Category: Sports

The Saints are back in action, and there are plenty of opportunities for the OLLU community to show its blue-and-gold pride this fall.

Our Lady of the Lake University competes in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Throughout the year, OLLU student-athletes compete against conference rivals from across Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico, as well as other NAIA programs in tournaments and postseason competition.

OLLU supports approximately 425 student-athletes, and the university’s athletics program includes 21 intercollegiate teams. Fall brings men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, and men’s and women’s cross country into the spotlight, giving Saints fans plenty of chances to cheer on their teams throughout the semester.

Competition is already underway. Volleyball opened its 2026 season with home tournament action at Mabee Gymnasium in August, while soccer and cross-country schedules continue through the fall. Because game and meet days vary throughout the season, fans are encouraged to check the Saints Athletics master schedule for the latest dates, times, locations and results.

And don’t forget: some of the best support comes from the stands. OLLU students, faculty, and staff should bring their university ID to home games for free admission. General admission is $10, and those 12 and under get in for free. Military/Senior discount is $5.

So grab your OLLU gear, bring your Saints spirit and come support our student-athletes at their next home competition.

Go Saints — and remember: #WINGSUP!

San Antonio, Texas- At the Trinity Invite in San Antonio, the women of Our Lady of the Lake University produced several strong performances across the track and field events, highlighted by success in the sprint races, relays, and jumps.

Freshman Alex Wells led the way for the Saints in the sprint events. In the women’s 100 meters, Wells placed third overall with a time of 12.21 seconds against a competitive field that included athletes from St. Thomas and Trinity. Fellow freshman Morgan Young also delivered a strong effort, finishing fifth overall in 12.44.

Wells returned later in the meet to post another standout performance in the women’s 200 meters. Competing against NAIA-level competition, she finished second overall with a time of 24.95 seconds, trailing only Huston-Tillotson’s Chaleica Booker. Her result marked one of the top sprint performances of the day for OLLU.

In the women’s 400 meters, junior Morghan Neely recorded a third-place finish with a time of 59.31 seconds, continuing a consistent outdoor campaign for the Saints in the quarter-mile event.

OLLU also found success in the distance races. Junior Daylah Vega placed third in the women’s 1500 meters with a time of 5:19.78, while senior Liliana Hernandez finished fourth in 5:24.54. Senior Mia Curiel and freshman Claudia Lopez added sixth- and eighth-place finishes respectively, giving the Saints multiple scoring performances in the event.

Vega and Lopez later competed in the women’s 800 meters alongside the rest of the OLLU middle-distance group. Vega crossed in 2:40.90, while Lopez finished in 2:41.57.

The Saints earned one of their top results of the meet in the women’s 4×800-meter relay. The team of Madison Perez, Mia Curiel, Monica Sanchez, and Liliana Hernandez captured first place with a winning time of 9:34.93, giving OLLU a relay title at the Trinity Invite.

In the hurdles, sophomore Kymberli Cavazos represented the Saints in both hurdle events. Cavazos recorded a time of 17.48 in the 100-meter hurdles before returning to place third overall in the 400-meter hurdles with a mark of 1:09.09. Senior Bethany Garr also competed in the 400 hurdles, finishing fifth in 1:14.45.

OLLU continued to perform well in the field events. Sophomore Jeslynn Flores tied for second place in the high jump after clearing 1.55 meters, matching one of the top marks of the competition. Sophomore Jadae Freeman placed sixth in the long jump with a mark of 5.30 meters and added a fourth-place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 10.88 meters.

SALINA, Kan. – Top-seeded Johnson (Tenn.) used a 5-run fourth inning and a 7-run seventh inning to pull away from the fourth-seeded Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) Saints for a 20-10 victory in the first round of the Salina Bracket of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round at Dean Evans Stadium.
 
The victory boosts the Royals record to 38-12 heading into Tuesday’s match-up with the host Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes at 2:30 p.m. at Dean Evans Stadium. Our Lady of the Lake falls to 34-19 and will face Concordia (Neb.) in an elimination game at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
 
Travis Hobbensiefken put the Royals up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning with a RBI single that scored JJ Menesini who walked earlier in the inning.
 
OLLU tied it on Diego Zuniga‘s homer in the second, but Johnson grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the inning as Luke Wilson singled to bring home Christian Altamirano who walked and moved up on a passed ball in the inning.
 
Johnson’s five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning game on a 2-run double by Luke Wilson, a Hobbensiefken RBI single, an error on a double steal and a RBI single by Izaak Fernandez to put the Royals up 7-1.
 
OLLU came back with four runs in the top of the fifth inning as Drew Saucedo singled to bring in Benjamyn Hovda, a wild pitch allowed Christian Martinez to score, Joshua Milton had a RBI single and Zuniga knocked home a run with a hit.
 
The Saints got within a run on a single by Brett Atkinson in the sixth, but got no closer. Johnson put two on the board in the sixth, the first run coming on a wild pitch and the second on Altamirano’s single.
 
OLLU added two more in the seventh on a single by Hivda to score Gonzalez and Juan Garcia‘s RBI double, but Johnson would pull away in the bottom of the inning with seven runs.
 
Mitchell Birdsall hit a 3-run homer to start the scoring, and was followed by Joseph Brown’s RBI double, a RBI single by Altamirano and JJ Menesini’s 2-run ground-rule double.
 
Jack Kalisky homered for OLLU in the eighth, but the Royals would end it on the run-rule in the bottom of the frame. Braden Frank singled to bring in Andrew Wilford, Altamirano singled home a run and Grayson Shehan would close things out with a 2-run single to left center to push the Royals out to a 20-10 lead.
 
Hovda had four hits for Our Lady of the Lake to lead the Saints. Donovan Gamez took the loss allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits, with four walks in an inning-plus of work as OLLU used seven pitchers in the game.
 
Altamirano had four hits for the Royals and Wilson added three as Johnson had 20 hits in the game. Three players drove in three runs each. Kaleb Townsend got the win going five innings, allowing five runs on nine hits with four strikeouts.

Klamath Falls, Oregon- Our Lady of the Lake delivered an explosive offensive performance to earn a 13-7 victory over St. Thomas in a game filled with momentum swings and clutch hitting. The Saints collected 20 hits and scored in six different innings, overpowering St. Thomas late to secure the win.

OLLU wasted no time setting the tone offensively. Arianna Alejandro led the charge from the top of the lineup, finishing with three hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored, while also adding a stolen base. Reanna Aguirre matched that effort with three hits, two RBIs, and two runs of her own. Lilly Rocha provided one of the game’s biggest moments with a three-run home run as part of a three-hit outing, while Marisa Rosales stayed red hot at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a home run, double, and three RBIs.

Caitlin Casas was another major contributor for the Saints, recording three hits and scoring three runs, including two doubles that kept pressure on the St. Thomas defense throughout the afternoon. Marina Litterio added an RBI double, while Alyssa Guzman chipped in with an RBI single as OLLU continued to pile on offense inning after inning.

Despite the final margin, St. Thomas battled early behind a powerful performance from Jade Fayad. Fayad finished with two hits, including a five-run home run that helped keep the Celts within striking distance. Alahnis Berrios added a double and scored twice, while Emma Edwards recorded two hits in the loss.

The game remained competitive through the middle innings as St. Thomas collected nine hits overall, but OLLU’s offense proved too consistent to contain. The Saints capitalized on timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to regain control late in the game.

Inside the circle, Annika Litterio started for OLLU and worked through four innings before Valeria Vielma entered in relief. Vielma shut the door over the final three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three to earn the win and improve to 11-3 on the season.

St. Thomas starter Johana Magaldi took the loss after allowing nine runs over 4.1 innings, while Christina Ortiz pitched the final 1.2 innings in relief.

Our Lady of the Lake’s postseason run came to a halt in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament second round, as the Saints fell 5–2 to Texas A&M–Texarkana in the Final Four. Despite the result, OLLU remains in the conversation for a potential at-large bid to the NAIA Opening Round, though their postseason fate is not yet certain.

The Saints (34-18 overall, 19-8 RRAC) entered the matchup with momentum and a strong body of work, but ran into a composed Texarkana squad. OLLU showed flashes of resilience throughout the contest but ultimately could not overcome the Eagles.

Texas A&M–Texarkana struck early pressure against OLLU starter Noah Ferraro, who had been dominant throughout the season entering the game with an 8-1 record. Ferraro worked through six innings, allowing three earned runs on eight hits while striking out five. The damage largely came via the long ball, as Austin Kerns and Tobin Jones each delivered home runs to give Texarkana a narrow but significant edge.

Offensively, the Saints generated seven hits but struggled to string together consistent rallies. Brett Atkinson provided a standout performance at the plate, going 3-for-4 and serving as a catalyst for much of OLLU’s offense. Diego Zuniga delivered the Saints biggest highlight with a solo home run, accounting for one of the team’s two runs, while Joshua Milton added an RBI to keep OLLU within reach.

Trailing 3-2 entering the late innings, OLLU remained in contention before Texarkana extended its lead in the seventh inning. A brief relief outing from Xavior Salazar saw the Eagles push across two additional runs, creating separation that proved difficult to erase. Nolan Nicholson stabilized things on the mound, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts to keep the deficit from growing further.

 While the loss is not the storybook ending to the conference tournament, OLLU’s season remains notable for its consistency and competitiveness within the RRAC. With 34 wins and a strong conference record, the Saints have positioned themselves as a potential candidate for an at-large berth in the national tournament. If selected, they will have an opportunity to extend their season and build on an already successful campaign.

If not, the Saints conclude the year with a 34-18 record, reflecting a season of growth, resilience, and competitive play at the top of the conference standings. Regardless of the outcome, OLLU demonstrated throughout the year that it can compete with the best in the RRAC and beyond, setting a solid foundation for the program moving forward.

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 The Our Lady of the Lake Saints delivered a composed and timely performance to defeat the Louisiana Christian Wildcats 6–3, advancing to the next round of the Red River Athletic Conference Championship. With the win, the Saints now turn their attention to a matchup against the Texas A&M Texarkana Eagles.

Our Lady of the Lake set the tone early with consistent offensive production, tallying nine hits and six runs. Leading the charge was Arianna Alejandro, who produced a standout performance at the plate. Alejandro went 2-for-3, including two doubles, while driving in three runs and scoring twice. Her ability to deliver in key moments proved pivotal in separating the Saints from Louisiana Christian.

Additional offensive contributions came from Novalee Gloria and Caitlin Casas, who each recorded two hits, while Marisa Rosales and Alyssa Guzman added runs to maintain pressure on the Wildcats pitching staff. The Saints showed discipline throughout the game, drawing five walks and striking out zero times—an indicator of their poised approach at the plate.

In the circle, Annika Litterio was instrumental in securing the victory. She pitched 6.1 innings of shutout softball, allowing just four hits while working around five walks. Her control and composure limited Louisiana Christian’s scoring opportunities and kept momentum firmly on the Saints’ side. Valeria Vielma closed out the game despite a late push from the Wildcats, who scored all three of their runs in the final inning.

With this victory, the Saints continue their postseason run with growing momentum. Their balanced combination of disciplined hitting and steady pitching positions them as a formidable contender heading into their next matchup against Texas A&M Texarkana.

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Following are the members of the 2026 Red River Athletic Conference Baseball All-Conference Team and individual award-winners as voted by the conference’s coaches.

Player of the Year:	Carlos Sanchez, LSU Shreveport
Co-Pitchers of the Year:	Brock Lucas, LSU Shreveport
	Blane Zeplin, Texas A&M University-Victoria
Newcomer of the Year:	Antonio Benitez, Texas A&M University-Victoria
Freshman of the Year:	Beck Zimmerman, Texas A&M University-Victoria
Coach of the Year:	TBD

First Team

Name	School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Jack Kalisky*	Our Lady of the Lake	1B	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas
Landon Langley	LSU Alexandria	2B	So.	Iowa, La.
Carlos Vega	LSU Shreveport	3B	Sr.	Phoenix, Ariz.
Antonio Benitez	Texas A&M-Victoria	SS	Jr.	Carolina, P.R.
Makana Olaso	LSU Shreveport	UT	Jr.	Murrietta, Calif.
Beck Zimmerman	Texas A&M-Victoria	C	Fr.	Flatonia, Texas
Diego Zuniga	Our Lady of the Lake	C	Sr.	McAllen, Texas
Jayce Blalock	Texas A&M-Texarkana	OF	Sr.	Granville, Ga.
Matthew Cody	Louisiana Christian	OF	Jr.	Hammond, La.
Dorien Jackson	LSU Shreveport	OF	Jr.	Breaux Bridge, La.
Carlos Sanchez	LSU Shreveport	OF	Jr.	Maracaibo, Venezuela
Dalton Wilson	LSU Alexandria	DH	Jr.	Greenwell Springs, La.
Jonathan Jones*	Texas A&M-Victoria	SP	Sr.	Manvel, Texas
Kade Linn	Louisiana Christian	SP	Gr.	New Iberia, La.
Brock Lucas	LSU Shreveport	SP	Sr.	Hardingsburg, Ky.
Blane Zeplin	Texas A&M-Victoria	SP	Sr.	Victoria, Texas
Josh Savitch	LSU Shreveport	RP	Sr.	Spring Valley, Ill.
Colton Williams	Louisiana Christian	RP	Sr.	Rayville, La.
*Indicates player is a repeat first-team selection.

Second Team

Name	School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Garrett Smith	Texas A&M-Victoria	1B	Jr.	Katy, Texas
Ty Boozer	Texas A&M-Victoria	2B	Fr.	Texarkana, Texas
Connor Kaiser	Texas A&M-Victoria	3B	Sr.	College Station, Texas
Alex Montiel	Southwest	3B	Sr.	Kyle, Texas
James Provencio	Texas A&M-Texarkana	3B	Sr.	Lakewood, Calif.
Quiaterrion Walton	LSU Shreveport	SS	Jr.	Atlanta, Ga.
Chris Kelley	Louisiana Christian	UT	Jr.	Pineville, La.
Roberto Olguin III	Texas A&M-Victoria	C	Sr.	Robstown, Texas
Evn Rohlfs	LSU Alexandria	C	Jr.	French Settlement, La.
Cade Lebruyere	LSU Alexandria	OF	Sr.	Iowa, La.
Jackson Purcell	Texas A&M-Victoria	OF	Jr.	Moses Lake, Wash.
Dong Joon Shin	Southwest	OF	Jr.	South Korea
Spencer Sullivan	LSU Shreveport	OF	Sr.	West Linn, Ore.
Mark Gonzales	Southwest	DH	Sr.	Albuquerque, N.M.
Joshua Milton	Our Lady of the Lake	DH	Jr.	Spring, Texas
Jacob Baker	Texas A&M-Victoria	SP	Jr.	Cuero, Texas
Brandon Carter	Louisiana Christian	SP	Gr.	Downsville, La.
Noah Ferraro	Our Lady of the Lake	SP	Jr.	League City, Texas
Donovan Gamez	Our Lady of the Lake	SP	Jr.	San Antonio, Texas
David Hankins	LSU Shreveport	SP	Sr.	Katy, Texas
Matthew Mejia	Texas A&M-Victoria	RP	Sr.	Pearland, Texas
Josh Ruiz	Our Lady of the Lake	RP	Fr.	Harlingen, Texas
Nash Tamplet	LSU Alexandria	RP	So.	Walker, La.

Gold Glove Team

Name	School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Jack Kalisky	Our Lady of the Lake	1B	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas
Landon Langley	LSU Alexandria	2B	So.	Iowa, La.
Connor Kaiser	Texas A&M-Victoria	3B	Sr.	College Station, Texas
Quaterrion Walton	LSU Shreveport	SS	Jr.	Atlanta, Ga.
Roberto Olguin III	Texas A&M-Victoria	C	Sr.	Robstown, Texas
Dorien Jackson	LSU Shreveport	OF	Jr.	Breaux Bridge, La.
Cade Labruyere	LSU Alexandria	OF	Sr.	Iowa, La.
Carlos Sanchez	LSU Shreveport	OF	Jr.	Maracaibo, Venezuela
Brock Lucas	LSU Shreveport	P	Sr.	Hardingsburg, Ky.

Champions of Character Team

Name	School
Dalton Morgan	Jarvis Christian University (Texas)
Harrison Waxley	Louisiana Christian University
Joshua Tinnerello	LSU Alexandria (La.)
Brendan Burns	LSU Shreveport (La.)
Diego Zuniga	Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas)
Derrick Martinez	University of Southwest (N.M.)
Michael Caputo	Texas A&M University-Texarkana
Jackson Purcell	Texas A&M University-Victoria
Chris Germanos	Texas College
Kai Higginson	Xavier University (La.)

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Following are the members of the 2026 Red River Athletic Conference Softball All-Conference Team and individual award-winners as voted by the conference’s coaches.

Player of the Year:	Kaetlyn Dunbar, LSU Alexandria (La.)
Co-Pitchers of the Year:	Lainee Bailey, LSU Alexandria (La.)
	Annika Litterio, Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas)
Newcomer of the Year:	Sophia Romero, LSU Alexandria (La.)
Defensive Player of the Year:	Kilee Moody, LSU Alexandria (La.)
Coach of the Year:	Trent Partridge, LSU Alexandria (La.)

First Team

Name	School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Boston Tijerina	Our Lady of the Lake	1B	Fr.	San Antonio, Texas
Alyssa Soileau	LSU Alexandria (La.)	2B	So.	New Iberia, La.
Caitlin Casas	Our Lady of the Lake	3B	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas
Haley Fontenot*	LSU Alexandria (La.)	SS	Sr.	Morgan City, La.
Kitty Coe	Texas A&M-Victoria	C	Fr.	Kountze, Texas
Skyler Martin	Texas A&M_Texarkana	C	Sr.	Diboll, Texas
Kaylee Barlow*	Texas A&M-San Antonio	OF	Jr.	Shepard, Texas
Kaetlyn Dunbar*	LSU Alexandria (La.)	OF	Sr.	Spring, Texas
Kilee Moody*	LSU Alexandria (La.)	OF	Jr.	Groves, Texas
Mackenzie Williams	Texas A&M-Texarkana	OF	Jr.	Texarkana, Texas
Lily Rocha*	Our Lady of the Lake	DP	Jr.	Harlingen, Texas
Sophia Romero	LSU Alexandria (La.)	UT	Jr.	Lafayette, La.
Angelina Morales	Texas A&M-Victoria	IF	Jr.	Pasadena, Texas
Lainee Bailey	LSU Alexandria (La.)	P	Sr.	Walker, La.
Rylee Glenn*	Texas A&M-Texarkana	P	Sr.	Houston, Texas
Annika Litterio*	Our Lady of the Lake	P	Sr.	San Antonio, Texas
Samara Aguilera	Texas A&M-San Antonio	AL	Sr.	El Paso, Texas
Ari Alejandro	Our Lady of the Lake	AL	Sr.	Converse, Texas
Olivia Falcon	Louisiana Christian	AL	Jr.	St. Amant, La.
Lexi McLin	Xavier (La.)	AL	Fr.	Loreauville, La.
*Indicates player is a repeat first-team selection.

Second Team

Name	School	Pos.	Class	Hometown
Jillian Howell	LSU Alexandria (La.)	1B	Sr.	Amarillo, Texas
Yezenia Perez	Our Lady of the Lake	2B	So.	Midland, Texas
Isabella Battaglia	Louisiana Christian	3B	So.	Montgomery, Texas
Jaquelyn Schmidt	Texas A&M-Texarkana	SS	So.	El Paso, Texas
Alyssa Guzman	Our Lady of the Lake	C	Jr.	Mission, Texas
Elexes Martinez	Southwest	C	So.	Hobbs, N.M.
Mariel Medrano	Louisiana Christian	OF	Jr.	Cypress, Texas
Grace Cantu	Texas A&M-Texarkana	OF	Sr.	Celina, Texas
Marisa Rosales	Our Lady of the Lake	OF	Jr.	Victoria, Texas
Madison Ruiz	Texas A&M-Texarkana	OF	Sr.	Las Vegas, Nevada
Cristela Trevino	Texas A&M-Victoria	DP	Fr.	Alice, Texas
Victoria Clayton	Texas A&M-Texarkana	UT	So.	Atlanta, Texas
Krisilyn Corral	Texas A&M-San Antonio	P	So.	El Paso, Texas
Rylee Guillot	LSU Alexandria	P	Fr.	Alexandria, La.
Valeria Vielma	Our Lady of the Lake	P	Jr.	Eagle Pass, Texas

Honorable Mention

Destiny Hart	Texas College	1B	So.	Alto, Texas
Yesenia Rodriguez	Southwest (N.M.)	2B	Jr.	Midland, Texas
Molly Sistrunk	LSU Alexandria (La.)	3B	Sr.	Kaplan, La.
Novalee Gloria	Our Lady of the Lake	SS	Fr.	San Antonio, Texas
Reanne Aguirre	Our Lady of the lake	OF	Jr.	Portland, Texas
Madelyn Bourgoyne	Louisiana Christian	OF	Sr.	Walker, La.
Krissy Luera	Texas A&M-San Antonio	OF	So.	Pharr, Texas
Madelyn Butler	Texas A&M-Victoria	P	Fr.	Leander, Texas
Lexi Snyder	Texas A&M-Texarkana	P	Jr.	Texarkana, Texas
Sari Travis	Texas A&M-San Antonio	P	Jr.	Houston, Texas

Champions of Character Team

Name	School
Martha Alvarado	Jarvis Christian University (Texas)
Maci Baldwin	Louisiana Christian University
Rylie Theriot	LSU Alexandria (La.)
Brianna Ramirez	Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas)
Cali Saldana	University of Southwest (N.M.)
Tori Campos	Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Brooke Usrey	Texas A&M University-Texarkana
Kelsey Perez	Texas A&M University-Victoria
Casadi Barclay	Texas College
Essynce Wallace	Xavier University (La.)

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The Our Lady of the Lake Saints remain in the hunt for a Red River Athletic Conference Championship title despite a 15–1 setback against the Texas A&M–Victoria Jaguars, and will now prepare to face the loser of the matchup between the LSU–Shreveport Pilots and the Texas A&M–Texarkana Eagles in an elimination game.

While the final score did not reflect their potential, the Saints showed flashes of competitiveness against a high-powered Jaguars squad. Jack Kalisky led the way offensively with a strong 2-for-3 performance that included a double and a stolen base, consistently applying pressure when given opportunities. Brett Atkinson also contributed with the team’s lone RBI, while CaliEvan Billela-Barstow added the Saints run after entering as a pinch runner.

The Saints pitching staff faced a challenging task against one of the conference’s most productive lineups. Despite the outcome, reliever Manuel Flores provided a steady presence out of the bullpen, limiting damage during his outing and helping stabilize the game in the middle innings. The staff also recorded eight strikeouts, demonstrating the ability to compete and miss bats against a disciplined offense.

Defensively, Our Lady of the Lake executed a key double play, highlighting their ability to respond under pressure and maintain composure in difficult moments.

Texas A&M–Victoria capitalized on timely hitting and plate discipline, but the Saints now turn their focus forward with an opportunity to respond. Their next game carries significant weight, as they look to extend their postseason run against either LSU–Shreveport or Texas A&M–Texarkana.

With their season on the line, the Saints will aim to build on their strengths, tighten execution, and deliver a complete performance. Their resilience throughout the season positions them well to compete, and they will look to carry that determination into the next round of conference tournament play.

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