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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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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WICHITA FALLS — Brittanie Talley sparked a tremendous turnaround at Vernon College turning an eight-win program into a burgeoning powerhouse over the last five years.
 
Talley now faces the same task of reviving Midwestern State’s traditionally strong program as she was named MSU’s third softball coach Tuesday morning.
 
“Brittanie brings with her a commonality of expectations between the athletic department and her athletes as well as a shared vision that MSU Softball deserves,” MSU Athletics Director Kyle Williams said. “She comes to MSU from a junior college region that competes at a very high level. She encourages campus and community relations while building success stories within MSU Softball. MSU Texas welcomes Brittanie Talley.”
 
MSU established a strong brand on the softball diamond earning NCAA Division II postseason qualification in nine of its first 11 seasons since bring back the sport in 2004. The Mustangs led the nation with 108 wins over two seasons in 2010 and 2011 culminating in two Lone Star Conference titles (2006, 2007) and a national semifinal showing (2011).
 
“It’s a great school in the Lone Star Conference,” Talley said. It’s a very competitive conference and that gives me the chance to establish roots in D2 and get it going. The school and the history that Midwestern has in itself is enough to attract any coach.”
 
Talley amassed a 129-75 record (.632) over the past five seasons at Vernon College earning Texoma NexStar Small College Coach of the Year honors after leading the Chaps to a 42-12 mark this spring advancing to the NJCAA regional tournament.
 
That came on the heels of an incredible run in 2020 as the Chaps rolled out to a 21-1 start before the campaign was halted by the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Talley doubled the Chaps’ win total in her first season going 17-43 in 2017 working the program to a winning ledger with a 34-19 mark in 2019.
 
She will face a similar task at Midwestern State where the Mustangs have managed one LSC postseason appearance since 2015 and produced one winning season over the last five years.
 
Talley believes the ingredients remain to restore the program’s history of success.
 
“The facilities are awesome and with the administration on board and wanting to win, that makes a big difference,” she said. “The other sports are already successful. That helps a lot, as well, with kids waning to be a Mustang and to be a part of the MSU culture as a whole. There are a lot of majors to pick from, so the academic side is a big sell especially for female athletes. Academics play a huge role in a lot of their picks and where they choose to go. MSU has it covered on all angles. That makes it really attractive for students which makes my job a whole lot easier.”
 
Prior to Vernon College, Talley played a role in a successful three-year run at Alabama State helping the Lady Hornets to a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title and a trip to NCAA Division I regionals in 2016.
 
Talley competed professionally for the Skovde Saints winning a Swedish championship as the league’s pitcher of the year in 2011. While in Sweden, she served as the pitching coach for the Swedish National Team in the European Championships calling pitches and working with hitters.
 
Talley enjoyed a standout collegiate career at Jackson State where she earned second-team All-SWAC honors earning 27 career wins while posting seven shutouts. She also boasted a .320 batting average in 172 career at bats.
 
Talley graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in health, physical education and recreation from JSU in 2010 before starting her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Southern Arkansas.

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AUSTIN – UIL Softball State All-Tournament Teams
(As selected by the Texas Girls Coaches Association)
*Indicates championship game MVP, selected by media

Conference 1A

Position-Name, Class, School
Pitcher-Lindsey Mauppin, Sophomore, Dodd City
Catcher-Kayla Looper, Freshman, D’Hanis
First Base-Journie Hilliard, Senior, Dodd City
Second Base-Dulaney Chapman, Senior, Dodd City
Third Base-Skyler Newell, Junior, Bloomburg
Shortstop-Tori Dotson, Junior, Dodd City*
Outfield-Dani Baccus, Senior, Dodd City
Outfield-Sonora Wild-Junior-Dodd City
Outfield-Peyton Burell-Freshman-D’Hanis
Utility-Marissa Santos-Senior-D’Hanis

Conference 2A

Position-Name, Class, School
Pitcher-Citlaly Guiterrez, Junior, Stamford*
Catcher-Grace Powell, Senior, Crawford
First Base-Kylie Ray, Junior, Crawford
Second Base-Addi Goldenberg, Sophomore, Crawford
Third Base-Shandlee Mueller, Junior, Stamford
Shortstop-Laylonna Applin, Sophomore, Stamford
Outfield-Savana Gonzales, Junior, Stamford
Outfield-Jacelyn Bell, Junior, Stamford
Outfield-Hannah Fisbeck, Freshman, Weimar
Utility-Kenzie Jones, Sophomore, Crawford

Conference 3A

Position-Name, Class, School
Pitcher-Sage Hoover, Senior, Rains
Catcher-Skylar Martin, Junior, Diboll
First Base-Chanlee Oakes, Senior, Rains*
Second Base-Avery Songer, Sophomore, Rains
Third Base-Mia Caison, Sophomore, Rains
Shortstop-Hailey Fuentes, Senior, Diboll
Outfield-Kaylee Chagolia, Freshman, Diboll
Outfield-Madi Reid, Junior, Rains
Outfield-Lynzee Hague, Freshman, Rains
Utility-Kayla Palomino, Junior, Diboll

Conference 4A

Position-Name, Class, School
Pitcher-Kaci West, Senior, Liberty*
Catcher-Hollie Thomas, Freshman, Liberty
First Base-Rylee Goins, Junior, Iowa Park
Second Base-Jasmine Pena, Senior, Corpus Christi Calallen
Third Base-Jaylen Prichard, Senior, Liberty
Shortstop-Reese Evans, Sophomore, Liberty
Outfield-Kennedy Koenig, Senior, Corpus Christi Calallen
Outfield-Bailee Slack, Freshman, Liberty
Outfield-Maddy Flores, Senior, Corpus Christi Calallen
Utility-Alaunah Almaraz, Freshman, Corpus Christi Calallen
Utility-Kamdyn Chandler, Freshman, Liberty

Conference 5A

Position-Name, Class, School
Pitcher-Sophia Simpson, Senior, Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill*
Catcher-Estela Garza, Junior, Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill
First Base-Faith Guidry, Senior, Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill
Second Base-Reagan Duty, Sophomore, Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill
Third Base-Madison Hartley, Freshman, Georgetown
Shortstop-Macy Graf, Junior, Aledo
Outfield-Marissa Powell, Junior, Aledo
Outfield-Audrey Pearce, Senior, Aledo
Outfield-Delaney Dunham, Junior, Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill
Utility-Samantha Landry, Senior, Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill

Conference 6A

Position-Name, Class, School
Pitcher-Hannah Benavides, Senior, Deer Park*
Catcher-Erin Perez, Sophomore, Deer Park
First Base-Samara Sanchez, Senior, Converse Judson
Second Base-Mimi Thornton, Junior, Converse Judson
Third Base-Destiny Rodriguez, Junior, Converse Judson
Shortstop-Lauryn Ramos, Senior, Converse Judson
Outfield-Carter Smith, Senior, Rockwall
Outfield-Tabby Bailey, Senior, Deer Park
Outfield-Emma Overla, Junior, Deer Park
Utility-Haidyn Hardcastle, Senior, Deer Park

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – The NCCAA is pleased to recognize Faith Hollingsworth of Mid-America Christian University (MACU) as the 2021 Game Plan 4 LIFE Character Award recipient for Softball.

A captain for the Evangels, Faith Hollingsworth is a steady leader. In just more than 50 games played at MACU, the Burkburnett, Texas native boasts a .345 batting average, has driven in over 30 RBI’s, and nears the top of the team with a .552 slugging percentage. She has knocked home six home runs in just two seasons and has an impressive .417 on base percentage. In 2020 and 2021 she was named to the All-Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) Second Team.

Off the field Hollingsworth is a member of the English club, serves as an English tutor on campus, and is a writer for the MACU Anglius Chronicles. At Central Baptist Church, she serves as a Bible study leader for grade school children. The senior will graduate with a degree in secondary English education, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor society, and is a two-time SAC and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete.   

“Faith is a leader in every way,” stated Head Coach Robert Wakefield. “She leads us in our devotional every day. Faith is a young lady that you want on your team and it has been my pleasure to coach her the last two years.”

The purpose of the Game Plan 4 LIFE Character Award is to recognize NCCAA student-athletes who epitomize the Christian character qualities of:

LOVE: demonstrating a caring and consistent love for others (I Corinthians 13)
INTEGRITY: living out ethical principles in a clear consistent manner (Job 27:5)
FAITH: acknowledging a life of faith and sharing that faith with others (Hebrews 11)
EXCELLENCE: striving to do all things at the highest standard (Philippians 4:8)

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The series featured a matchup of the two previous national champions in TLU, winners in 2019 (no championship in 2020, due to COVID-19) and VWU, who won it all in 2018 and 2017.

Junior centerfielder Kelly Jurden went 2-for-3 on the afternoon, recording two of the Bulldogs’ five hits in the game.

TLU finished the year at 36-6.

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