MARSHALL, Texas – Competing in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight year and 12
th time in program history, the East Texas Baptist University softball team travels to Seguin, Texas, for a three-team tournament. #15 ETBU, #3 Texas Tyler, and host #2 Texas Lutheran will battle it out for a chance to advance onto the Super Regional. The West Region is the only region with two three-team regionals as Linfield College is hosting the other three-team tournament. All other regional tournaments in NCAA Division III are four-team tournaments.
"Our team is excited about heading to Seguin for regionals. We have had the same story every year at the same place and this will change the regional atmosphere. For us to be able to go somewhere different and play in a different setting will be good for us," says head coach
Janae Shirley.
ETBU received an at-large bid after finishing as the American Southwest Conference Tournament runners-up. They are 33-11 overall and have played Texas Tyler four times this year but will see Texas Lutheran for the first time.
ETBU in the NCAA Tournament
In the NCAA Tournament, ETBU is 28-23 overall in their 11 appearances and won the 2010 national championship. Last year, ETBU went 3-3 in the tournament winning the Marshall Regional and advancing to the Super Regional. In 2014, ETBU won both the Tyler Regional and Super Regional to make their second program appearance at the World Series. Under Shirley, ETBU is 26-17 in the NCAA Tournament as she coached them to the 2010 national championship, three regional titles, and one Super Regional championship.
vs. Texas Lutheran
ETBU is 4-1 against the Bulldogs with their last meetings coming in 2016. ETBU faced TLU twice at the Tyler Regional winning the first game, 11-0, but then fell in an elimination.
2016 ETBU 11, TLU 0 // TLU 12, ETBU 0
2015 ETBU 5, TLU 1
2014 ETBU 3, TLU 0 // ETBU 5, TLU 1
vs. Texas Tyler
ETBU is 3-8 against UTT and played the Patriots last year in the Super Regional falling, 7-3, and 9-1.
2017 UTT 7, ETBU 3 // UTT 9, ETBU 1
2016 UTT 8, ETBU 6
2015 ETBU 2, UTT 1 // UTT 2, ETBU 1 // UTT 7, ETBU 3
2014 ETBU 4, UTT 1
2013 UTT 4, ETBU 1 // UTT 7, ETBU 6
2010 ETBU 4, UTT 3
2009 UTT 1, ETBU 0
About ETBU
ETBU has two players batting over .400 in
Linzie Lewis (.419) and
Morgan Arst (.407). Lewis leads the team with 54 hits and 13 doubles.
Sabrina Salts has recorded 14 home runs and 55 RBI and is two home runs shy of tying the single season record of 16 set by
Lacey Lindsey.
MacKenzie Anderson has 47 hits and 32 RBI with a .647 slugging percentage.
Jordan Anderson leads the pitching staff at 17-4 with 169 strikeouts posting a 1.28 ERA.
Rocki Tello is 12-0 with a 2.20 ERA in 19 appearances. ETBU is ranked 15
th in the nation and is fifth in the region.
About Texas Lutheran
TLU is 37-1 and ranked #2 in the NFCA National poll and #1 in the West Region. They went 19-0 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and are 19-0 at home. They average seven runs per game and have two players hitting over .400. Cassie Roche leads the team with a .415 while Kyla Lockley is at .400. Haley Padilla has eight home runs while Kassie Maddox leads the team with 40 RBI. Maitlin Raycroft is 19-0 with a 0.97 ERA while Kassie Maddox is 4-1 with a 0.84 ERA. Jordaine Bishop is 9-0 with a 2.18 ERA. Raycroft leads the team with 144 strikeouts. As a team, the pitching staff has a 1.34 ERA.
About Texas Tyler
UTT is 38-1 and ranked #3 in the NFCA National poll and is #2 in the West Region. They won the American Southwest Conference for an automatic berth into the tournament. On the road, UTT is 16-1 and as a team they are hitting .417. Six players hit .400 or better on the team as Nicole Garcia leads the way batting at .543 and has 33 RBI on the year. Ashley Perez is second on the team with a .491 average and 15 home runs with 60 RBI. Andrea Gonzales (.476), Lynsey Mitchell (.463), Kursten Jaime (.426), and Victoria Gonzales (.425) round out the team hitting above .400. Mitchell has added 49 RBI and 12 home runs. UTT's pitching staff has a 1.41 ERA as Colleen Bentke is 21-1 with a 1.02 ERA and 115 strikeouts. Whitney Romero is 12-0 (2.05 ERA) and Miranda Leal (2.06 ERA) is 4-0.
ETBU starts the tournament on Friday at 1:00 p.m. vs. Texas Tyler and then faces Texas Lutheran at 4:00 p.m.
