Match Info	Opponent Info
MSU Denver vs.  #8 UT Tyler MSU: 34-22 (29-13 LSC) | UTT: 62-6 (39-2 LSC) Friday, Feb. 2nd | 12:15 p.m. Conroe, Texas | Scrap Yard Sports Complex		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS
#17 Wingate vs. #8 UT Tyler WU: 48-17 (18-6 SAC) | UTT: 62-6 (39-2 LSC) Friday, Feb. 2nd | 2:30 p.m. Conroe, Texas | Scrap Yard Sports Complex		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS
Colorado Mesa vs. #8 UT Tyler CMU: 32-23 (26-15 RMAC) | UTT: 62-6 (39-2 LSC) Saturday, Feb. 3rd | 12:15 p.m. Conroe, Texas | Scrap Yard Sports Complex		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS
Washburn vs. #8 UT Tyler WU: 37-16 (15-11 MIAA) | UTT: 62-6 (39-2 LSC) Saturday, Feb. 3rd | 2:30 p.m. Conroe, Texas | Scrap Yard Sports Complex		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS
Regis vs. #8 UT Tyler RU: 33-25 (28-16 RMAC) | UTT: 62-6 (39-2 LSC) Sunday, Feb. 4th | 2:30 p.m. Conroe, Texas | Scrap Yard Sports Complex		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS

WHAT COACH REED IS SAYING

After reflecting on a historic 2023 season for his program... "As you reflect back you just swell with pride for the players, the ones that were on the teams when we transitioned and stuck with the program to keep it at a high standard. To be able to do that and transition into a very tough Division II softball level, the Lone Star Conference is certainly a very good softball conference, so to be able to have the success we've been able to have makes me super proud of the players."

On the keys for his team to play well on opening weekend... "Everyone's been battling the weather the last few weeks, but we've been trying to build and get everyone comfortable in their places and we're going to rely on a good group of returners that have played in this tournament. We're nervous to play, but confident to play, and I think that's where we're at. We've been working hard. Our standard that we have for ourselves in practice everyday is a tough one, so we hope that when we get to games we can almost relax a little bit. So we're ready for the opportunity to play someone other than ourselves."

On the DII First Pitch Invitational as an event... "We think it's the premier Division II tournament in the country. To have all those teams in one complex to start the year, you want your team to be challenged and you want them to be challenged early, so that's what this weekend will provide. To look at the field and the schedule we have with three of the top four finishers in the RMAC and a great Wingate and Washburn team, we're certainly going to see where we're at. We're excited and it's going to be a great weekend of softball."

LAST SEASON

The 2023 Patriots won the most games in a single season in program history with a record of 62-6 and finished as NCAA Division II Semifinalists for a second consecutive year. UT Tyler captured back-to-back South Central Region honors with an undefeated run through the South Central Regional, and claimed a third straight Lone Star Conference Regular Season Championship with a league mark of 39-2. The Patriots won their first Lone Star Conference Softball Tournament title as well, and forced an if-necessary game against eventual NCAA Division II National Champions North Georgia in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II World Series. Three Patriots were named All-Americans at season's end, including NFCA First Team All-American selection JT Smith and NFCA Second Team All-American Courtney Plocheck. Michelle Arias was awarded an NCAA Division II Rawlings Gold Glove for her play at third base and joined Smith and Plocheck as one of six Patriots to be named as All-South Central Region selections. A total of 14 representatives from UT Tyler were represented on the All-Lone Star Conference Awards list as well. The Patriots produced the longest winning streak in the history of the program in 2023, stringing together 37-straight victories from March 10th, 2023 to May, 26th, 2023.

PATRIOT NEWS AND NOTES

- UT Tyler will open 2024 at the DII First Pitch Invitational in Conroe, Texas this weekend with five games over the course of three days at the Scrap Yards Sports Complex. The Patriots five opponents over the course of the weekend all finished above .500 and near the top of their respective conferences in 2023 and will provide a stiff test for the program on the opening weekend of Division II softball. The highlighted match-up of the weekend will take place on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. as the Patriots take on #17 Wingate, who advanced to the NCAA Division II Southeast Super Regionals a year ago before falling to eventual National Champions North Georgia. 
- UT Tyler will begin the 2024 season ranked no. 8 in the NFCA Division II Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Patriots earned 291 votes to slide in just behind Cal State San Marcos in the eight spot of the national poll. North Georgia, the defending NCAA Division II National Champions, begin the year as the unanimous favorite after earning all 16 first-place votes. The Lone Star Conference (No. 4 WT, No. 8 UT Tyler, No. 16 Oklahoma Christian) and Sunshine State Conference (No. 5 Nova Southeastern, No. 10 Tampa, No. 18 Saint Leo) led the way with three teams in the rankings, including two each in the Top 10.  
- For a third consecutive season, UT Tyler softball was selected as preseason favorites in the Lone Star Conference Softball Preseason Poll as voted upon by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media representatives. The Patriots received 25 first-place votes and 591 total votes to sit ahead of no. 2 ranked West Texas A&M, who garnered 576 points. Oklahoma Christian came in at no. 3 in the preseason poll behind UT Tyler and West Texas A&M with 519 total votes. Lubbock Christian (500) and Cameron (412) rounded out the top five in the no. 4 and no. 5 slots. The complete 2024 LSC Softball Preseason Poll can be found below.
- Graduate student Courtney Plocheck was named the Lone Star Conference Preseason Player of the Year after leading the LSC with a .400 batting average in 2023 and a league-best 86 hits. The Deer Park, Texas native was named to the NFCA All-America Second Team and has been named to the All-LSC First Team list in each of the last two seasons.
- UT Tyler softball begins the 20th year of the program with an all-time record of 756-143 (.841) dating back to the inaugural 2005 campaign. The Patriots are 161-25 (.865) in four seasons of Division II play and have gone 97-12 (.889) in Lone Star Conference games over that timeframe.
- The Patriots have won 50-plus games in two seasons after going 50-5 back in 2015 and have not registered double-digit losses in a season in 12 straight years. 
- UT Tyler has made 12 appearances in an NCAA National Championship Tournament between the Division II and III levels, and have advanced to the NCAA World Series in nine of those 12 trips.
- Head coach Mike Reed and his staff garnered ATEC/NFCA South Central Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors for a third consecutive season. The honors come in each of the first three complete seasons at the NCAA Division II level. Coach Reed and his staff have been named regional staff of the year by the NFCA on nine different occasions (2023, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2009) dating back to the program's inaugural season in 2005. 
- UT Tyler softball is 337-43 (.886) all-time on their home field at Irwin Field, and completed the 2023 season with a perfect 33-0 mark at their home ballpark. The Patriots are 82-7 (.921) in home Lone Star Conference games and have never lost more than six games at home in a season.
- UT Tyler led all of Division II softball in 2023 with a .979 fielding percentage as a team, drew the second highest total of walks (264) in the country and were hit by the most pitches in all of Division II softball (95). The Patriots ranked fourth in Division II with 435 total runs and sported the eighth best ERA (1.57) in the country as well. 
- The 2023 Patriots set the program single-season record in a host of categories including runs scored (435), home runs (59), walks (264), stolen bases (98) and strikeouts (404).
- The Patriots will return the majority of the production from their lineup a year ago in 2024, highlighted by the aforementioned LSC Preseason Player of the Year Courtney Plocheck, as well as returning NFCA First Team All-American JT Smith. Smith broke the UT Tyler softball record for stolen bases (46), runs scored (84), walks (52)  and triples (7) in 2023.
- Plocheck, Smith and Arias all return in 2024 after All-Lone Star Conference First Team selections, while Audrey Escamilla and Cassidi Mullen each return to the program this year following All-LSC Second Team campaigns a year ago. Sam Schott rounds out the returning All-LSC selections for the Patriots after her All-LSC Third Team nod. 
- Head coach Mike Reed returns for his 20th season at the helm of the program after previously serving for three seasons as the head coach at East Texas Baptist before taking over at UT Tyler. Reed ranks fourth among all NCAA divisions in career winning percentage (.825), posting a 861-174 career mark through 22 career seasons. He owns the second-highest all-time win percentage among Division III coaches, coaching 18 of his 20 seasons at the Division III level, and is a nine-time American Southwest Conference Coach of the Year, and seven-time NFCA Regional Coach of the Year. He has helped develop 36 All-Americans, 103 all-region and 162 all-conference selections and has led the UT Tyler program to the NCAA World Series in nine of the 13 years since the Patriots became postseason eligible in Division III.
- The home of UT Tyler softball has been recognized as a 2023 Netting Professionals/NFCA Field of the Year honoree by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Irwin Field received recognition as the top softball facility across the Division II landscape as one of seven facilities across seven different levels to earn the award. Opened in 2005, Irwin Field is a continuous host of NCAA postseason competition. The facility has hosted two Division III national championship tournaments, along with 10 regional and six super regional rounds. This award, made possible by NFCA Official Sponsor Netting Professionals, recognizes top fields/stadiums in the nation for their flawless grounds maintenance and exceptional playing surfaces. These locations are selected by the NFCA Awards Committee for NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Cal JC, NWAC, and High School. The winners were nominated by NFCA member coaches and selected by a panel of their peers on the NFCA Awards Committee. 
 

2024 NFCA DIVISION II TOP 25 SOFTBALL COACHES POLL

January 23 (Preseason)

Rank	School	Points	Record	Previous Ranking
1	North Georgia (16)	400	0-0
2	Grand Valley State	384	0-0
3	Central Oklahoma	359	0-0
4	West Texas A&M	331	0-0
5	Nova Southeastern	330	0-0
6	East Stroudsburg	312	0-0
7	Cal State San Marcos	298	0-0
8	UT Tyler	291	0-0
9	Wilmington	280	0-0
10	Tampa	271	0-0
11	Indianapolis	254	0-0
12	UAH	215	0-0
13	Southern Arkansas	192	0-0
14	Adelphi	160	0-0
14	Concordia	160	0-0
16	Oklahoma Christian	148	0-0
17	Wingate	141	0-0
18	Saint Leo	133	0-0
19	Rogers State	124	0-0
20	Charleston	105	0-0
21	Colorado Christian	102	0-0
22	Oklahoma Baptist	49	0-0
23	Columbus State	45	0-0
24	Mississippi College	44	0-0
25	Northwest Nazarene	22	0-0

Receiving Votes: Harding (17), West Alabama (12), Lenoir-Rhyne (6), Lubbock Christian (6), Missouri Southern (4), Auburn Montgomery (2), Sonoma State (2), Kutztown (1).

2024 LSC SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL & AWARDS

Preseason Poll    
as voted by head coaches, sports information directors and media

Rank	Team (1st place votes)	Points
1	UT Tyler (25)	591
2	West Texas A&M (11)	576
3	Oklahoma Christian (3)	519
4	Lubbock Christian	500
5	Cameron	412
6	Texas A&M-Kingsville (2)	386
7	Angelo State	383
8	St. Mary's	353
9	St. Edward's	288
10	Texas Woman's	254
11	Eastern New Mexico	216
12	Texas A&M International	175
13	Midwestern State	127
14	Western New Mexico	72
15	UT Permian Basin	68

Preseason Player of the Year: Courtney Plocheck, UT Tyler, Infield, Graduate Student
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas Woman's, Pitcher/Utility, Senior