Lone Star Conference Championship • May 7-9
7 #vs. second-seed #21 UT Tyler 1:30 p.m.
8 #Semifinals TBD
9 #Finals TBD
St. Mary's Rattlers
Record 30-21, 22-16 LSC
Head Coach Taylor Lira
StMU Record 30-21 (1st Year)
UT Tyler Patriots
Record 41-11, 33-7 LSC
Head Coach Jason Miller
UTT Record 41-11 (1st Year)
By The Numbers
5 2026 is the fifth time in six years that the Rattlers have qualified for the Lone Star Conference Tournament. It is also the third time StMU has been the 7-seed (2022, 2023). It is the first time the Rattlers have met UT Tyler in the First Round.
108 The Rattlers ended the regular season with 108 stolen bases, which is the fifth-most in school history and 20 shy of the school record of 128 by the 1990 team. Four this season have more than 10 steals, led by Bryley Westfahl with 32.
18 Junior Gabriela Banda leads the team with 18 doubles, which ties for the seventh-most in a single season in St. Mary's history. Banda is tied with Lana Rutlidge, who had 18 in 1991. The school record is 26 by Nicole Sardelich in 2015.
Postseason Play: The St. Mary's Softball team returns to the Lone Star Conference Tournament as the seven-seed after not qualifying a year ago. The Rattlers are 3-4 all-time in the championship, and have never made it past the semifinals in the single-elimination tournament. This season, the Rattlers face second-seeded UT Tyler at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Ending on a High Note: Senior pitcher Ariella Saenz earned the final Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week award after dominating the Hilltoppers on Saturday. Saenz threw a career-high six strikeouts with only one earned run allowed in a 6-4 win in game one, and then came back to throw a no hitter in game two to complete the sweep. It is the second time this season she's earned the weekly honor, as she also won on March 31 after getting a pair of complete-game victories in Oklahoma, including a shutout of Cameron.
No Hits For You: The no hitter by Ariella Saenz in the regular-season finale at St. Edward's was the first for St. Mary's since 2024 when Breanna Ford no-hit Midwestern State in a five-inning game, and is the 32nd in school history. She is also the first StMU pitcher to ever no-hit the Hilltoppers.
Lone Star Tournament History: St. Mary's is 3-4 all-time in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, reaching the semifinals in both 2022 and 2024, and in both years they were knocked out by the #2 team in the country. In 2022 they fell 7-6 to Texas A&M-Kingsville in eight innings, and in 2024, they lost to West Texas A&M 9-1. For complete tournament history, see page six of these notes.
Last Time Out: St. Mary's swept St. Edward's in the final week of the regular season, winning 6-4 in game one and 4-0 in game two. Freshman Peyton Miers paced the offense, hitting .600 with the first two doubles of her career. The Rattlers hit .306 over the twinbill, holding the Hilltoppers to a .122 batting average. Senior Raegan Tennill was active on the base paths, stealing three bases.
Getting to 30: The two wins at St. Edward's on Saturday gave the Rattlers a 30-win season for the 24th time in school history. The record for wins in a season is 58 by the NCAA National Championship team in 2002.
No Zeroes Here: Senior Abigail Dela Rosa is hitting .432 this season with runners in scoring position to lead the team. The centerfielder has 19 hits in 44 at bats, and she is also hitting .538 (7-for-13) with a runner on third base and less than two outs.
Fang Awards: Samiya Johnson was named the St. Mary's Department of Athletics Female Breakout Athlete of the Year, while Bryley Westfahl was named the Co-Newcomer of the Year for the women with Brielle Burns from Women's Golf at the end of the year banquet.
Going Streaking: Junior Gabriela Banda leads the team with a 10-game reached base safely streak. It is her longest streak of the year, and trails only her 16 game streak from a season ago. Banda has been on base in 19 of her last 20 games, and has a hit in six consecutive.
Selfless: St. Mary's ranks second in the Lone Star Conference and 16th in the nation with 22 sacrifice flies and fifth in the league and 72nd nationally with 35 sacrifice bunts. Sophomore Miah Corona leads the team with four sacrifice flies, which is fifth in the Lone Star, while junior Iliana Melendez leads the league with 0.24 sacrifice bunts per game.
Solo Shots: Fourteen of the team's 23 home runs have come this season with no runners on base, and the last four are all solo. Seven of the last eight for the Rattlers have come with no one on the bases, and Gabriela Banda's last two shots have both led off the inning (4th at WNMU; 5th at St. Ed's).
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 .419 to begin a frame. Not surprisingly, the usual leadoff hitter, Bryley Westfahl, leads the team with 34 hits, and she's hitting .410 as the first to bat in an inning. Iliana Melendez has the highest average at .650 (13-for-20), and Gabriela Banda is up to .500 (17-for-34).
Shutout Times Four: Senior Ariella Saenz threw her fourth complete-game shutout in the 4-0 no-hitter victory in game two at St. Edward's on Saturday. She ranks third in the Lone Star and 59th nationally with four 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.
Chaos on the Bases: St. Mary's has stolen 108 bases in 2026, ranking 31st nationally with 2.12 stolen bases per game. The 108 swipes ranks 5th on the St. Mary's single-season list for most steals, and is only 20 off the school record of 128 by the 1990 team.
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 32 steals, while Raegan Tennill has 17, Abigail Dela Rosa has 15, and Iliana Melendez has 12. 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.
Helping Hand: Senior Raegan Tennill ranks 19th in the nation in assists and second in the Lone Star Conference with 128. Tennill is now tied for seventh in St. Mary's history with 368 career assists, knotting Kristal Salinas (2016-19).
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.
Making Milestones: Sophomore Miah Corona needs one more hit for 100 in her career. The first baseman also recorded her 700th career putout in the regular season finale at St. Edward's. Senior Abigail Dela Rosa is four runs shy of scoring 100 and senior Ariella Saenz needs two more strikeouts to fan her 100th at StMU. Senior Raegan Tennill is four stolen bases away from 50 for her career.
