Softball set to open season at LSU Alexandria tournament

UHV softball coach Lindsey Ortiz is eager for Friday.

The Jaguars will open their season with four games at the LSU Alexandria at Champions Sportsplex in LeCompte, Louisiana. They open the tournament at 2 p.m. Friday against Central Baptist (AR) before playing Cottey College (MO), who was picked second in the American Midwest Conference, at 4:30 p.m.

UHV will also face No. 22-ranked William Carey at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

"The great thing about these tournaments is we get to see some of the great competitors from other regions," said Ortiz, who begins her 11^th season as UHV's head coach. "That's what prepares us for the postseason. Obviously, we want to go out there and compete, and win big. But this weekend will also be a good benchmark to see where we need to be at the end of the year because, ultimately, that's what matters."

The Jaguars are coming off a 28-17 record in 2023 which saw the team reach the Red River Athletic Conference semifinals for a sixth consecutive year. The team was picked to finish second in the RRAC preseason coaches poll behind No. 7-ranked Our Lady of the Lake.

The Jaguars graduated only two from last year's team, and Ortiz feels the recent recruiting class gives this year's team a chance to win a seventh conference championship.

"If this is our starting point and, as a coaching staff, we do our job, the sky's the limit for where we could be at the end of the season," said Ortiz, who begins her 11^th season as head coach. "If they stay bought in to the process, I think they have more potential than we've ever had before. But it's going to come down to execution."

Pitching will be one of UHV's strength's in 2024.

The Jaguars return the program's all-time shutout leader in Cameron Cowan along with Cameron Steen, Alexi Wade and Neech Mendoza. The pitching staff was bolstered in the recruiting class with transfers Eryn Sanchez and Hope Quinones, along with the signing of Klein High School's Sari Travis.

Cowan won 17 games last year and boasted a 2.40 ERA on her way to earning first team All-RRAC honors. The 17 wins ranks fifth-most in program history.

Sanchez, who transferred from LSU Alexandria, was named to the All-RRAC first team during her freshman year in 2021 after posting an 11-1 record overall and 8-0 in conference play with a 2.63 ERA.

Quinones, a graduate student from San Antonio, comes to UHV after a year at the University of the Southwest. She also played at St. Thomas University (FL).

"The depth in the pitching circle," Ortiz said, "we have a lot of different looks we can approach a team with. So, that's super exciting."

The Jaguars also return All-RRAC first teamers Claire Blinka and Kenzie Chambers, as well as second team selection Madysin Leighton.

In 2023, Chambers and Leighton combined for 76 of UHV's 88 stolen bases. Chambers' 36 steals last year ranks second all-time in a single season.

With that duo returning, along with Allison Snedeker's team-leading five triples last year, and the addition of Vernon College transfer Jordan Jones, UHV feels confident with its potential to be aggressive on the basepaths this year.

Jones, a native of The Woodlands, hit .511 and had on on-base percentage of .561 while stealing a team-leading 22 bases last year for Vernon. She was an All-Region and second team All-North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference selection last season.

"Our offense is dynamic one through nine," Ortiz praised. "At this point, there's not a weak spot in our lineup. We can come up at the end of the game needing a run from the seven, eight or nine hole and everybody is confident it's going to get done."