MARSHALL, Texas – Hosting their second straight Marshall, Texas Super Regional, no. 1 East Texas Baptist University faces off against no. 9 Texas Lutheran in a three-game series on Thursday and Friday. The winner of the Super Regional advances tohe NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in Bloomington, Ill. The two teams will play at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday and 1:00/3:30 p.m. on Friday at Bell Park at Taylor Field.
Below are notes on the series vs. TLU
Against Texas Lutheran
Record: 42-3
NCAA: at-large selection; Won Ithaca, NY Regional Tournament
Series: ETBU leads, 16-6
Last Meeting: ETBU 5, TLU 3 – Regional Final
In Marshall: 2-2
In Seguin: 1-2
Neutral: 13-2
In NCAA Tournament: 6-4
TLU and ETBU have met 22 times, with 10 in the NCAA Tournament. The last four meetings have been in the NCAA Tournament, as they have split, going 2-2. ETBU defeated TLU, 12-0 and 5-3, last year in the Marshall, Texas Regional Tournament. TLU has defeated ETBU, 4-3, in the 2023 Marshall, Texas Regional Tournament and 6-1 in the 2019 Marshall, Texas Regional Tournament. In the last 10 years, the two teams have met 10 times, with the series tied at five wins apiece.
TLU won the Ithaca, NY, Regional taking wins over Massachusetts-Boston, 3-1, and Ithaca College, 3-1, and 9-1. They were the SCAC Tournament runners-up, falling to St. Thomas, Texas, twice in the tournament. They had a 22-game winning streak during the season and have won 42 games.
NCAA Meetings
2024: ETBU 5, TLU 3 – Regional Final – Marshall, Texas
2024: ETBU 12, TLU 0 – Regional winner's bracket – Marshall, Texas
2023: TLU 4, ETBU 3 – elimination game – Marshall, Texas
2019: TLU 6, ETBU 1 – elimination game – Marshall, Texas
2018: TLU 13, ETBU 1 – elimination game – Seguin, Texas
2016: TLU 12, ETBU 9 – elimination game – Tyler, Texas
2016: ETBU 11, TLU 0 – Regional winner's bracket – Tyler, Texas
2015: ETBU 5, TLU 1 – Regional winner's bracket – Tyler, Texas
2014: ETBU 5, TLU 1 – Regional Championship – Tyler, Texas
2014: ETBU 3, TLU 0 – Regional winner's bracket – Tyler, Texas
NPI/Rankings
ETBU comes into the Super Regional as the overall no. 1 seed with a NPI of 67.320. The Tigers have been the no. 1 team all season being unanimous in 11 of the 12 weeks. TLU is ranked no. 9 in the NFCA poll and is no. 10 in the NPI at 63.290. TLU has been ranked in the top 10 all season.
NPI Rankings
April 8 - #1 (69.840)
April 15 - #1 (69.211)
April 20 - #1 69.490)
April 30 - #1 68.209)
May 7 - #1 (67.833)
May 11 - #1 (67.320)
ETBU in the Super Regionals
ETBU is playing in its fourth Super Regional and for the first time in back-to-back seasons. ETBU has hosted Super Regionals in 2014 and 2024, and this will be the third time it has hosted it. Last year, ETBU won the first two games over Williams College, 8-0- and 10-9, to advance to the NCAA National Championship Tournament. In 2017, ETBU fell in two games to Texas Tyler in the Tyler, Texas Super Regional, 7-3 and 9-1. ETBU's first appearance came in the first-ever Super Regionals for NCAA Division III in 2014 as they went 2-1 vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. ETBU had a walk-off home run in game three for the 5-4 win, punching their ticket to the World Series.
Super Regional Appearances (4-3)
2024: ETBU 10, Williams College 9 – Marshall, Texas
2024: ETBU 8, Williams College 0 – Marshall, Texas
2017: Texas Tyler 9, ETBU 1 – Tyler, Texas
2017: Texas Tyler 7, ETBU 3 – Tyler, Texas
2014: ETBU 5, CMS 4 – Marshall, Texas
2014: CMS 6, ETBU 4 – Marshall, Texas
2014: ETBU 6, CMS 4 – Marshall, Texas
Marshall, Texas Regional Champions x2
For the second year in a row, East Texas Baptist University won the Marshall, Texas Regional Tournament. They won all three games opening up with a five-inning win over Marymount University (Va.), 13-1. ETBU then defeated St. Thomas Texas, 13-3, in the winner's bracket game and 7-6 in the championship game. It was a walk-off single by
Emma Bell that scored
Izabella Morales in the bottom of the seventh inning for the win.
Tristen Maddox was named the Most Outstanding Player as she was 6-of-10 (.600) with four RBI, three doubles, and a home run. Her home run came in the championship game vs. St. Thomas to tie the game at six. Also making the Marshall, Texas All-Regional Team were Bell,
Izabella Morales, and
McKenzie Jones.
ETBU in the NCAA Tournament
With three wins last weekend, ETBU is now 46-34 in the NCAA Tournament. In Marshall, Texas, ETBU has a 17-11 record, going 10-1 last year on their home field, winning the national championship. Under head coach
Janae Shirley, ETBU is 41-28, winning two national championships in 2010 and 2024.
Playing at Home
ETBU loves playing at Bell Park at Taylor Field and has recorded three straight undefeated regular seasons at home. Since Covid, during the regular season, ETBU is 84-4 and 115-10 overall. The only loss last season came in the first game of the NCAA Championship series as the visiting team vs. Belhaven University. Currently, ETBU has a 67-game regular season home winning streak dating back to 2022.
Record at Home (12 seasons)
2025 26-0 (20-0 regular season)
2024 26-1 (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: 235-29 (204-18)
Five Players Named All-Region
Five East players have earned awards from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) for All-Region.
Tristen Maddox,
Avery Holland,
Izabella Morales,
Katelynn Jones, and
Tauryn Cummings were named All-Region.
Cummings becomes the program's first player to earn five All-Region awards. She is a three-time second-team member and has made the third team twice. Maddox has been selected four times, making the first team three times and the second team once. Morales, Jones, and Holland earn their first All-Region award.
ETBU Five-Year All-Region Selections
Tauryn Cummings – 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
ETBU Four-Year All-Region Selections
Tristen Maddox – 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Jayme Perez – 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Lacey Lindsey – 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Christy Shipley-Gibson – 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Angela Gonzales – 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Who Gets the Call
A strong pitching staff has helped ETBU to 43 wins this season with a 2.64 ERA through five pitchers.
Avery Holland, the top pitcher in the ASC for wins, is 13-1 with a 2.44 ERA and 60 strikeouts with 19 appearances and 16 starts.
McKenzie Jones, who made the Regional All-Tournament team, is 9-0 with a 2.88 ER, 46 strikeouts, in 14 appearances with nine starts.
Hannah Benavides, the ASC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, is 9-1 with a 3.02 ERA, 64 strikeouts, in 19 appearances with nine starts.
Madalyn Melton has a 1.93 ERA in nine appearances with a 7-1 record and 18 strikeouts.
Larkin Daniels is 5-0 in eight appearances with seven starts and 33 strikeouts. All five pitchers have earned an award this year either from the ASC or NFCA.
