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PREVIEW | SB | ETBU Opens 2025 Season at Home on Saturday

The 2024 National Champions return 14 players from last year.

1/31/2025 4:29:00 PM

MARSHALL, Texas—A new season is here for the 2024 NCAA Division III National Champions, as East Texas Baptist University opens the 2025 season on Saturday, February 1. ETBU will host former American Southwest Conference member Concordia University Texas in a doubleheader at 12:00 p.m. at Jason Bell Park at Taylor Field.
 
ETBU is coming off their finest season in program history winning the 2024 national championship on their home field going 48-3. They return most of the 2024 team and have added 10 new players. They are home for the first six games of the 2025 with two double headers next weekend vs. Southwestern University and Trinity University.
 
Head coach Janae Shirley enters her 18th season at ETBU and needs four wins to reach 600 career wins. She is 15-2 in season openers and won seven of the last season openers.
 
Below are notes for the first series.
 

ETBU vs. CONCORDIA TEXAS
All-Time Record: 45-6
Streak: 7 wins
In Marshall: 18-2
In Austin: 8-1
Neutral: 15-0
 
Last 11 Meetings
M11, 2024           W 8-0 (5) Marshall, TX
M10, 2024          W 10-2 Marshall, TX
M16, 2024           W 13-2 Marshall, TX
M15, 2024          W 12-0 Marshall, TX
M15, 2024          W 8-0 Marshall, TX
M3,2023              W 6-1 Austin,TX
M3,2023              W 7-3 Austin,TX
M4,2023              L 1-3 Austin,TX
A14, 2022            W 4-0 Marshall, TX
A14, 2022            W 2-0 Marshall, TX
A15, 2022            W 10-4 Marshall, TX
 
LAST MEETING vs. CTX
ETBU took on Concordia Texas in the American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship games last year, sweeping the Tornados. ETBU won 10-2 in the first meeting and then took the championship game 8-0 in five innings. ETBU reeled off four runs in the first two innings, with another four in the fourth for the victory. Avery Holland moved to 10-0 in the year with another shutout, allowing just five hits and retiring the side in the first and fifth innings.
 
ETBU had nine hits, but three were extra-base hits as Pyle hit a home run, Cummings had a triple, and Loya added a double. Loya was 3-for-3 on the day with two RBI as Cummings and Haylie Stum added two hits. Tristen Maddox, Stum, and Emma Bell had one RBI as Cummings added two RBI.
 
SEASON OPENERS UNDER SHIRLEY
Head coach Janae Shirley is entering her 18th season at ETBU. She is 15-2 in season openers, winning the past two years over Trinity University.
 
2024: Trinity, W, 11-6
2023: Trinity, W, 11-1
2022: Belhaven, L, 7-6
2021: Concordia Texas, W, 4-1
2020: Centenary, W, 13-0 (5)
2019: Centenary, W, 4-1
2018: Centenary, W, 7-5
2017: Pacific, W, 11-1
2016: Pacific Lutheran, L, 7-1
2015: Hardin-Simmons, W, 11-4
2014: Hardin-Simmons, W, 8-0 (6)
2013: Austin College, W, 9-1 (5)
2012: Mary Hardin-Baylor, W, 4-0
2011: Hardin-Simmons, W, 9-2
2010: Millsaps College, W, 4-1
2009: Austin College, W 8-1 (5)
2008: Austin College, W, 5-3
 
HOME SWEET HOME!
Jason Bell Park at Taylor Field has been an excellent home for ETBU. In the past five years, ETBU is 97-10 at home and has a 43-game regular season home winning streak. ETBU went 26-1, counting the postseason, at home last season, as the only loss was the first game of the NCAA National Championship series. ETBU went 15-0 in the regular season in 2024 and 28-0 in 2023, with a 13-1 record in 2022. ETBU has only lost two games on their home field in three years. Since 2014, ETBU is 211-29 at home.
 
Record at Home (11 seasons)
2024       28-1 (15-0 regular season)
2023       29-2 (28-0 regular season)
2022       15-2 (13-1 regular season)
2021       19-5 (16-3 regular season)
2020       6-0 (CoVID season)
2019       24-4 (21-2 regular season)
2018       17-1 (17-1 regular season)
2017       23-5 (20-4 regular season)
2016       13-3 (13-3 regular season)
2015       15-2 (15-2 regular season)
2014       22-3 (20-2 regular season)
Total:     211-29 (184-18)
 
QUICK HITS
>>ETBU has won two national championships in 2010 and 2024. They are the first modern-day program to win a national championship on their home field.
>>ETBU has a 43-game regular season home winning streak at Bell Park at Taylor Field
>>Head coach Janae Shirley is four wins away from 600 career wins
>>Four All-Americans return for the 2025 season in Tristen Maddox, Haylie Stum, Hannah Benavides, and Tauryn Cummings
>>Mary Frances Ellis and Hannah Benavides return as CSC Academic All-Americans
>>ETBU is 30-5 vs. non-ASC teams since 2022
>>Last year, ETBU went 12-1 vs. ranked teams and is 23-10 since 2022
 
UPCOMING MILESTONES
>>Janae Shirley needs 4 wins to reach 600 career wins
>>Tristen Maddox needs:
            13 games played to break the All-Time games played record held by Lacey Lindsey (190)
            7 at-bats (585) to become the All-Time At-Bats leader held by Christy Shipley-Gipson (591)
            18 (230) hits to break the All-Time Hits record held by Christy Shipley-Gipson (247)
            19 (40) home runs to hold the All-Time Home Runs record held by Lacey Lindsey (58)
            22 (182) RBI to break the All-Time Runs Batte In record held by Lacey Lindsey (204)
            5 (36) hit by pitches to become the All-Time Hit By Pitchers holder held by Katy Hill (40)
            25 (94) stolen bases to be the All-Time Stole Bases leader held by Lindsey Vasquez (119)
 
>>Tauryn Cummings in the top 10 and moving up and needs:
                11 games played (169) to move into the top 10 and surpass Lya Swaner (179)
                24 at bats (495) to surpass Angela Gonzales (518)
                20 runs scored (104) to pass Amanda Garrett-Reed (123) for the top 10
                21 hits (193) to move into the Top 5 and pass Adrienne Meier and Lacey Lindsey (213)
                5 (39) doubles to make the Top 5 and pass Kayla Garcia (43)
                6 (4) triples to move into the Top 5 surpassing Amanda Garrett-Reed and Shelly Mixon (9)
                3 (24) home runs to be in the Top 5 moving past Daniella Solis (26)
                8 (66) walks to move into the Top 5 to pass Adrienne Meier (70)
                12 (12) hit by pitches to be in the Top 5 moving past Jayme Perez (23)
                48 (152) RBI to break 200 Runs Batted In and be in top three
 
>>Mary Frances Ellis in the Top 10 and moving up and needs:
                4 (77) stolen bases to be in the Top 5 moving past Linzie Lewis (80)
 
STRONG LEADERSHIP FROM THE TOP
ETBU returns 14 players from the 2024 National Championship team, six of whom are graduate students or seniors: graduate students Tristen Maddox, Tauryn Cummings, and Maddie Melton and seniors Hannah Benavides, Braidee Glenn, and Mary Frances Ellis. Maddox and Cummings bring back 129 hits, 25 home runs, and 113 RBI.
 
Hitting
Maddox: 69 hits, 69 runs scored, 16 doubles, 17 home runs, 63 RBI, 30 stolen bases, .437 average
Cummings: 60 hits, 29 runs scored, 8 doubles, 8 home runs, 50 RBI, .387 average
Melton: 26 hits, 22 runs scored, 5 doubles, 4 home runs, 25 RBI, .347 average
Ellis: 47 hits, 39 runs scored, 10 RBI, 36 stolen bases, .409 average
Glenn: .208 average
 
Pitching
Benavides: 16-0, 1.41 ERA, 45 SO, 18 App/17 GS, 6 shutouts
Melton: 7-1, 1.22 ERA, 20 SO, 11 App/7 GS, 1 shutout
 
JUNIOR CLASS
Mallory Pyle and Sydney Green lead the junior class. Pyle split time at catcher last year and hit .237 with two home runs before a post-season injury ended her season. Green hit .429 in nine games with two RBI.
 
SOPHOMORE CLASS – the Returners
The 2024 freshman class has six returners that helped ETBU to the national championship.
 
Haylie Stum: All-American, All-ASC 1st Team, ASC Freshman of the Year | .458 ave, 50 RBI, 70 hits
Emma Bell: All-ASC 1st Team; All-Region 1st Team | .411 average, 62 hits, 30 RBI, 26 stolen bases
Bella Morales: NCAA National Championship All-Tournament | .426 average, 26 hits, 26 stolen bases
Avery Holland: All-ASC 1st Team, Super Regional Most Outstanding Pitcher, Regional MOP |1.53 ERA, 16-1, 62 Strikeouts
Bevo Rodriguez: All-ASC 1st Team |.404 average, 22 RBI, 23 hits
Makayla Menchue | .278 average
 
FRESHMEN AND TRANSFER
Ten new players, nine freshmen and one transfer, are coming for the 2025 season. McKenzie Jones is a transfer from the University of New Mexico (D1), where she pitched in 10 games. Below are the newcomers and where they are from.
 
McKenzie Jones (Crawford, TX)
Katelynn Jones (Whitehouse, TX)
Perseis Aguilar (Artesia, N.M.)
Aleyna St. Jean (Victoria, TX)
Larkin Daniels (White Oak, TX)
Julia St. John (Pearland, TX)
Carley Johnson (Effingham, N.H.)
Maci Shirley (Marshall, TX)
Caitlynn Hammer (Broken Bow, OK)
Hannah Harrington (Merryville, LA)
 
TOP PLAYER IN NCAA DIVISION III
Tristen Maddox is coming off a career year helping ETBU to the national championship. She was named the CWSA NCAA Division III Honda Athlete of the Year after being the NFCA National Player of the Year and All-American first-team member. She also won back-to-back ASC Female Athlete of the Year. Below are her 2024 awards.
 
TRISTEN MADDOX 2024 AWARDS
  • NCAA Division III Softball National Championship
  • Honda/CWSA National Athlete of the Year
  • NFCA NCAA Division III National Player of the Year
  • ASC Female Athlete of the Year
  • ASC Softball Player of the Year
  • NCAA National Championship Series Most Outstanding Player
  • ASC Tournament MVP
  • NCAA Division III National Championship All-Tournament Team
  • NCAA Division III Marshall, Texas Regional All-Tournament Team
  • ASC All-Tournament Team
  • NFCA All-American First Team
  • NFCA All-Region First Team
  • All-ASC First Team
  • ASC Hitter of the Week (Feb. 19, Mar. 25, Apr. 14)
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