Match Info	Opponent Info
#22 Oklahoma Christian vs. #18 UT Tyler OC: 39-14, 30-10 LSC | UTT: 42-12, 33-7 LSC Thursday, May 14th | 2:30 p.m Mountain time Denver, Colorado | Assembly Athletic Complex		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS

THE NCAA SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT
 
For the fifth straight season UT Tyler will head to the NCAA Tournament, one for each of the five seasons they have been Division II eligible. This is the first time in those five seasons the Patriots will begin their quest on the road as they head to Denver, Colorado this week.
 
Colorado Christian (53-5) will be the No. 1 seed in the region and play host to a four team section of the bracket. They will be hosting the double elimination tournament at the Assembly Athletic Complex in Denver.
 
The teams joining them are No. 4 seed UT Tyler, No. 5 seed Oklahoma Christian, and No. 8 seed St. Mary's. Play will begin on Thursday, with the Cougars and Rattlers facing off at 12 p.m. Mountain time and the Patriots and Eagles taking the field at 2:30 p.m. Mountain time.
 
From there, the teams will delve into the bracket, with two teams being eliminated by the end of the day Friday. Saturday's final round will begin at 12 p.m. Mountain time. The winner of this portion of the regional will then move into the NCAA South Central Super Regionals to be held May 21-22 at the highest remaining seed's host site.
 
PATRIOT HISTORY HERE
 
The Patriots have a storied history in the Division II era in the regional round. They have lost just one game in their four previous appearances here. That loss came back in 2022 in their first year of Division II eligibility, and the Patriots stormed back through the losers bracket and won the regional.
 
They have moved into the NCAA Super Regionals all four years of postseason play in the D2 era, and will look to build on it yet again. In total, they are a combined 13-1 in this specific portion of the postseason.
 
All-LSC Honors
 
Last week prior to the LSC Tournament, the year-end banquet took place, with the Patriots picking up a multitude of honors.
 
Taryn Barney was named the LSC Academic Player of the Year while holding a perfect 4.0 GPA to become the second player in program history to earn the distinction. Alli Kimball and Dezirae Lopez each joined Barney on the All-Academic Team.
 
The All-LSC First Team selections were: Barney, Megan Lau, and Kimball. Kearston Gooch was named to the All-LSC Second Team, and Laci Berecochea, Kaylee Cavazos, Kaelyn Lerma, Layne Reh, and Lopez each were named to the All-LSC Third Team.
 
Lau and Lerma were each named to the All-Freshman Team, and Reh picked up an LSC Golden Glove.
 
PATRIOTS NOTES AND TRENDS

• 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 399-48 (.892) 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 129-10 (.928) 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,  Berlyn Grossman, and Keona Wells will return to the fold as the three 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.
• Megan Lau is now hitting .420 for the year to lead the offense and is adding 31 runs and a .480 on-base percentage. Taryn Barney is hitting .378 with 13 doubles, 11 homers, and 51 RBI.
• In the circle, the Patriots are led by Kearston Gooch who has a 2.17 ERA with four complete games, 54 strikeouts, and a 13-3 record. Alli Kimball is 10-2 with six complete games and two saves.
• The Patriots lead the country in 2026 in hit by pitches with a total of 88 thus far. They are fifth in sacrifice flies (26), 10^th in total runs (379), 11^th in scoring (7.02), 11^th in on-base percentage (.429), 14^th in RBI (335), and 16^th in doubles (100).

 
THE EAGLES
 
Oklahoma Christian heads into the week with a record of 39-14 overall and will be the No. 5 seed in the NCAA South Central Region. They were dropped by Texas A&M-Kingsville in the LSC Tournament quarterfinals after finishing the year fourth in the LSC Regular Season standings.
 
Kallie Rupp leads the Eagles offense with a .392 average in 53 games. She has 14 doubles, two triples, and 11 homers to go with 50 RBI and 41 runs scored. In the circle, Ella Resendiz and Jill Dickson lead the way. Resendiz has a 2.25 ERA and is 13-0 with seven complete games, five saves, and 136 strikeouts. Dickson has a 2.30 ERA and is 16-9 with 11 complete games, two saves, and 165 strikeouts.
 
These two teams met back on April 19^th at Irwin Field, with Oklahoma Christian taking both games. The first win in that pair snapped a 17 game winning streak for the Patriots over the Eagles.
 
The two teams have met five times in the NCAA Tournament. Three of which have come in this round. The Patriots are undefeated in those five games.