THE UT TYLER CLASSIC
 
This week will be the the first time that UT Tyler has hosted an in-season tournament since co-hosting the TAMUC/UT Tyler Invitational back in 2020 with East Texas A&M. This Friday will also mark the earliest the Patriots have played at Irwin Field since 2017.
 
Hillsdale College, Northeastern State, and New Mexico Highlands will join UT Tyler in the field this season. UT Tyler will play each team twice, while Hillsdale will play Northeastern State twice and New Mexico Highlands once.
 
Friday will feature just one game, UT Tyler against Hillsdale, while both Saturday and Sunday will feature three games. Monday's finale will be just two games, both featuring UT Tyler and New Mexico Highlands.
 
A NEW FACE
 
This season marks the first in UT Tyler program history that Mike Reed will not be at the helm. Reed announced his departure into a full-time athletics administration role within the UT Tyler athletic department in January, and in his place will be interim head coach Jason Miller.
 
Miller joined the program in the summer of 2025 after an eight year stint at Grayson College and a one year run at Oklahoma Baptist. He helped guide the Bison to their first ever appearance in the GAC Championship game this past season after going 36-17 overall. At Grayson College, Miller spurred the Vikings to a 104-24 record in his last four seasons and two appearances at the NJCAA World Series, including a runner-up finish in 2021.
 
PRESEASON POLLS
 
The Patriots were selected as unanimous #1 in the NFCA/GoRout Division II Coaches Poll after garnering all 16 first place votes and 400 total points. In the LSC Preseason Poll, the Patriots picked up 39 of a possible 51 first place votes and 849 points to be the number one team.
 
PATRIOTS NOTES AND TRENDS

• UT Tyler will open 2026 at the DII First Pitch Invitational in Conroe, Texas this weekend with six games over the course of three days at the Scrap Yards Sports Complex. The Patriots face off with two teams from the GNAC, one from the GAC, one from the GSC, and one RMAC program. The highlight of the weekend will be the opening matchup that sees the Patriots take on Saint Martins, a team who qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season.
• UT Tyler softball begins the 21st year of the program with an all-time record of 880-156 (.849) dating back to the inaugural 2005 campaign. The Patriots are 281-38 (.881) in six seasons of Division II play and have gone 174-21 (.892) in Lone Star Conference games over that timeframe.
• The Patriots have won 50-plus games in the last three seasons after going 50-5 back in 2015 and have not registered double-digit losses in a season in 14 straight years. 
• UT Tyler has made 14 appearances in an NCAA National Championship Tournament between the Division II and III levels, and have advanced to the NCAA World Series in 11 of those 14 trips.
• The Patriots coaching staff earned a second straight ATEC/NFCA DII National Coaching Staff of the Year honor, their third in program history. The Patriots have won the award in each of their national championship seasons (2016, 2024, 2025).
• The Patriots coaching staff also garnered ATEC/NFCA South Central Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors for a fifth consecutive season. The honors come in each of the first five complete seasons at the NCAA Division II level. The Patriots staff have been named regional staff of the year by the NFCA on 11 different occasions (2025, 2024,2023, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2009) dating back to the program's inaugural season in 2005. 
• UT Tyler softball is 388-47 (.891) all-time on their home field at Irwin Field, and completed the 2025 season with a 25-2 mark at their home ballpark. The Patriots are 127-10 (.927) 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 2025 in hit by pitches with 101, on-base percentage at .451, RBI at 475, shutouts at 28, sacrifice flies at 30, triples at 36, and win-loss percentage at .925.
• Taryn Barney, Sam Garcia, Berlyn Grossman, and Keona Wells will return to the fold as the four players with returning World Series experience. They will lead a host of newcomers into battle this season that include several Division I, Division II, and NJCAA transfers.
• After the opening six games, Kiara Wiedenhaupt and Lauren Granger are leading the Patriots offense. Wiedenhaupt is batting .462 with three doubles, three RBI, and two runs while posting a .563 OBP. Granger is hiiting .455 with two doubles, a triple, and a homer with eight RBI and an on-base percentage of .478.
• In the circle, Addison Martindale is 1-0 over three appearances with a 1.11 ERA and .79 WHIP. She has thrown 6.1 innings while allowing just one run and striking out five.