team received 12 distinctions on the 2022 Lone Star Conference Softball All-Conference Awards list as announced by the conference office at the annual banquet.
 
Head coach Mike Reed was tabbed as the Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and sophomore Tatum Goff was named the league's Newcomer of the Year to highlight the lengthy list of accolades for the 2022 LSC Regular Season Champions. Goff was joined on the All-LSC First Team list by senior Ashley Perez and Courtney Plocheck, while Bayli Simon, Mak Dominguez, Michelle Arias and Sarah Gartman were all tabbed as All-LSC Third Team performers.
 
Kaylee Davis was named to the LSC All-Freshman Team, while Payton Foster was named to the All-Academic Team. Senior Shannon Klaus earned a Golden Glove Award for her work defensively throughout the 2022 season.
 
DOMINANCE IN DIVISION II
 
UT Tyler has produced a record of 97-16 (85.1 percent) since beginning Division II play in 2020 and have now claimed back-to-back Lone Star Conference Regular Season Championships in 2021 and 2022. The Patriots are 58-10 in Lone Star Conference play since beginning play in the league in 2020.