softball – Lake Weekly

Longball Lifts Saints Past Rattlers

The Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) softball team played host to St. Mary’s University on Wednesday afternoon at the OLLU Softball Field. In a game that featured five home runs, it was the Saints who came out on top with a 7-6 victory over the Rattlers. The win moves the Saints’ record to 3-2 on the season.

Annika Litterio got the start in the circle for the Saints and issued a walk after retiring the first two Rattler batters. Litterio induced a pop out to end the inning and strand one runner. In the home half of the frame, Caitlin Terrazas reached first after getting hit by a pitch and would later advance to third on a double from Yezenia Perez. AJ Flores drew a walk to load the bases for Grace Ross. Ross cleared the bases as she launched her second home run of the year, a grand slam, to give OLLU a 4-0 advantage.

One swing of the bat evened the game at four runs apiece as the Rattlers recorded a grand slam of their own in the top of the third inning. Another Rattler long ball in the inning gave St. Mary’s a 5-4 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning.

Both teams would go scoreless in the fourth inning, but Alyssa Flores sent a ball over the right centerfield fence to tie the game once again in the fifth inning. Lilly Rocha put the Saints in front for good in the same frame as she hit a home run to straightaway center, a two-run shot, giving OLLU a 7-5 advantage with two innings to play.

St. Mary’s manufactured a run in the sixth to cut the OLLU lead to 7-6, but Ava Hernandez retired the next three batters to end the inning.

The Rattlers got the tying run into scoring position in the seventh inning, but Hernandez shut the door on the threat to end the game and secure the Saints’ victory.

Ross finished the game 3-for-3 at the plate with four RBI while Rocha and Flores each recorded an RBI in the win.

Hernandez earned the victory in the circle, tossing 4.1 innings, allowing just one run.

The Saints will return to the diamond on Sunday as they welcome Baker University. The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the OLLU Saints, fans can visit ollusaintsathletics.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Saints news by following @ollusaintsathletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Softball Picked to Win 2025 RRAC Title

The Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) softball team earned 118 total points and eight of 11 possible first-place votes in the 2025 Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) preseason poll released on Tuesday. The defending NAIA National Champions finished the 2024 campaign with a 57-3 overall record and a perfect 24-0 mark in RRAC action. Two of the Saints’ three losses came from LSU Alexandria (LSUA) in the RRAC Tournament. LSUA was picked to finish right behind the Saints in 2025 and received the other three first-place votes.

OLLU will open its 2025 slate on January 31 as they host Evangel (MO) in a doubleheader. The Saints will play their first 13 games at home before opening up RRAC action on the road at Huston-Tillotson on February 24.

See below for the complete RRAC preseason poll.

Rank	School	Points
1.	Our Lady of the Lake (8)	118
2.	LSU Alexandria (3)	112
3.	Houston-Victoria	97
4.	Louisiana Christian	82
5.	Texas A&M-Texarkana	76
6.	Texas A&M-San Antonio	74
7.	Xavier	47
8.	Southwest	40
9.	Texas College	33
10.	Jarvis Christian	29
11.	Huston-Tillotson	18

Preseason poll voting was submitted by each of the head coaches. Results of the poll are shown below with points calculated through an 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 format. First place votes are shown in parentheses.

Softball ranked No. 1 in preseason Red River Athletic Conference poll

Following the best season in program history, the OLLU softball team has been selected to finish first in the conference again, based on the results of the 2024 RRAC Softball Coaches’ Preseason Poll. In 2023, OLLU posted a perfect 28-0 conference mark in the regular season, achieved a No. 2 ranking nationally and built a win streak of 35 games.

The Saints won the conference regular-season and tournament titles, captured the NAIA Opening Round Championship and reached the NAIA Softball World Series for the first time while posting a record of 51-8 on the season. They received seven first-place votes for this season and a total of 107.

The University of Houston-Victoria placed second in the poll and received two first-place selections and a total of 92 votes. Texas A&M University-San Antonio, which finished as the runner-up in the RRAC tournament last year, received one first-place nod, a total of 86 votes and landed in third overall.

The Saints begin their 2024 season Feb. 2-3 in Alexandria, La., playing Central Methodist University, Missouri Baptist University, Central Baptist University and Central Christian University. Their first home game is on Feb. 6 against Central Washington University.

Saints softball begins quest for World Series bid today at 1 p.m.

OLLU is set to host the San Antonio Bracket of the 2023 NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round. The 10^th annual event takes place today through Wednesday at 10 host cities. The San Antonio bracket tournament will be held at St. Mary’s University.

The NAIA Championship Opening Round includes a 40-team field with the champions from each of the 10 Opening Round tournaments around the nation will meet in the 42^nd Annual NAIA Softball World Series that will be held at South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus, Ga.

Joining No. 1 seed OLLU in the San Antonio bracket are No. 2 seed Hope International University from Fullerton, Calif., Campbellsville University from Campbellsville, Ky. and No. 4 seed Taylor University from Upland, Ind.

In game one, Hope International and Campbellsville will compete at 11 a.m. today. The Saints will take the field at 1 p.m. today against Taylor.

To see the full schedule and access live-streaming links, visit the Saints Athletics website.

Softball team claims RRAC Tournament title

The NAIA No. 2-ranked Saints softball team was crowned Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Tournament champions as they defeated Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) in a pair of games on May 7. 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.

Game one
The Saints started the day with a dominant 13-0 victory. They held the Jaguars to two hits while they totaled 13. Cassandra Valdez started in the circle and earned the win after two innings with four strikeouts. Angela Ramirez pitched three innings in relief and allowed only two hits. The Saints were one out away from a combined no-hitter when Sam Gaona doubled in the fifth inning. Alyssa Flore went 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs. Madison Nunn also had three RBIs including a double and triple. Five different Saints players had a multi-hit game. The Saints forced a championship deciding game with the victory.

Game two
OLLU leaned on strong offense again in the second game. Rebecca Duran started the scoring with a sacrifice fly that scored Nunn in the third inning. The Saints scored the other five runs in the fifth inning. Valdez, Alyssa Flores, Montgomery and Nunn all picked up RBIs in the frame. Valdez pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts. She allowed only two hits to earn the win and move to 25-3 on the season. The Saints won 6-0 to claim the RRAC Tournament championship. OLLU also grabbed the RRAC regular season title prior to the tournament after going undefeated in conference play.

The Saints had five players selected to the All-Tournament team. The players include Valdez, Madison Garza, Ariel Montgomery, Joanna Gonzalez and Nunn. Valdez was also named the tournament MVP.

Up next
The Saints qualified for the NAIA National Tournament and their opponents will be revealed in the selection show on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Eight Saints softball players named to RRAC All-Conference Team

The Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) announced the 2023 RRAC Softball All-Conference Team and Player of the Year awards on May 4. Coaches determined the selections, with those on the first team being eligible for NAIA All-America consideration at the completion of the season.

2023 RRAC Softball All-Conference Team

The Saints ended the regular season with a 28-0 RRAC record and are now 43-4 overall with a 34-game winning streak. The Saints – the NAIA’s No. 2 team, Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) – won three of five top awards of the year and placed six on the all-conference first team and one on the second team.

The Saints’ Cassandra Valdez won RRAC Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year awards for the second year. Head Coach Bruce Lenington was selected as Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

OLLU’s Valdez, Joanna Gonzalez, and Madison Nunn received first-team honors for the third straight year. Joining them on the first team are Rebecca Duran, Madison Garza, and Ariel Montgomery. Caitlin Terrazas repeated as a second-team selection. Angela Ramirez was her team’s Champions of Character winner.

The following are current, significant stats (top five) for all the honorees:

RRAC Player of the Year and RRAC Pitcher of the Year – Cassandra Valdez: She dominated the circle with 21 wins and 291 strikeouts – both conference-bests. She was also third in the conference in ERA (1.53). As a hitter, Valdez batted .398 (fifth in the conference) with a conference-best 13 home runs and conference second-best 39 RBIs. Her other stats include first in runs (38), first in slugging percentage (.864), fourth in hits (47), fifth in batting average (.398)

RRAC Coach of the Year – Bruce Lenington: In his fourth year at OLLU, Lenington guided the Saints to a 43-4 mark for the season so far. OLLU leads the conference with 327 runs, 93 doubles, 64 home runs, 302 RBIs, 148 walks, .426 on-base percentage and .609 slugging percentage. The Saints are also first in strikeouts with 291. They are second in hits with 385, triples with 28, and batting average at .334. The Saints are second in innings pitched with 279.2 and in ERA at 1.70. Finally, the Saints are first in overall fielding percentage at .970.

Rebecca Duran – first in runs (38), fifth in hits (45), fourth in doubles (13)

Madison Nunn – first in RBIs (40), second in home runs (10), second in slugging percentage (.792), fifth in runs (35), first in fielding percentage (1.000)

Madison Garza – third in slugging percentage (.675), fourth in doubles (14)

Caitlin Terrazas – first in hit-by-pitch (19), third in home runs (8)

Joanna Gonzalez – fourth in putouts (207)

Ariel Montgomery – fourth in home runs (7), fourth in RBIs (35)

Angela Ramirez – 16-0 record

Softball remains perfect in conference

The No. 2-ranked Saints softball team won both contests against the University of the Southwest (USW) on April 15. The Saints remain undefeated in Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play at 24-0 and are 38-4 overall. The Lady Mustangs fall to 9-26 overall and 4-18 in RRAC competition. The Saints extended their winning streak to 29 games.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington said, “Today we really focused on improving offensively and many players made contributions. We’ve won 29 games in a row, but they are all working to get better every time we step on the field.”

History
The Saints were 41-13 against the Lady Mustangs prior to the games.

Game one
The Saints put up 11 runs on 12 hits in the first game. OLLU totaled six runs in the second inning. Madison Nunn, Ariel Montgomery, Rebecca Duran and Cassandra Valdez all picked up RBIs. Montgomery followed with a solo home run in the third inning. The Saints added four more runs in the later innings and won 11-5. Montgomery and Nunn both finished with three RBIs each. Valdez picked up the win in the circle after pitching a complete game with 11 strikeouts. The Saints finished with five doubles.

Game two
The Saints won the second game 6-1 by scoring at least one run in every inning besides the first and sixth. Mackenzie Purcell, Valdez, and Montgomery picked up RBIs in the first four innings. Madison Garza smacked a solo home run in the fifth inning. Valdez tripled in the seventh frame to score Arianna Alejandro and Alyssa Flores hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Valdez. Angela Ramirez pitched six innings to earn the win with three strikeouts. Valdez pitched the final inning and struck out the side.

Up next
The Saints return home to battle No. 6-ranked Texas A&M University-Texarkana in a doubleheader on Friday.

Softball appreciation event set for 1 p.m. today

Hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza will be served at 1 p.m. today at the OLLU Softball Field during Softball Appreciation Day for OLLU faculty, staff, students and families.

The No. 2-ranked Saints softball team will play Huston-Tillotson in a doubleheader today at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saints gear will be given away during the game. Come on out and support the team!

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.

Valdez tabs no-hitter as softball sweeps Southwest

The No. 2-ranked OLLU softball team downed the University of the Southwest (USW) in both games on March 26. The Saints improve to 26-4 overall and remain undefeated in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) at 12-0. The Lady Mustangs drop to 7-18 overall and 2-10 in RRAC play.

History
The Saints were 39-13 against the Lady Mustangs prior to the games.

Game one
The Saints blanked the Lady Mustangs in game one 10-0. OLLU scored all 10 runs in the first inning. Seven different players recorded at least one RBI during the inning. Madison Nunn, Madison Garza and Rebecca Duran all tabbed doubles during the frame. Cassandra Valdez started in the circle and pitched her first no-hitter as a Saint. She earned the win after striking out 11 batters in the five-inning run rule. Terrazas finished with three RBIs and Garza batted a perfect 2-for-2.

Game two
OLLU tallied 13 runs on 12 hits in the second game of the doubleheader. The Lady Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but the Saints responded quickly. Alyssa Flores and Ariel Montgomery recorded RBIs in the second inning to give the Saints a 2-1 advantage. Terrazas and Valdez hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning and the Saints tacked on even more runs. They plated 11 runs in the inning and run-ruled the Lady Mustangs again 13-4. Angela Ramirez pitched all five innings to earn the win. She allowed three hits and four earned runs. The Saints have won 17 straight games.

Up next
The Saints travel to face the University of Houston-Victoria in a doubleheader on tomorrow at 2 p.m.