KINGSVILLE – Head Coach Michael Salinas was announced as the newest Athletic Director of Texas A&M-Kingsville athletics on Tuesday.

“Coach Salinas has demonstrated a singular commitment to competitive excellence and student success inside the classroom, while honoring the tremendous legacy and tradition associated with Javelina Athletics,” said University President Dr. Robert Vela. “He is a leader of the highest integrity, and I am confident that, just as he transformed our football program, he will elevate Javelina Athletics to the next level.”

Salinas served as Interim Athletic Director after former Athletic Director Steve Roach transitioned to Elon University. Salinas will step down as the Head Coach of the Javelinas football program, Defensive Coordinator Jamison Bisch will step in as Interim Head Coach effective immediately.

“I want to thank Dr. Vela for the opportunity to be able to lead the athletic program here,” Salinas said. “I look forward to the opportunity to serve our coaches and student athletes at Texas A&M-Kingsville.”

Salinas was hired in 2019 as head football coach and instantly made a lasting impact on the Javelina football program. Compiling a 26-19 record in his six seasons with the Javelinas, Salinas has coached numerous all-conference players, including 2022 AFCA-first team All American Amos Coleman. Salinas also has had three-straight seven-win seasons, a feat that had not been achieved at Texas A&M-Kingsville since the 2004 season.

Before his coaching career started, Salinas was a three-year letterwinner for the Javelina football program from 1995 to 1999. He was part of three LSC Championship and two West Region Championship teams under Ron Harms.

Coach Bisch came to Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2023 by way of Eastern New Mexico University. Since his arrival, the Javelinas have had one of the top defenses in the Lone Star Conference. Leading the conference in rushing defense in 2023 and finishing second in that statistic in the 2024 season.

Salinas will begin his tenure as Executive Director of Athletics effective immediately.

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FORT WORTH – Aminah Orozco has been named head coach for Texas Wesleyan volleyball. Orozco served as assistant coach for UNT volleyball during the 2023 previous season and prior to her time in Denton she was head coach at The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha, Okla.

During her time at UNT, Orozco played a key role in helping the Mean Green finish with a 17-15 (11-8 AAC) record and compete in their third National Invitational Volleyball Championship.

While at USAO, Orozco led the team to its highest win totals in program history finishing with a 23-25 record and back-to-back Sooner Athletic Conference tournament appearances.

In her first season, she led the Drovers to a 14-13 record which was a massive improvement from the previous season. She also coached four all-conference honorees and currently holds the program record for most career wins.

As a player, Orozco captured all-conference selections at Vernon College and Saint Gregory’s University. She graduated from Saint Gregory’s in 2013 with her bachelor’s degree in biology.

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SAN ANGELO – The bracket is set and the Angelo State baseball team is ready for the fifth appearance in the Division II College World Series in program history at the USA Baseball Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

The Rams earned the fifth seed in the tournament and will take on No. 4 Southern New Hampshire in game three of the tournament on Sunday, June 5, at 12:30 p.m. CST. The Rams and Penmen are the only returning teams from last year’s tournament. North Greenville earned the top seed followed by Point Loma as the two-seed, No. 3 Southern Arkansas, No. 6 Rollins, No. 7 Illinois Springfield, and No. 8 West Chester.

This will be the first meeting between the Penmen and the Rams.

The Penmen advanced to Cary out of the East Region, defeating Molloy for their second straight regional title. SNHU is 46-10 overall on the season and went 21-3 in the Northeast-10 conference before going on to claim the conferment tournament title.

SNHU holds the sixth-best team ERA in the country at 3.46 and has allowed the 12^th fewest hits per nine innings at 7.96. Angus McCloskey is the top starter for the Penmen, holding a 9-1 overall record in 12 starts. He has a 2.52 ERA through 71 1/3 innings while striking out 81 batters. Josh Roberge is next with a 3.19 ERA and 95 strikeouts while going 9-4 on the season.

At the plate, the Penmen are led by Nick Schwartz who has a .406 batting average along with 44 RBIs and nine home runs. Sam Henrie has a team-high 53 RBIs while batting .335 on the year. The Penmen have stolen 98 bases on the season with Danniel Rivera leading the way with 32 stolen bases.

The Rams have had one of their most successful seasons to date, collecting 50 wins while securing the Lone Star Conference regular-season title, the LSC tournament title, and the South Central Regional Championship.

ASU finished 38-10 in conference play to earn the top seed in the conference tournament before sweeping the competition to earn the fifth tournament championship in program history. With two wins over West Texas A&M in the process, the Rams earned the No. 1-seed in the South Central Regional, hosting MSU Denver and Texas A&M – Kingsville in section A of the regional. After a win over the Roadrunners, the Rams took two of three games against the Javelinas to advance to supers. ASU fell in game one against Colorado Mesa before bouncing back to win two games to punch their ticket to Cary.

This is the second time in program history the Rams have advanced to the college world series in back-to-back years. ASU also made consecutive appearances in 2015 and 2016.

The Rams have scored more runs than any other team in the country with 629 runs on the season. Their average of 10.7 runs per game also leads Division II.

ASU is third in DII in batting average (.362), has also recorded the second-most hits (697), and ranks first in doubles with 162.

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DENVER, Colo. – No. 1 UT Tyler finished the 2022 season as NCAA Division II National Semifinalists after falling by a 9-3 final tally to finish with a record of 2-2 at the 2022 NCAA Division II World Series.

The Patriots stood as one of four remaining teams in the double-elimination eight-team bracket in the program’s first trip to the NCAA Division II World Series in the program’s first season of postseason eligibility at the Division II level. UT Tyler completes their 2022 campaign with a 49-9 overall record, and claimed the South Central Regional Championship and Lone Star Conference Regular Season Championship on their way to the World Series appearance.

Rogers State will advance to the best-of-three championship series on Monday and Tuesday in Denver with a perfect 3-0 record in the tournament following the win over UT Tyler.

The Patriots jumped ahead early with an RBI single from senior Ashley Perez, who finishes her career as one of the most decorated position players in the history of UT Tyler softball. Rogers State answered with four runs in their next trip to the plate, and would maintain that lead for the remainder of the contest.

Sophomores Courtney Plocheck and Amanda Marek each hit a solo homer in the second and third innings to cut the lead to just one at 4-3, but the Hillcats were once again able to respond with three runs in the top of the fourth inning to pad their lead back out to 7-3.

A weather delay of over an hour in the top of the fifth inning allowed UT Tyler to reset, grounding the Hillcats into a double play on the first pitch of the restart, but couldn’t manage to claw their way all the way back into the ballgame. Rogers State tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth inning to punch their ticket to the championship series.

Perez and Marek each finished the ballgame 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI, while Plocheck and senior Shannon Klaus finished with the other two Patriot hits in the ballgame.

UT Tyler completes the first season of Division II postseason eligibility as undoubtedly one of the top programs in Division II softball, and will return a load of talent for the 2023 season.

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ALLENDALE, Mich. – In a span of three hours on Friday at the Grand Valley State Lacrosse/Track & Field Stadium, the Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s track & field team tallied 27 points on the team standings to lead the Division II National Championships after two of three days. The Lion women head into the final day with four top-seeded marks.

Moaz Ibrahim (Cairo, Egypt) broke the school record in the men’s discus with a mark of 200 feet 10 inches (61.21m), which is also the new Division II National Championships meet record and fourth all-time in Division II history. He achieved in the mark in his third throw. In the last three men’s discus championships contested, the Lions have two national championships and one runner-up finish.

Ushan Perera (Mahabage, Sri Lanka) became the first student-athlete in school history with four National Championships by winning the high jump crown once again. He cleared 7 feet 3.75 inches (2.22m), while Justin Lewis (Lynn. Mass.) and Dakari Hill(Orlando, Fla.) tied for fifth by clearing 7 feet one inch (2.16m). This is the first time that both Lewis and Hill reached the podium in their careers.

The Lions’ 27 points are atop the team leaderboard, the top five on the men’s side heading into Saturday.

MEN’S TEAM STANDINGS (Through 8 of 21 events)

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WAXAHACHIE – Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) announces the resignation of head football coach, Ryan Smith, who has indicated a desire to pursue other coaching opportunities. In the previous four years, SAGU football holds an 18-21 record and finished 9-3 in 2021 while winning the National Christian College Athletic Association’s Victory Bowl.

SAGU will begin the process of finding a new head coach immediately. SAGU Athletics has a mission to pursue spiritual formation in student-athletes, prepare student-athletes to be servant leaders, and provide an atmosphere of athletic excellence.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) won its first-ever NCCAA Softball National Championship after defeating No. 3 Columbia International University (CIU) 7-4.

The Lions trailed 3-0 after the second inning, but climbed back into the game in the fourth, as Rosie Guadarrama and Illeana Salinas each had RBI-singles to make it 3-2. Airiana Magdaleno tied it up in the third with an RBI-single that scored Alana Ortega. In the sixith inning, SAGU would tack on 2 more runs before Maddie Watson crushed a 2-run home run to make it 7-4. In the circle, Ashlyn Teran picked up the win in relief, going 5.1 innings and allowing just 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6 batters.

SAGU opened pool play with a 9-8 loss against No. 7 Arlington Baptist University (ABU), losing in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning. The No. 2 seeded Lions bounced back with a 6-4 win over No. 6 Hannibal-LaGrange University, led by Kassandra Vargas who cranked a home run and drove in two runs. SAGU then defeated CIU 6-5, as Salinas went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI’s and 1 run scored. The Lions finished 2-1 in pool play and advanced to the semifinals after a 6-5 win over ABU in a pool play tiebreaker game.

In the semifinal matchup against No. 1 Mid-America Christian University, the Lions came out strong as Teran hit a grand slam in the first inning. SAGU would go on to win 5-2 as Teran picked up the win on the mound, allowing 6 hits and striking out 7 batters.

The Lions’ Rosie Guadarrama was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

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SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State University Athletic Department today announced the hiring of Vinay Patel to lead the ASU Rams men’s basketball program as its new head coach.

Patel brings 17 years of coaching experience to ASU, most recently serving as the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, where he led the Rangers to a 20-9 overall record and one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA Division II last season.

“We are so excited to have Coach Patel join Angelo State as the next head men’s basketball coach, said ASU Director of Athletics James Reid. “Vinay brings a wealth of experience and success to the university and program, including time spent in the Lone Star Conference. Coach Patel’s background and commitment to excellence make him a great fit for our Athletic Department and university. We are excited to welcome him and his family into the Ram Fam!”

Prior to NWOSU, Patel spent four seasons at Oklahoma City University and compiled an overall record of 82-42. He led the Stars to a Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament championship in 2018-19 and a share of the regular-season championship in 2017-18. The Stars advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NAIA Tournament two years in a row while making the tournament all four years.

Patel was named the Sooner Athletic Conference and Oklahoma Sports Net Coach of the Year in 2018 when the Stars finished with a 24-9 mark and ranked No. 8 in the NAIA.

“I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to be the next head coach at Angelo State University,” Patel said. “I would like to thank President Ronnie Hawkins and Athletic Director James Reid for allowing me to lead such a storied basketball program. This is a dream come true for me! My family and I are excited to be a part of the community of San Angelo and the Ram Family!” Emphasizing success both on the court and in the classroom, Patel’s squads at NWOSU and OCU both recorded the highest team GPA in program history. He also coached four NAIA All-Americans and the SAC Player of the Year at OCU while eight former players have gone on to sign professional contracts.

No stranger to the Lone Star Conference, Patel started his coaching career at West Texas A&M University as a graduate assistant in 2005 before working his way up to associate head coach in 2013. In eight seasons on staff, Patel helped lead the Buffs to a 164-93 record and five NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.

“I would also like to thank everyone at Northwestern Oklahoma State for the past three years,” Patel added. “I was fortunate to work with a special group of people daily, and they are the reason for this incredible opportunity. I am excited to be back in the Lone Star Conference and am ready to get to work!”

A native of Shamrock, Texas, Patel received his Master of Science degree in sports and exercise science from WTAMU in 2007, and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise and sports science from Texas Tech University.

An introductory press conference will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 2, in the VIP Room of the ASU Junell Center to welcome Coach Patel and his family

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RICHARDSON, Texas – The Lone Star Conference has released its 2022 football conference schedule, which features a 10-team, nine-game single round robin format.

The slate has LSC games predominantly in weeks 3-11, with two league contests in week two.  The first full week of league play will take place on October 1.

The LSC welcomes Central Washington, Simon Fraser, and Western Oregon as affiliate members in football in 2022.  The trio joins Angelo State, Eastern New Mexico, Midwestern State, Texas A&M-Kingsville, UT Permian Basin, West Texas A&M, and Western New Mexico for the 10-team conference in 2022.

In 2021, Midwestern State claimed the LSC football title for the fourth time, while Angelo State and Central Washington were selected for the NCAA Division II Football Championship.

The schedule is below:

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Wayland Baptist earned the No. 1 seed in the Sooner Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament.

The Flying Queens, ranked 10th in the NAIA, snared a first-round bye. The top four seeds gained byes – Mid-America Christian, Texas Wesleyan and Science & Arts will be idle as well when the first round starts Tuesday.

All 12 conference teams made the SAC Tournament. Langston, John Brown, Oklahoma City and Southwestern Christian will host tournament games Tuesday. The winners advance to the quarterfinals Thursday.

The SAC Tournament semifinals take place Monday, Feb. 28 at Mid-America Christian’s Gaulke Activity Center. The title bout will be 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1 at the Gaulke Activity Center in Oklahoma City.

Wayland Baptist snagged its third consecutive SAC Tournament crown 71-63 over Langston on March 1, 2021 in Plainview, Texas. Kaylee Edgemon collected tournament most valuable player, scoring 26 points in the title game.

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