Saints softball on 23-game winning streak, ranked No. 2 in nation
The No. 2-ranked Saints softball program has garnered national and local attention while on an unprecedented regular-season run that started in February. The Saints are 32-4 overall and have a perfect 18-0 Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) mark. OLLU has won 23 straight games, just one win away from matching their previous record of 24 straight wins set last season.
The team will have the chance to match and surpass their record in Kerrville on Wednesday as they take on Schreiner University in a double header. They will be back home on April 11 for a double header against Huston-Tillotson at 1 and 3 p.m.
There efforts have not gone unnoticed. The team was featured on KSAT-12, News4-San Antonio and KABB Fox News.
The Saints were picked as the No. 15-ranked team to start the season in February after finishing the 2022 season in the NAIA National Regionals, where they went 2-2. The program hosted two tournaments to begin the year and won nine out of 12 contests. The Saints swept the NAIA’s No. 1 and three ranked seeds shortly after the season started. They defeated the defending national champions, Oklahoma City University, 15-3 and 8-1 on the road. They followed that impressive performance with two more victories against the No. 3-ranked University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Drovers. The four wins were integral in adding to the current 19-game winning streak. They finished February as the No. 7-ranked team in the NAIA, as announced on March 8.
OLLU received its highest NAIA ranking in program history on March 22. The Saints were recognized as the second-best team in the league and received two first-place votes. The Saints rank first statistically in the NAIA with 74 doubles, 56 home runs, 139 extra-base hits, 579 total bases and a .602 slugging percentage.
Head Coach Bruce Lenington returned for his fourth season, and prior to joining OLLU, he had stints at NCAA D1 Michigan State University and NAIA’s Lawrence Tech University. On March 7, he recorded his 100th career win.
The Saints have 11 games remaining before the RRAC Championship Tournament from May 5-8. OLLU will host the event for the second straight season.