| Game Info |
Opponent Info |
(7) St. Mary's vs. (2) / #3 UT Tyler
STMU: 32-24 (26-16 LSC) | UTT: 48-8 (37-5 LSC)
Thursday, May, 9th | 2:30 p.m.
Tyler, Texas |
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ROSTER |
SCHEDULE |
STATS |
LAST TIME OUT
UT Tyler advanced to the championship game of last weekend's 2024 Lone Star Conference Softball Championship Tournament in Canyon, Texas after a 4-3 quarterfinal win over Eastern New Mexico and an 8-5 semifinal win over Lubbock Christian. The Patriots fell by an 8-0 final in six innings in that championship game to no. 1 overall seeded West Texas A&M.
Audrey Escamilla,
Courtney Plocheck,
Cassidi Mullen and
Christin Haygood were all named to the 2024 LSC Softball Championship All-Tournament Team for their efforts in the Patriot's three games in the tournament.
PATRIOT NEWS AND NOTES
- The Patriots were selected as the no. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament and will host no. 3 seeded Colorado Christian, no. 6 seeded Colorado Mesa and no. 7 seeded St. Mary's in a double-elimination bracket on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Irwin Field. The winner of the UT Tyler side of the bracket will play the winner of the other side of the bracket hosted by no. 1 seeded West Texas A&M in a best-of-three series in the NCAA DII South Central Super Regionals for the right to advance to the NCAA Division II World Series. That super regional tournament is scheduled for May 14-15 at the highest remaining seed's host site and the NCAA DII World Series on May 21-25 in Longwood, Fla.
- UT Tyler has made 13 appearances in an NCAA National Tournament between the NCAA Division II and Division II levels and have advanced to the NCAA World Series in nine out of those 13 trips. The Patriots have advanced to the NCAA Division II World Series as champions of the South Central Region in each of the first two years of Division II postseason eligibility in 2022 and 2023. UT Tyler advanced to the national semifinals in both of those appearances, falling to each of the last two national champions in Rogers State in 2022 and North Georgia in 2023.
- UT Tyler is 110-46 all-time in postseason play and 72-30 in NCAA National Tournament play dating back to their inaugural appearance in the 2008 season. The Patriots have gone 7-1 in NCAA DII South Central Regional Play.
- UT Tyler softball is in the midst of the 20th year of the program with an all-time record of 804-151 (.842) dating back to the inaugural 2005 campaign. The Patriots are 209-33 (.863) in five seasons of Division II play and have gone 134-17 (.887) in Lone Star Conference games over that timeframe. UT Tyler has finished as Division II National Semifinalists in both seasons of Division II postseason eligibility in 2022 and 2023.
- The Patriots are a perfect 10-0 all-time against St. Mary's and outscored the Rattlers by a 19-1 total in the three meetings during the 2024 regular season.
- UT Tyler softball garnered a total of 20 All-Lone Star Conference Awards and three Special Awards as announced by the Lone Star Conference. Pitcher Christian Haygood was named the Lone Star Conference Newcomer of the Year,
Makayla Garcia the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year and
Sam Schott the Lone Star Conference Academic Player of the Year. UT Tyler placed six Patriots on the All-Lone Star Conference First Team List (
Courtney Plocheck,
Sam Schott,
JT Smith,
Genesis Armendariz,
Christin Haygood,
Nicole Price) and four on the All-Lone Star Conference Second Team List (
Michelle Arias,
Audrey Escamilla,
Makayla Garcia,
Cassidi Mullen). Additionally, the Patriots earned three Lone Star Conference Golden Gloves (
Nicole Price,
JT Smith,
Sam Schott).
Crimson Bryant and
Makayla Garcia were named to the All-Freshman Team,
Sam Schott and
Michelle Arias to the All-Academic Team and
Nicole Price,
JT Smith and
Sam Schott earned Golden Gloves.
- UT Tyler stayed in the no. 3 slot for a second straight week in the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Patriots earned 364 total votes to stay put in what was an otherwise shaken up top five national poll heading into regional play. West Texas A&M regained the no. 1 overall position after winning the Lone Star Conference Softball Championship, while Indianapolis slid to no. 2 and Mississippi College and Pitt State separated into the no. 4 and no. 5 spots.
- UT Tyler ranks fifth in all of Division II softball with a .976 team fielding percentage and has already matched the program season record of 22 double plays turned in 2024.
- The Patriots team ERA of 1.88 ranks 13th in all of Division II softball.
- UT Tyler has posted the fifth best on-base percentage (.434) in the country. The Patriots have drawn the 10th highest walk total (202) and lead the nation with 78 hit by pitches in 2024.
- The Patriot offense ranks 20th in Division II softball with 89 doubles and 12th in Division II softball with 19 triples. Those 19 triples are the highest single season total in the history of the UT Tyler softball program. UT Tyler ranks 19th in Division II with an average of 6.79 runs per game.
- 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.
- Head coach
Mike Reed is in 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 (.831), posting a 909-182 career mark through 23 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.
