This Week In Rattlers Softball
at Sul Ross State • April 24 • 1 p.m. (DH)
at W. New Mexico • April 26 • 1 p.m. (DH)
St. Mary's Rattlers
Record 25-20, 17-15 LSC
Head Coach Taylor Lira
StMU Record 25-20 (1st Year)
Sul Ross State Lobos
Record 7-32, 5-27 LSC
Head Coach Lacey Middlebrooks
SRS Record 7-32 (1st Year)
Western New Mexico Mustangs
Record 19-23, 15-17 LSC
Head Coach Ashley Hickman
WNMU Record 60-178 (5th Year)
By The Numbers
4 St. Mary's has four hitters with over 40 hits this season, as Raegan Tennill (46), Iliana Melendez (45), Miah Corona (44) and Gabriela Banda (42) have each hit the milestone.
15 Catchers Izabella Valdez (8) and Madison Magaro (7) have combined to throw out 15 attempted base-stealers in 2026. That ties for the eighth most in a single season in school history. The 1999 and 2014 teams are tied for the school record, throwing out 22 thieves.
Penultimate Week: The St. Mary's Softball team heads back out on the road for the final six games of the regular season, playing at Sul Ross State on Friday and Western New Mexico on Sunday. This is the second meeting between the teams this season, as StMU won both against the Lobos and split with the Mustangs back in February at the Park.
Last Time Out: St. Mary's dropped both games of a doubleheader to No. 13 Angelo State on Sunday before getting rained out on Monday against UT Permian Basin. Senior Ariella Saenz hit her second home run of the season in game one, while both Gabriela Banda and Iliana Melendez had two hits each in the series. Senior Breanna Ford did not give up a run against the Rambelles in four innings of work, allowing three hits with three walks, four hit batters and three strikeouts.
Going Streaking: Junior Iliana Melendez enters the weekend on a season-best seven game hitting streak, the longest active streak on the team. She is hitting .526 (10-for-19) during the stretch, with six runs scored, four RBI and four sacrifice bunts and a sacrifice fly. Earlier this season, Melendez reached base safely in 10-straight for her longest stretch in the Gold and Blue.
Setting the Table: When leading off an inning, St. Mary's hitters are doing an excellent job of getting on base, as the team is hitting .417 to begin a frame. Not surprisingly, the usual leadoff hitter, Bryley Westfahl, leads the team with 30 hits, and she's hitting .400 as the first to bat in an inning. Iliana Melendez has the highest average at .632 (12-for-19).
In the Standings: St. Mary's is currently in seventh place in the Lone Star Conference standings with two weeks left in the regular season. The conference tournament takes the top nine teams, and will be at the site of the regular season champion.
A Look Back (SRS): In the first doubleheader against Sul Ross State, the Rattlers hit .432 with both Gabriela Banda and Samiya Johnson going 4-for-6 at the plate. Each stole a base and Banda drove in six runs, while Johnson knocked in another four. In the circle, both Emily Ayala and Ariella Saenz threw complete games, with Ayala pitching a shutout and Saenz giving up an unearned run. The defense held the Lobos to a .184 batting average and only one extra-base hit.
A Look Back (WNMU): The teams split the doubleheader with WNMU winning game one 7-6 before the Rattlers bounced back to win 7-4 in the second game. Bryley Westfahl made the most of her plate appearances, walking five times and scoring all five times, while Gabriela Banda was 4-for-6 with six RBI. Iliana Melendez was also 3-for-4 with three walks and two RBI. Emery Aguilar earned the win in the circle, pitching four innings in game two in relief, while Ariella Saenz got the save.
Few and Far Between: Senior Raegan Tennill has struck out only once in April and her one K at Texas A&M-Kingsville is the only one in her last 38 plate appearances. Tennill only had five K's in the month of March, and hasn't had multiple strikeouts in a doubleheader in the last 12 series.
Shutout Times Three: Senior Ariella Saenz threw her third complete-game shutout in the 8-0 game one win at Texas A&M International on April 10. She ranks third in the Lone Star Conference and 75th nationally with her three shutouts, and she is one of four Rattlers to throw one this season, as Emery Aguilar, Emily Ayala and Breanna Ford each have one. It is the first time in St. Mary's DII history that four different pitchers have thrown a complete game shutout.
Taking One for the Team: Junior Iliana Melendez took over the conference lead in sacrifice bunts per game last week. Melendez averages 0.24 sacrifices per game, which ranks 31st in Division II, and her 11 are twice that of anyone else on the team. Melendez also has two sacrifice flies.
Chaos on the Bases: St. Mary's has stolen 92 bases in 2026, ranking 33rd nationally with 2.07 stolen bases per game. The 92 swipes already ranks 8th on the St. Mary's single-season list for most steals.
Super Swipers: For only the fourth time in St. Mary's Division II era there are four players with 10 or more stolen bases in a season. Bryley Westfahl has 27 steals, while Abigail Dela Rosa and Raegan Tennill each have 13 and Iliana Melendez has 10. The 2003, 2006 and 2023 teams also had four players with double digit thefts, and Dela Rosa swiped 12 in 2023 in her first season. The 2025 team has stolen 92 bases, while the 1990 team holds the record with 128 and the 2006 team owns the DII era mark with 120 swipes.
It's an Honor: For her efforts in the circle at OC and Cameron, senior pitcher Ariella Saenz was named the Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week. Saenz started three of the four games in the circle, going 2-0 with a pair of complete-game victories. Saenz held OC to four hits in a 2-1 win and came back the next day to shut out Cameron. In her three appearances she was 2-0 with an 0.86 ERA.
Helping Hand: Senior Raegan Tennill ranks 20th in the nation in assists and second in the Lone Star Conference with 111. Tennill now ranks ninth in St. Mary's history with 350 career assists, needing 10 more to tie Tiffany Licon (2019-2022) for eighth with 360.
You're Out!: Sophomore first baseman Miah Corona collected 18 putouts in the win at Cameron on March 29. It ties for the third-most in a single game in StMU history, and is the most since Destiny Salinas had 20 on March 2, 2024. The 18 chances also tie for the fifth-most in Rattlers history.
Taking the Extra Base: Bryley Westfahl leads the team with 27 steals which ranks 38th in the nation. There are eight players on the team besides Westfahl who have successfully stolen three or more bases in Raegan Tennill (13-13), Abigail Dela Rosa (13-15), Iliana Melendez (10-11), Gabriela Banda (5-5), Peyton Miers (5-5), Miah Corona (3-4), Emma Wilson (4-5) and Milliana Torrez (3-3).
Making Milestones: Junior Gabriela Banda knocked in her 100th RBI against Angelo State. Sophomore Miah Corona needs nine hits for 100 in her career. Senior Abigail Dela Rosa is eight runs shy of scoring 100 and the next hit for sophomore Izabella Valdez will be her 50th.
