Softball Kicks Off Eight Game Homestand with ASU and LCU

#4 Angelo State & Lubbock Christian at St. Mary's
March 7 & 9 // Games 25-28 // San Antonio // The Park at StMU
Broadcast: FloCollege • Play-by-Play: Dan Hawkins

St. Mary's Rattlers
Record    13-10, 8-4 LSC
Ranking    NR
Head Coach    Ronnie Ladines
StMU Record    13-10 (1st Year)
Career Record    Same

Angelo State
Record    19-3, 10-2 LSC
Ranking    4
Head Coach    Travis Scott
ASU Record    890-316-1 (22nd Year)
Career Record    991-366-3 (25th Year)

Lubbock Christian
Record    15-7, 6-6 LSC
Ranking    NR
Head Coach    Daren Hays
LCU Record    564-203 (15th Year)
Career Record    Same

Home Again: After playing four straight on the road, the St. Mary's Softball team kicks off an eight-game home stand, beginning with No. 4 Angelo State on Friday at 4 p.m. Every home game this season will be broadcast on FloCollege.

History Against This Week's Opponents:

        ASU    LCU

Series    39-57    23-21
Home    21-21    18-8
    The Park at StMU    5-9    18-8
Away    14-31    5-13
Neutral Location    3-3    0-0
Unknown Location    1-2    0-0
Extra Innings    1-3    3-0
With StMU in top-25*    12-12    12-7
vs. top-25 Opponent*    15-34    3-5
Ronnie Ladines Era    0-0    0-0
Longest Winning Streak    5    4
Longest Losing Streak    12    5
Current Streak    W1    W2
*NCAA DII Era Only

Fresh Honor: After hitting .545 over the four games last week with two doubles, three RBIs and 18 putouts, catcher/designated player Izabella Valdez was named the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Week. She is the first-ever Rattler to win the newly created award.

Fast Feet: Senior Lauren Gonzales successfully stole five bases last week, including two in each game of the doubleheader at Sul Ross State on Sunday. Gonzales now has seven swipes this season and 86 for her career. She needs 11 to tie Taylor Vidrine (2012-15) for third on the St. Mary's career top-10 list.

In Full Bloom: Senior pitcher Madeline Bloom has allowed fewer than two earned runs in seven of her nine appearances, including a pair of 8-0 shutouts against Midwestern State and UT Permian Basin. Bloom leads the team, ranks third in the Lone Star Conference and 38th in the nation with a 1.32 ERA. 

Getting the Hits: St. Mary's currently ranks second in the Lone Star Conference and ninth in the nation with 210 hits. Tusculum leads the country with 250 hits, while West Texas A&M leads the league with 238. The Rattlers also rank 16th in Division II with 127 RBIs.

Killer B's: Sophomore Bella Banda is having a terrific second season. She ranks eighth in the nation with 56 assists, sixth in Division II with nine doubles - one off the nation's lead of 10, 35th in the country with 30 hits, 24th in RBIs with 24 and 12th in sacrifice flies.

Did I Hear a Niner?: Emily Ayala (#99) and Bella Banda (#9) have combined to hit seven of the 10 home runs this season for the Rattlers. Ayala leads the team with four, while Banda has hit three. Jadyn Abrego, Mene'e Padilla and Reagan Tennill have hit the other three.

First ABs: Both freshmen Sofia Rodriguez and Reese Neely got the first at bats of their career last week. Rodriguez pinch hit at UT Permian Basin, while Neely pinch hit at Sul Ross State. All 23 players on the roster have now played in at least one game.

It's An Honor: Senior pitcher Madeline Bloom earned Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week honors after going 2-0 in starts in the South Central Regional Crossover. In 15.0 innings, Bloom allowed only one earned run and teams hit .130 against her. In her relief appearance, Bloom needed only seven pitches in two innings of work.

Getting the W: In each of the last seven wins for St. Mary's, the Rattlers have won by at least five runs, including three victories by eight runs.

Saving the Day: Senior Savannah Youngblood broke the St. Mary's career saves record on Friday against MSU Denver, earning the 10th of her career. She breaks Ashley Mills mark of nine from 2016-17. Youngblood collected four saves each in 2022 and 2024 and has two this year, which ranks fourth in the nation and is tied for the lead in the Lone Star Conference.

Returning All-Conference: Senior Savannah Youngblood (RP) was named to the Lone Star All-Conference Second Team in 2024, while Lauren Gonzales (LF) was voted to the Third Team and Gabriela Banda (1B/DP) was honored on the All-Freshman team.

Picked Fifth: St. Mary's was selected in a tie for fifth place in the Lone Star Conference Preseason poll, announced by the league office. The Rattlers received 483 points to tie Lubbock Christian for fifth in the poll, voted on by the league's head coaches, athletic communications personnel and selected media. Defending National Champion UT Tyler received 34 of the 43 first-place votes and 672 points, while West Texas A&M garnered eight first-place nods and 642 points to finish second. Angelo State (590) and Oklahoma Christian (528) round out the top five in the 16-team league.