This Week in Rattlers Softball
at Texas A&M Int'l
April 10 • 12:15 (DH)
at T. A&M-Kingsville
April 12 • 1 p.m. (DH)
St. Mary's Rattlers
Record 22-17, 14-12 LSC
Head Coach Taylor Lira
StMU Record 22-17 (1st Year)
Texas A&M Int'l Dustdevils
Record 10-27, 6-18 LSC
Head Coach Scott Libby
TAMIU Record 373-556 (18th Year)
T. A&M-Kingsville Javelinas
Record 23-11, 18-6 LSC
Head Coach Orlando Salinas
TAMUK Record 101-90 (4th Year)
By The Numbers
5 St. Mary's has five starters who are hitting .300 or better on the season, led by Gabriela Banda with a .356 batting average. Raegan Tennill (.347), Miah Corona (.347), Iliana Melendez (.330) and Samiya Johnson (.300) are also at .300 or better, while Abigail Dela Rosa (.299) is just below the delineating line.
3 Emily Ayala's pinch hit double in the seventh inning of game one against UT Dallas was only the third hit in a pinch situation for the Rattlers this season (3-for-23).
On the Road Again: The St. Mary's Softball team heads back on the road for doubleheaders at Texas A&M International on Friday and Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sunday. The Dustdevils are 10-27 on the year, while the Javelinas have the longest active winning streak in the Lone Star at 11 games.
Last Time Out: St. Mary's split a doubleheader with LSC newcomer UT Dallas, winning 2-1 in walk-off fashion in the eighth inning on a home run by senior Raegan Tennill before dropping a 2-0 decision in the nightcap. Tennill was able to get the HR after fellow senior Emily Ayala tied the game in the seventh with a pinch hit RBI double.
Take Two, They're Free: Both seniors Abigail Dela Rosa and Raegan Tennill stole two bases in a game against UT Dallas. Tennill swiped second and third base in the first inning of game one, while Dela Rosa stole second in the second inning of game two and swiped it again in the fourth frame. The two now have 12 steals each, tying for second on the team, while Dela Rosa has 37 for her career and Tennill has 41 and are closing in on the top-10 at St. Mary's (50, Natalie Hill, 1999-2002).
There's Always One: Game two on Friday against UT Dallas was the first time this season that the Rattlers have lost a game when holding an opponent to two or fewer runs. St. Mary's is now 15-1 on the year when the opposition scores 0-2 runs.
Top Twenty: Senior Raegan Tennill ranks 18th among all current Division II players with 60 career walks, which also leads all Lone Star Conference players. Tennill also ranks 27th on the active career games played list with 145.
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 for the Rattlers, going 2-0 with a pair of complete-game victories. Saenz held then-No. 12 Oklahoma Christian to four hits in a 2-1 win and came back the next day to shut out Cameron. In her three appearances, which spanned 16 1/3 innings, Saenz went 2-0 with an 0.86 ERA, and opponents hit just .167 off her.
Helping Hand: Senior Raegan Tennill recorded her 100th assist of the season in game two against UT Dallas. Tennill ranks 10th in the nation in assists and second in the Lone Star Conference behind Alexis Pacheco from Lubbock Christian with 118. Tennill now ranks ninth in St. Mary's history with 339 career assists, needing 21 more to tie Tiffany Licon (2019-2022) for eighth with 360.
You're Out!: Sophomore first baseman Miah Corona collected 18 putouts in the Rattlers' 3-0 shutout win at Cameron on March 29. It ties for the third-most in a single game in St. Mary's 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.
Seeing the Plate: Senior Ariella Saenz has struck out only three times in 72 at bats this season. She is hitting .236 on the year, and has only one K in her last 26 at bats.
In the Standings: St. Mary's is currently tied for seventh place in the Lone Star Conference standings with Lubbock Christian and four 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 Shutout for You and You: Senior Breanna Ford became the fourth Rattler pitcher to throw a shutout this season when she defeated Midwestern State 2-0 on March 6. Ford allowed only two hits over the seven innings, striking out two and not walking a batter. She joins Emery Aguilar, Emily Ayala and Ariella Saenz (2) on the shutout list. It is the first time in the school's Division II era that four different pitchers have thrown a complete game shutout, though in 1999 four pitchers through shutouts and all five hurlers were involved in a shutout during the year.
Chaos on the Bases: St. Mary's has stolen 81 bases in 2026, ranking 35th nationally with 2.10 stolen bases per game. The 81 swipes already ranks 10th on the St. Mary's single-season list for most steals. The record for the most swipes in a year is 128 by the 1990 team (128-140).
Taking the Extra Base: Bryley Westfahl leads the team with 24 steals which ranks 31st in the nation and second in the LSC. There are 14 players on the team who have stolen a base this season, and seven besides Westfahl who have successfully stolen three or more bases in Raegan Tennill (12-12), Abigail Dela Rosa (12-13), Iliana Melendez (9-9), Gabriela Banda (5-5), Peyton Miers (4-4), Miah Corona (3-4) and Emma Wilson (3-4).
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 Ariella Saenz and Izabella Valdez hit home runs in the seventh at Texas Woman's (Feb. 28). 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.
Making Milestones: Junior Gabriela Banda is seven RBI shy of 100 for her career. Sophomore Miah Corona needs 18 hits for 100 in her career. Senior Abigail Dela Rosa posted the 100th hit of her career at Cameron on March 29 and now has 101. The next appearance in the circle for Ariella Saenz will be her 50th at St. Mary's.
On the Fly: St. Mary's is second the Lone Star and ranks 19th in all of Division II in sacrifice flies, hitting 16 through the first 39 games of the season. Gabriela Banda and Izabella Valdez are 68th nationally with three each.
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 18, ranking 9th out of 265 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 breaks the school record of 12 held by Vianna Gutierrez-Touchtone (2012-15).
