Jags welcoming TAMUSA for Senior Day

UHV head softball coach Lindsey Ortiz understands the impact her senior class has made on the program.

Three of the Jaguars' four seniors were members of the team which reached the NAIA Women's World Series for the first time ever in 2021. They have accounted for 103 wins over their four-year span.

Alana Ortega, Cameron Cowan, Cameron Steen and Madysin Leighton will be recognized after Tuesday's 2 p.m. Red River Athletic Conference doubleheader with Texas A&M-San Antonio.

"This class has been very impactful from an on-field standpoint," Ortiz said. "I think each one of them has made our program better. I think personality-wise, they have been a big part of establishing a culture that I think we're all really proud of. They work hard on and off the field. I think they are all great examples of what it means to be a Jaguar softball player."

This will be the third and fourth meeting of the season between UHV (22-8, 10-4) and TAMUSA (21-11, 11-7) with the hometown Jaguars sweeping the first two games 7-1 and 11-2.

Part of the credit for those previous two wins falls on Leighton, Kenzie Chambers and Kaylle Lopez in the top two spots in UHV's lineup. The duo combined for 10 hits, 11 runs and four stolen bases in two games.

Chambers leads the RRAC in batting average (.481) and stolen bases (31). The Grand Prairie native is currently on pace to break the single-season stolen base record of 43 set by Rachel Laird in 2014.

Lopez currently ranks fourth nationally in RBIs with 41.  

"We had aggressive at-bats," Ortiz said of the first meeting with TAMUSA. "We were able to do some things, situationally, that we executed well and I was proud of. I want to take that and build upon it. I want us to start pushing a little bit harder on some offensive things."

But UHV is looking to bounce back after a pair of losses at top-ranked Our Lady of the Lake last Thursday.

Adversity isn't something UHV has shied away from this season, however. After dropping three of four games at the Gulf Coast Invitational, UHV rattled off eight consecutive wins – a streak Ortiz hopes her team can replicate starting Tuesday.

"I feel great about it. I trust in them and I trust their process," Ortiz said. "Specifically, I think it's appropriate that it's Senior Day because I think a lot of leadership and confidence comes from that class and the way they carry themselves. So, I feel good going into tomorrow and what they're going to put on the field."