| Game Info |
Opponent Info |
#22 West Texas A&M vs. #2 UT Tyler
WT: 15-0, 6-0 LSC | UTT: 16-3, 7-2 LSC
Friday, March 3rd | 3 P.M. | 5 P.M.
Tyler, Texas | Irwin Ballpark |
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ROSTER |
SCHEDULE |
STATS |
#22 West Texas A&M vs. #2 UT Tyler
WT: 15-0, 6-0 LSC | UTT: 16-3, 7-2 LSC
Saturday, March 4th | 1 P.M.
Tyler, Texas | Irwin Ballpark |
|
ROSTER |
SCHEDULE |
STATS |
A NON-CONFERENCE SWEEP AT HOME
#4 UT Tyler began their week of home softball with 3-0 and 5-1 wins against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday afternoon. Junior
Tatum Goff carried a no-hitter into the top of the seven in game one before conceding her lone hit of the ballgame to notch a one-hit shutout of the Savage Storm. Solo homers from
Avery Farr and
JT Smith highlighted a 5-1 game two victory to complete the day with a non-conference sweep of Southeastern Oklahoma State. The Patriots remained a perfect 8-0 at home with the pair of wins, and will now return to Lone Star Conference play over the weekend against #22 West Texas A&M.
WHAT COACH REED IS SAYING
On the 4-2 week last weekend between the Cameron and Angelo State series... "A tough week with alot of miles on the bus, I think if you go back we're going to end up with 11 games in 11 days or something like that. Obviously
Kaylee Davis's no-hitter was the highlight during the week. We've talked about people that were here last year getting increased chances this year, and she's a good example of that. In San Angelo this weekend against Angelo State, a good team, we hit really well, played well in the first game and then got locked in two tough battles. It's about timely hitting when you're facing these good teams, and we know the Lone Star Conference is going to be tough every weekend, and we were right there, one hit away so I was proud of our team's effort."
On the message to his team going into a week at home... "We have to get back to work. We know we're playing a tough schedule, so we have to avoid the highs and the lows because you have to be ready for the next one. We talked about it after the game, we're growing and this is a group that some were in big roles last year and some that are in new roles, so we have to learn from being in these moments and get better. We weren't sad or mad after the game, we're just trying to learn and get better and look at the opportunities we missed and try and grow."
A MEETING OF THE BEST
#4 UT Tyler and #22 West Texas A&M have proven themselves as two of the best the Lone Star Conference will have to offer this spring, and will battle it out over the weekend in Tyler as the top two standing teams heading into the weekend. The Patriots sit second in the LSC standings with a 7-2 mark in LSC play, while West Texas A&M begins play in Friday's doubleheader at a perfect 15-0 on the year and 6-0 in LSC play. UT Tyler has certainly been the better-tested club so far in 2023, with a 5-3 record against teams associated with the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Lady Buffs on the otherhand have played just three games against nationally-ranked opposition, but fared well in those contests with a 3-0 sweep of then-ranked #23 Angelo State back on Feb. 17-18.
SCOUTING THE LADY BUFFS
The Lady Buffs outscored UT Permian Basin by a combined 29-0 run total in their sweep of the Falcons last weekend in Canyon. The Lady Buffs lead the Lone Star Conference with a team ERA of 1.26, ranking 13th nationally as well. That pitching staff has been balanced, with four arms entering the weekend with sub-2.00 ERA's on the year. At the plate the Lady Buffs hit .334 as team, second best in the LSC, and have hit a league-best 23 homeruns. Returning All-Lone Star Conference players Ruby Salzman and Brittni Rufus highlight the Patriot lineup with batting averages on the year north of .400. UT Tyler is 4-1 in the all-time series against West Texas A&M and 3-0 at Irwin Ballpark against the Lady Buffs.
SLIDING IN AT NO. 4
The University of Texas at Tyler softball team dropped a pair of spots to no. 4 in the latest 2023 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll as announced by the organization on Tuesday afternoon. The Patriots received 358 total votes after dropping their first Lone Star Conference series of the year last weekend on the road at (RV) Angelo State to move to 14-3 on the year. Rogers State, the defending NCAA Division II National Champions, stayed as the unanimous no. 1 top choice while North Georgia (15-1) and Tampa (8-0) moved ahead of UT Tyler in the no. 2 and no. 3 slots. The 2023 NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll is voted on by 16 NCAA Division II head coaches with two representing each of the eight NCAA regions.
| Rank |
Team |
Record |
Points |
Previous |
| 1 |
Rogers State (16) |
12-1 |
400 |
1 |
| 2 |
North Georgia |
15-1 |
381 |
3 |
| 3 |
Tampa |
8-0 |
361 |
4 |
| 4 |
UT Tyler |
14-3 |
358 |
2 |
| 5 |
Cal State San Marcos |
10-3 |
330 |
6 |
| 6 |
Southern Arkansas |
15-2 |
319 |
7 |
| 7 |
Lubbock Christian |
16-4 |
285 |
9 |
| 8 |
Grand Valley State |
5-0 |
262 |
12 |
| 9 |
Central Oklahoma |
8-3 |
241 |
10 |
| 10 |
Seton Hill |
4-2 |
235 |
5 |
| 11 |
Indianapolis |
12-2 |
234 |
14 |
|
UAH |
14-3 |
234 |
17 |
| 13 |
Valdosta State |
11-3 |
228 |
8 |
| 14 |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
10-5 |
213 |
13 |
| 15 |
Adelphi |
8-3 |
206 |
11 |
| 16 |
Anderson (S.C.) |
16-4 |
177 |
15 |
| 17 |
Concordia |
14-4 |
152 |
16 |
| 18 |
Washburn |
15-3 |
100 |
20 |
| 19 |
Sonoma State |
13-1 |
88 |
22 |
| 20 |
Colorado Christian |
18-2 |
87 |
|
| 21 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
15-1 |
79 |
23 |
| 22 |
West Texas A&M |
15-0 |
61 |
|
| 23 |
Saint Leo |
13-1 |
46 |
|
| 24 |
Wilmington |
4-2 |
35 |
25 |
| 25 |
St. Mary's |
14-5 |
25 |
21 |
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:
Oklahoma Christian (19), Harding (17), Nova Southeastern (16), Wingate (5), Oklahoma Baptist (3), Angelo State (1), Carson-Newman (1), Illinois-Springfield (1).
DROPPED OUT:
No. 18 Lincoln Memorial, No. 19 Oklahoma Christian, No. 24 Nova Southeastern
A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS
THe LSC standings saw a shift this weekend as West Texas A&M overtook UT Tyler for first place in the regular season standings after the Patriot's series against Angelo State. West Texas A&M is the lone remaining unbeaten team in the LSC this season at 6-0, while UT Tyler fell down to second in the standings with a 7-2 mark in league play. Four different teams currently occupy a tie for third place with a 6-3 mark in conference play.
DOMINANCE IN DIVISION II
UT Tyler has produced a record of 116-22 (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 69-12 in Lone Star Conference play since beginning play in the league in 2020.
HEAD COACH MIKE REED
Coach Reed will enter his 19
th season as head coach of the Patriots, and 22nd season as a head softball coach at the collegiate level in 2022.
Reed ranks fifth among all NCAA divisions in career winning percentage (.826), posting an 815-171 career mark through 22 career seasons. He owns the third-highest all-time win percentage among Division III coaches, coaching 18 of his 22 seasons at the Division III level, and is a nine-time American Southwest Conference Coach of the Year and eight-time NFCA Regional Coach of the Year. He has helped develop 33 All-Americans, 91 all-region and 149 all-conference selections and has led the UT Tyler program to the NCAA World Series in eight of the 12 years since the Patriots became postseason eligible in Division III.. He is 710-140 (.835) in his 19 seasons as head coach the Patriots and has seen his staff named the Regional Coaching Staff of the Year by the NFCA on eight different occasions (2009, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022).
