The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) released the 2023 Daktronics NAIA Softball Scholar-Athletes last week. The 2023 list features student-athletes who achieved at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA) at their institution, appeared on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended one full year at said institution.
The NAIA No. 2-ranked OLLU softball team was crowned Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Tournament champions as the Saints defeated Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) in a pair of games on Sunday.
The Saints forced the championship matchup after winning the first game 13-0. They won the conference title after blanking the Jaguars again in the second game 6-0.
In the 6-0, pitcher Cassandra Valdez threw a 2-hitter and struck out 11 for the Saints, who won the RRAC Tournament for the second time in history.
In Sunday’s first game, Valdez and Angela Ramirez combined for a 2-hit shutout. Maddie Nunn led the Saints with three hits and three RBI in the 13–0 victory.
The Saints qualified for the NAIA National Tournament and their opponents will be revealed in the selection show on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The No. 2-ranked OLLU softball team clinched the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) championship on April 22, shutting out LSU-Alexandria (LSUA) in both games of a doubleheader.
The Saints won the first game, 17-0, and the second game, 5-0. OLLU finished the regular season with a 40-4 overall record and a perfect 26-0 mark in the RRAC. OLLU is riding a program record 31-game winning streak.
Three seniors were honored before the first game. Rebecca Dunn, Angela Ramirez and Cassandra Valdez were recognized, and families posed with each senior. All of the Saints 11 seniors returned after the game for special recognition. They include the three mentioned before, plus Kayla Dreese, Jennifer Estrada, Joanna Gonzalez, Ariel Montgomery, Madison Nunn, MacKenzie Purcell ,Caitlin Terrazas and Deandre Vera.
The Saints will compete in the RRAC Tournament from May 4-7. OLLU will host the tournament on campus and on the campus of St. Mary’s University for the first two days. The last two days, games will be held at OLLU.
