The Lions won 42 games during the 2018 season, the most of any season in program history. The team made its fourth consecutive trip to the LSC Tournament and its second trip to the NCAA Tournament. The team won its first ever South Central Regional Championship and advanced to the Super Regional Championship.

Mariah Jameyson and Kinsie Hebler became the first two players in A&M-Commerce softball history to be named First Team All-Americans. They were named All-Americans by both the NFCA and the D2CCA. Jameyson was named D2CCA National Player of the Year, Fastpitch News National Player of the Year and NFCA Catcher of the Year, as well as CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year.

Jameyson and Hebler also were named to the All-Region First Team for the second consecutive season by both the D2CCA and the NFCA. Baylea Higgs was named Second Team All-Region by both the D2CCA and NFCA while Ciera Nunez was named Second Team All-Region by the D2CCA. Jameyson was named D2CCA Regional Player of the Year.

Jameyson led the nation in on-base percentage during the regular season. She was second in the nation in batting average, slugging percentage and RBIs, third in total bases, fourth in walks and fifth in homers. She was a top-10 finalist for NFCA National Player of the Year.

Hebler finished third in the nation in RBIs, sixth in home runs and 10th in both slugging percentage and total bases. She was a top-25 finalist for NFCA National Player of the Year.

Ciera Nunez led the LSC in stolen bases and was fifth in the nation in successful steals. She was also top 10 in the nation in walks.

Jameyson, Hebler, Higgs and Nunez were all named First Team All-LSC, with Jameyson named LSC Player of the Year. Emily Otto was named Second Team All-LSC and Kayla Kilcrease was Third Team All-LSC. Nunez, Higgs and Otto were all Gold Glove recipients.

Emily Otto set single season pitching records for wins, fewest walks allowed per 7-innings, most complete games, most innings pitched, most strikeouts and most saves.

The team led the conference in scoring, on-base percentage, RBIs and stolen bases. The team was second in batting average, slugging percentage, fielding percentage and home runs.

2018 Season Highlights

All-Time Award History1 South Central Region Player of the Year1 LSC Player of the Year1 LSC Newcomer of the Year2 National Players of the Year5 National Players of the Week9 Golden Gloves10 All-American Selections10 All-Region Selections18 All-Conference TEAM SELECTIONS

Academic Award History

Since 1889, Texas A&M University-Commerce has been known as a leader in providing an excellent education. It’s because we care about people and relationships. We’re a big-name university, but our focus is helping you achieve success. A&M-Commerce faculty and staff will know your name and work closely with you to understand your goals and dreams. Our professors will care about your growth and be your loudest supporters when you walk across the stage to get your degree.

We realize a great education is about more than attending class. It’s about making friends, memories, and a name for yourself as someone who is passionate about learning. Earning an A&M-Commerce degree and being part of the Texas A&M University system will not only look good on your resume, it will give you the confidence you need to compete in the marketplace. Visit www.tamuc.edu for more information.

The newly minted John Cain Family Softball Field opened its gates for the first time February 1, 2015. The facility includes three turf batting cages complete with hitting stations, bullpens for both home and visitor teams and in-ground dugouts down each baseline with protective netting in front of each.

The surface is turf with the A&M-Commerce Lion head prominently featured in center field. The infield is unique with its dark blue color. The dimensions of the playing surface are 190 feet down the line and 220 feet at center field.

Texas A&m-Commerce

Lion Softball Field

Locker Room Facilities

www.lionathletics.com

In August 2017, A&M-Commerce opened its new softball locker room facilities just east of the softball stadium.

Location: Commerce, TX 75428Founded:1889Enrollment: 12,564Nickname: Lions

Colors: Blue and GoldAffiliation: NCAA Division IIConference: Lone StarRegion: South Central

Quick Facts

1 CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year2 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans2-time leader in LSC Team GPA5 CoSida Academic All-District selections5 Academic All-Conference selections51 NFCa Scholar-Athletes114 LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll

Became first coach in program history in 2015. In four seasons, has led team to 142 wins and four consecutive postseason tournaments, an unprecedented achievement. Led team to NCAA South Central Regional tournament in 2016 and 2018, winning the South Central Region 1 Championship in 2018. Coached five seasons at Texas Woman’s University, leading the Pioneers to four consecutive LSC tournaments and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. He was named 2013 LSC Coach of the Year Was head coach at Henderson State and won 2004 Gulf Coast South Conference Coach of the Year. Has coached eight All-Americans, 23 All-Region players and 51 All-Conference players in his 14 seasons as a head coach, posting 488 wins and a winning percentage of .642.

2018 RosterNo. Name Pos Yr. Hometown/Previous School

00 Chloe Horn UTL Fr. Commerce, Texas/Commerce HS1 Allie Thompson C Fr. Lindale, Texas/Lindale HS2 Baylea Higgs OF Sr. Arlington, Texas/Mansfield Timberview HS3 Katie Dean P/UTL Jr. Whitesboro, Texas/ Whitesboro HS4 Mariah Jameyson C Sr. Seattle, Wash./Odessa Junior College5 Emily Otto P/UTL Fr. Richmond, Texas/Lamar Consolidated HS6 Ciera Nunez INF Jr. Amarillo, Texas/Randall HS8 Kayla Kilcrease INF Jr. Kerens, Texas/Kerens HS10 Jodie Hill INF So. Heavener, Okla./Grayson College11 Kimber Neal UTL Fr. Atascocita, Texas/ Atascocita HS13 Vanessa Avina OF So. Haltom City, Texas/Haltom HS14 Monica Cherry INF Sr. Forney, Texas/Bishop Lynch HS15 Bri Sims INF Jr. Rowlett,Texas/Missouri-Kansas City16 Lacie Bullard P So. Inola, Okla./Missouri-Kansas City19 Selena Rima P Sr. Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep. Jesuit HS20 Vanessa Muro UTL Jr. Oak Hills, Calif./Odessa Junior College21 Chealsea Slider INF So. Texarkana, Ark./Texas HS22 Precious Thompson INF So. Mount Pleasant, Texas/Mount Pleasant HS24 Alex VanSickle INF Gr. Winfield Kan./Winfield HS 25 Cally Pausewang C So. Bastrop, Texas/Cedar Creek HS43 Kinsie Hebler P/UTL So. Cypress, Texas/Cy-Fair HS55 Taylor Pruitt INF Fr. Emory, Texas/Rains HS

Feb. 2-4 Colorado Mesa Tournament Rio Rancho N.M. Feb. 2 vs. New Mexico Highlands 10-2 W Feb. 2 vs. Adams State 13-0 W Feb. 3 vs. No. 22 St. Mary’s 8-2 W Feb. 3 vs. No. 8 Colorado Mesa 6-14 L Feb. 4 vs. Metro State 3-2 W

2018 Schedule

Home Games in Bold | *Lone Star Conference Game | DH-Double HeaderAll times are Central Time

Feb. 9 Lubbock Christian Tournament Mesquite, Texas Feb. 9 vs. Newman 10-4 W Feb. 9 vs. Oklahoma Baptist 2-1 W Feb. 17 Tarleton State* (DH) 4-3 W, 6-1 W Feb. 18 Tarleton State* 6-5 W Feb. 25 Missouri Southern (DH) 11-3 W, 10-7 W Feb. 26 Missouri Southern 7-1 W

Mar. 2 at No. 18 Cameron* 8-6 W Mar. 3 at No. 18 Cameron* (DH) 11-3 W, 1-2 L Mar. 9 at Midwestern State* 4-5 L Mar. 10 at Midwestern State* (DH) 10-1 W, 9-1 W Mar. 12 Missouri Western (DH) 10-2 W, 12-1 W Mar. 14 at St. Edward’s (DH) 14-1 W, 12-0 W Mar. 16 UT Permian Basin* (DH) 13-7 W, 10-0 W Mar. 17 UT Permian Basin* 11-1 W Mar. 23 Texas A&M-Kingsville* 5-2 W Mar. 24 Texas A&M-Kingsville* (DH) 7-6 W, 4-3 W Mar. 29 at Eastern New Mexico* (DH) 12-5 W, 13-5 W Mar. 30 at Eastern New Mexico* 11-3 W

Apr. 8 No. 13 West Texas A&M* (DH) 6-0 W, 2-8 L Apr. 9 No. 13 West Texas A&M* 2-5 L Apr. 13 at Western New Mexico* (DH) 22-3 W, 18-4 W Apr. 14 at Western New Mexico* 18-3 W Apr. 20 No. 6 Angelo State* (DH) 0-2 L, 5-6 L Apr. 22 No. 6 Angelo State* 3-12 L Apr. 27 at Texas Woman’s* 7-3 W Apr. 28 at Texas Woman’s* (DH) 13-0 W, 6-4 W

The Coaching StaffRichie BruisterHead Coach | 4th Season | Record: 142-75 (.654)15th season as a head coach | Record: 488-272 (.642)Phone: (903) 468-3251 | email: Richie.Bruister@tamuc.edu

Christina MayAssociate Head Coach | 4th Season Phone: (903) 468-3255 | email: Christina.May@tamuc.edu

Hired in 2014 as the hitting and outfield coach. Helped lead 2018 Lion offense to a top-10 national ranking in scoring, on-base percentage, home runs, slugging percentage, batting average and steals. Has helped coach all 18 All-LSC recipients and all nine Gold Glove recipients in her time at A&M-Commerce. Has 217 wins as an associate head coach Joined the Lions after a successful five years as assistant and associate head coach at West Texas A&M, which won a Division II National title in 2014 and NFCA D2 Coaching Staff of the Year.

Doug CaisonAssistant Coach | 3rd SeasonPhone: (903) 468-3257 | email: doug.caison@tamuc.edu

Mariah Jameyson

Success under Bruister2015: Team went 29-24, the best first year start to a program in modern NCAA History. Team became first program to advance to their conference tournament in their first season of existence. Four players were named to the All-Conference team. The team ranked sixth in the NCAA in stolen bases.

2016: Team finished with a record of 37-19, advancing to the NCAA Regional Tournament, the first startup program to qualify for regionals in only its second year. Three players were named All-Conference and two won Golden Gloves. Finished third in the NCAA in stolen bases, fourth in pitching and ninth in scoring.

2017: Team finished with a record of 34-20, advancing to the LSC Tournament for the third consecutive year. Five players were named All- Conference and three won Golden Gloves. Team ranked in the top-25 in the nation in stolen bases, scoring, slugging percentage, home runs, double plays turned and on-base percentage. Pitching staff set program bests in lowest ERA, most shutouts, most saves, fewest hits allowed, fewest runs allowed, fewest home runs allowed and lowest opponent’s batting average. The pro-gram begame the fastest

2018: Team finished with a record of 42-12, advancing to the South Central Super Regional Tournament for the first time in program history after winning the program’s first South Central Regional Championship. Six players were named All-Conference and three won Golden Gloves. Team led the nation in on-base percentage and was in the top-10 in the country in home runs, slugging percentage, runs scored, batting average and stolen bases. The pitching staff set program bests for opponent batting average, fewest hits allowed, fewest walks allowed and fewest runs allowed. The team earned its first ever top-25 national ranking, being ranked in all 13 NFCA polls, reaching as high as No. 6 in the nation.

Was hired as pitching and catching coach during the 2016 season. Called pitches for the first 3 no-hitters in school history. 2018 pitching staff posted all-time lows in opponent batting average, fewest hits allowed, fewest walks allowed and fewest runs allowed. Prior to coaching, spent 20 years as a firefighter, 8 years as fire chief, was a police officer, was part of Search and Rescue and was a member of Special Operations.

Director of Softball Operations | 4th SeasonPhone: (903) 468-3251 | email: jane.riddle@tamuc.edu

Came to A&M-Commerce after working 15 years as a scorekeeper and statistician for softball at TWU. In charge of team travel and strategic planning to keep the softball program running smoothly. Also works as the team statistician. Other responsibilities include administrative duties and communicating with other athletic departments.

Feb. 7 St. Edward’s (Home Opener) (DH) 9-1 W, 2-0 W

May 4-5 Lone Star Conference Tournament San Angelo, Texas May 4 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville 9-1 W May 4 vs. No. 10 West Texas A&M 0-8 L May 10-12 South Central Regional Tournament Grand Junction, Colo. May 10 vs. No. 17 Tarleton State 15-8 W May 11 at No. 3 Colorado Mesa 14-7 W May 12 vs. No. 17 Tarleton State 9-10 L May 12 vs. No. 17 Tarleton State 14-2 W

May 17-18 South Central Super Regionals San Angelo, Texas May 18 at No. 6 Angelo State 6-7 L May 19 at No. 6 Angelo State 1-8 L

Postseason (South Cental Region 1 Champions)

In her two-year career at A&M-Commerce, Mariah Jameyson became the best catcher and best hitter in all of Division II.

During the 2018 season, she was named D2CCA National Player of the Year, NFCA Catcher of the Year, CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year, Fastpitch News National Player of the Year, D2CCA South Central Region Player of the Year and Lone Star Conference Player of the Year.

During the season, Jameyson was a national leader in several offensive categories. She led all of Division II in on-base percentage, was second in the nation in batting average, slugging percentage and RBIs, third in total bases, fourth in walks and fifth in homers. She led the LSC in batting average, RBIs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walks.

She finished her career as a seven-time All-America selection.

Jane Riddle

“I would not have become this player at any other program. I am so thankful that I had this opportunity.” - Mariah Jameyson

With a 3.536 team GPA, the 2015 team placed first in the LSC and 8th in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) ranking for academics. The team led the LSC in cumulative GPA again in 2016.