This Week in Rattlers Softball
Midwestern State • March 6 • 12/2 p.m.
Lubbock Christian • March 8 • 1/3 p.m.
The Park at StMU
St. Mary's Rattlers
Record 13-8, 5-3 LSC
Head Coach Taylor Lira
StMU Record 13-8 (1st Year)
Midwestern State Mustangs
Record 3-15, 1-9 LSC
Head Coach Kae Lani Bryan
MSU Record 3-15 (1st Year)
Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps
Record 10-10, 6-4 LSC
Head Coach Daren Hays
LCU Record 595-228 (16th Year)
By The Numbers
9 In her last two games, senior pitcher Ariella Saenz has driven in nine runs at the plate and hit for the cycle. She singled and tripled against Sul Ross State in game two, then singled, doubled and hit her first home run in the comeback win at Texas Woman's.
1.69 Senior Gabriela Banda is off to a torrid start in 2026, leading the Lone Star Conference with a .542 batting average, and leading the league and ranking fifth nationally with 1.69 RBIs per game. She also ranks among the league leaders in on-base percentage (.554), doubles per game (0.38), total hits (26) and slugging percentage (.854).
Home Sweet Home: The St. Mary's Softball team returns home to host a pair of Lone Star Conference doubleheaders, hosting Midwestern State on Friday at a new time, 12 & 2 p.m., before welcoming Lubbock Christian to town on Sunday for two games beginning at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out: St. Mary's split the series at Texas Woman's, falling 3-0 in game one before exploding for a season-high 16 runs in a 16-10 win in the nightcap. The Rattlers plated seven runs in the top of the seventh of game two to complete the comeback.
Back-to-Back Jacks: For the first time this season, a pair of St. Mary's hitters left the yard on consecutive at bats as senior Ariella Saenz and sophomore Izabella Valdez hit home runs in the seventh inning. Saenz hit a three-run dinger to bring the score to 15-10, while Valdez hit a solo shot for the final run of the game. It is the 34th time in the school's Division II era (2000-present) that players have hit back-to-back home runs in a game.
Perfect at the Plate: Junior Iliana Melendez hit 1.000 in the series at Texas Woman's, going 4-for-4 at the plate and recording four walks in the second game, tying for the second-most in a single game in St. Mary's history. She recorded three of the team's four hits in the opener, including her third triple of the year.
Banda with the Big Bat: Junior Gabriela Banda leads the Lone Star Conference in batting average (20th, .542), RBIs per game (5th, 1.69), and sacrifice flies (11th, 3). Her batting average and slugging percentage are both up over 200 points from last season, while her on-base percentage has risen over 100 points. She surpassed 100 hits earlier this season and is now 13 RBI shy of 100 for her career.
Closing In: Seniors Abigail Dela Rosa and Raegan Tennill are both closing in on hitting milestones. Dela Rosa is 13 hits shy of 100 for her career, while Tennill needs 13 for 150.
It's In The Game: Senior Emily Ayala became the third different Rattler pitcher to throw a shutout this season, defeating Sul Ross State 9-0. She joins fellow senior Ariella Saenz (7-0 over St. Edward's) and junior Emery Aguilar (11-0 over Harding) in the shutout column.
On The Fly: St. Mary's leads the Lone Star and ranks fifth in all of Division II in sacrifice flies, hitting 13 through the first 21 games of the season. Gabriela Banda is 11th nationally with three, while Miah Corona, Raegan Tennill and Izabella Valdez all have two each, tying for 42nd in the nation.
Early Leads: St. Mary's is 10-4 this season when scoring the first run of the game and 3-4 when the opponent scores first. However, the Rattlers have also been good late, winning three games in the final inning.
Taking The Extra Base: St. Mary's is already 56-for-60 in stolen bases through the first 21 games, ranking 12th nationally with 2.71 per game and 6th overall with 56. Bryley Westfahl leads the team with 21 swipes, which is equal to or more than 10 of the teams in the Lone Star, and ranks second in the nation among individuals. Iliana Melendez (8-8), Raegan Tennill (7-7), Abigail Dela Rosa (5-5), Peyton Miers (4-4), and Miah Corona (3-3), have also successfully stolen three or more bases this season.
Double Trouble: Head Coach Taylor Lira wants the tradition of St. Mary's ranking among the best in the nation in double plays to continue. In five of the last six seasons the Rattlers have ranked in the top 40 in Division II in double plays, including ranking third in 2021. This year's team has already turned seven, ranking 35th out of 253 teams.
Made To Be Broken: Senior Raegan Tennill entered her final season with 11 sacrifice flies in her career, needing two more to break the record, and did it in the first week. Tennill had sacrifice flies against both Mississippi College and Simon Fraser, breaking the school record of 12 held by Vianna Gutierrez-Touchtone (2012-15).
Brought Big Bat: Junior college transfer Iliana Melendez brought a big bat with her from San Jacinto. After hitting .409 last year for the perennial powerhouse team, Melendez is hitting .466 this season for the Rattlers with a .603 slugging percentage and a .549 on-base percentage. Melendez has two doubles and three triples among her 27 hits, and has stolen eight bases.
They're Smart Too: The LSC recently released the Commissioner's Honor Roll for the fall semester, and 20 softball student-athletes earned at least a 3.30 GPA, including Samiya Johnson, Jaylan Roberson and AJ Sanchez, who all posted a perfect 4.00 in the fall. The others who made the team are Emery Aguilar, Emily Ayala, Gabriela Banda, Miah Corona, Abigail Dela Rosa, Breanna Ford, Neveah Hallmark, Bella Magaro, Madison Magaro, Hannah Melendez, Iliana Melendez, Peyton Miers, Ariella Saenz, Raegan Tennill, Milliana Torrez, Bryley Westfahl and Emma Wilson.
