LAST TIME OUT
Last week the Patriots took on the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament. They hosted #4 Oklahoma Christian, #5 Colorado Christian, and #8 MSU Denver at Irwin Field in a four-team double elimination bracket. The Patriots handled business all week, dispatching the Roadrunners 4-0, the Cougars 7-0, and put the cap on the tournament with an 8-0 run-rule win over Oklahoma Christian to punch their ticket to supers.
ALL-REGION HONORS
The Patriots earned 8 NFCA and 8 D2CCA All-Region honors, both the high water marks in the Division II era of the program and most NFCA All-Region honorees since 2018.
Cera Blanchard,
Kaylee Davis,
Sam Schott,
JT Smith,
Ka'Lyn Watson, and
Taryn Barney earned first team D2CCA nods, while
Primrose Aholelei and
Bailey Krolczyk earned a second team honor.
In the NFCA, Blanchard, Davis, Schott, Smith, and Watson earned first team honors, while Barney, Aholelei, and Krolczyk earned second team nods.
SUPER (REGIONAL) STRENGTH
The Patriots begin their fourth straight super regional this week, and they will host their fourth straight super regional as well.
In 2022, the Patriots first season in Division II, the Patriots hosted Texas A&M-Kingsville in the best of three series. The Patriots took a 5-1 win in game one before falling in game two 6-5 in 9 innings. In the if necessary game, the Patriots held firm, taking a 6-4 win.
In 2023, the Patriots hosted West Texas A&M at Irwin Field and took care of business yet again, earning a 6-5 and 6-2 win to sweep the series and advance.
Last season, the Patriots would host Oklahoma Christian, and again they would advance into the World Series after wins of 6-3 and 3-0 at Irwin Field.
PATRIOTS NOTES AND TRENDS
- UT Tyler softball begins the 21st year of the program with an all-time record of 819-151 (.844) dating back to the inaugural 2005 campaign. The Patriots are 224-33 (.869) in five seasons of Division II play and have gone 134-17 (.887) in Lone Star Conference games over that timeframe prior to the 2025 season.
- The Patriots have won 50-plus games in the last two seasons after going 50-5 back in 2015 and have not registered double-digit losses in a season in 13 straight years.
- UT Tyler has made 13 appearances in an NCAA National Championship Tournament between the Division II and III levels, and have advanced to the NCAA World Series in 10 of those 13 trips.
- Head coach Mike Reed and his staff garnered ATEC/NFCA South Central Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors for a fourth consecutive season. The honors come in each of the first four 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 10 different occasions (2024,2023, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2009) dating back to the program's inaugural season in 2005.
- UT Tyler softball is 363-45 (.889) all-time on their home field at Irwin Field prior to the 2025 season, and completed the 2024 season with a 26-2 mark at their home ballpark. The Patriots are 102-8 (.927) in home Lone Star Conference games and have never lost more than six games at home in a season.
- JT Smith, Sam Schott, Taryn Barney, Angelique Rangel, Hailey Fannin, and Kaylee Davis mark a group of returners with national championship experience as they will look to lead a host of newcomers back to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year.
- Head coach Mike Reed returns for his 21st 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 is 1st among all NCAA divisions in career winning percentage (.840), posting a 974-186 career mark in 24 career seasons. He owns the second-highest all-time win percentage among Division III coaches, coaching 18 of his 23 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 37 All-Americans, 112 all-region and 177 all-conference selections.
- The Patriots have been nothing short of dominant through the regular season games. They have allowed more than three runs in a game just four times while scoring at least three runs in all but four games. They rank #1 in Division II in hit by pitches, on-base percentage, triples, and win-loss percentage. They are also ranked inside the top five in ERA, RBI, shutouts, total runs, triples per game, WHIP, RBI per game, scoring, slugging percentage, total sacrifice flies, totals sacrifice bunts, doubles, and batting average.
- Kaylee Davis is fifth in Division II in ERA at 0.91, and she is fifth in WHIP at 0.81. JT Smith leads Division II in triples, runs, runs per game, and batting average.
- This week marks the fourth straight season that UT Tyler will host the NCAA Division II South Central Super Regional. UT Tyler in program history is 6-1 in the previous three instances of them hosting the super regional round at Irwin Field.
LADY BUFFS NOTES AND TRENDS
- West Texas A&M heads to the super regional round at a record of 55-6 overall and 40-4 in LSC play. They won a share with UT Tyler of the 2025 LSC Regular Season title. Most recently they claimed the other portion of the NCAA South Central Region Tournament.
- The Lady Buffs are led by the dual threat of Emilee Boyer. She was named the LSC Player and Pitcher of the Year earlier this season. She is hitting .469 with 11 doubles, two triples, and 21 homers to go with 89 RBI and 56 runs scored. In the circle, she holds a 2.02 ERA over 180.0 innings pitched. She is 28-4 with 235 strikeouts to 45 walks and is holding opposing hitters to .198 at the plate.
- Michael Mook leads the program and is in his sixth season after spending the previous four at Valley City State. He has a career record of 395-120 and is 241-59 with the Lady Buffs.
- All-time, UT Tyler is 11-6 against West Texas A&M. They split their regular season series this year but the Patriots claimed a 13-2 run-rule win in the LSC Tournament title game.
