The softball team announced the signing of MacKenzie Purcell, a transfer student from Kingwood, Texas.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “We are very happy to have an opportunity to have Mackenzie on our squad. She is a proven winner who embodies the drive and determination we seek here at OLLU.

Purcell is a graduate student and plans to major in clinical mental health counseling. She plays in the infield and is a transfer from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Temple College.

Purcell said, “I chose to play at OLLU because the softball program will give me the opportunity to continue growing as a player, student and person. The OLLU softball program has a competitive atmosphere and great culture. I am excited to finish my softball career and begin my master’s degree at OLLU.

The Saints are the reigning Red River Athletic Conference champions and made it to the NAIA National Tournament in the spring. The women will play a handful of games in the fall and begin their official season in the spring.

The softball team welcomes senior transfer Madison Garza to the 2022-2023 squad. Garza, a native of Danbury, Texas, is joining the team after playing at NCAA D1 Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “We are very happy to welcome Madi and her family to OLLU to finish her academic and athletic career. She is a gifted athlete who will lead our program as we pursue another championship.”

Garza, an infielder, also attended Temple College. While there, she received National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American Academic honors. She was named to the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) All-Conference Second Team.

“I chose to play at OLLU because of the championship atmosphere, the people and the opportunity to grow as an individual, a teammate and in my faith while competing as a Saint,” Garza said. She plans to major in kinesiology.

The reigning Red River Athletic Conference champion Saints will play a handful of games during the fall and will begin their official season in the spring

Kayla Dreese has been selected to the 2022 Academic All-America® softball team as a second-team selectee by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). CoSIDA members, such as OLLU’s 15-year member Patricia Constantin,  submit nominees for consideration. The organization boasts more than 3,000 members, and all are eligible to vote for all sports teams each year.

Dreese helped OLLU to the best season in team history as the Saints reached the NAIA National Tournament before being eliminated in the Gulf Shores Brackett. It was the Saints’ second time getting to nationals, but the first time they had won games at the tournament. Two wins marked the first they have won games. After losing the opening match to No. 16-ranked College of Coastal Georgia 3-5, the No. 17-ranked Saints defeated Valley City State University 4-1 and Coastal Georgia 2-1. The Saints fell to No. 1-ranked University of Mobile in extra innings 3-5 to end their year with a 46-13 record. OLLU set program records in both overall and conference (23) wins. They lost just three games at home while winning 28.

Dreese earned All-Conference First-Team, All-Tournament, NAIA Scholar-Athlete and Red River Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete honors this year. She was named OLLU’s BIG BLUE TOP SAINT Female Athlete of the Year. Her career records include: fourth in sacrifice hits with 19; fourth in hits by pitcher with 11; and second in stolen bases with 43; Season records include: second in games played/started with 55/55; second in total runs with 47; fifth in hits with 64; fifth in hits by pitcher with 5; fifth in on-base % with .469; and second in steals/attempts with 31/26.

Earning a 3.66 GPA, Dreese received her bachelor’s degree in Marketing this past May. She plans to return to play for a fifth year with the Saints after regaining one year of eligibility from her season-ending injury in 2021.

The NAIA Academic All-America® program is financially supported by the NAIA national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2021-2022 NAIA Academic All-America® program. For more information regarding the Academic All-America® program, visit https://academicallamerica.com/.

After a historic season that featured two wins in the opening round of the NAIA National Championships, the softball team ascended two spots from the previous poll and is now No. 15 in the 2022 NAIA Softball Coaches Top 25 Postseason Poll the national office announced today.

The Saints were No. 17 in the poll on May 2 after debuting at No. 25 earlier in the season. The Saints had received votes since the first season of competition in 2010. Their most votes were 21 during that first year. In 2012, the Saints received 20 votes, and in 2013, the most votes they received was 44. In the following year, the Saints received 57 votes in 2014, and in 2015, the most votes the Saints received was 88. In 2016, the team received 10 votes. The last time the Saints received votes was in 2018, with 80 votes.

The Saints are the only Red River Athletic Conference team included in the final poll. Texas A&M University-Texarkana, which made nationals, but lost two of three games in the opening round, was last ranked No. 22.

Poll Methodology

• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents).
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed, and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
• Teams that receive only one point on the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• The frequency of the polls is bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) prior to the 2016-17 academic season. This change allows raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work between rating periods.
• For the complete Top 25 calendar, click here.

2022 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Top 25 POSTSEASON Poll (June 8, 2022)

• Dropped from the Top 25: Texas A&M Texarkana, Embry Riddle (Ariz.)
• Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M Texarkana 102, Midland (Neb.) 95, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 93, Ottawa (Kan.) 76, Rio Grande (Ohio) 28, Bellevue (Neb.) 21, Bryan (Tenn.) 16, Friends (Kan.) 14, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 11, Vanguard (Calif.) 5, Mount Mercy (Iowa) 3.

The softball team announced the addition of Alana Benitez and Allie Gonzales to the 2022-2023 squad.

Benitez is a native of Kingsville, Texas, where she attended Santa Gertrudis Academy. The outfielder/middle infielder sophomore is majoring in criminal justice. She is a transfer from Coastal Bend College in Beeville, Texas.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “We are extremely happy to welcome Alana and her family to the Lake. She is a skilled player who fits our culture perfectly.”

Gonzales is a junior from Wallis, Texas, where she attended Brazos High School. The left-handed pitcher is a transfer from Jarvis Christian College, a member of the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC), as is OLLU. While there, she received All-Tournament First-Team and All-Conference Second-Team honors. She is majoring in interdisciplinary studies.

“Allie is a great addition to our pitching staff,” said Lenington. “As a freshman in the RRAC, she beat several top teams and proved to be a great competitor in the circle.”

The Saints will begin their official season in January 2023 but will play a handful of scrimmages during the fall.