LIVE STATS | VIDEO (Friday/Sunday Only) | GAME NOTES


LAREDO, Texas (January 31, 2018) – The Texas A&M International University softball program opens its season at home this weekend, Feb. 2-4, hosting Central Oklahoma and Texas A&M-Kingsville as part of the TownePlace Suites by Marriot TAMIU Spring Classic. The classic will mark the first time in program history the Dustdevils have opened the season at home.
 
Friday and Sunday's games will be broadcast on the Heartland Conference Digital Network with live stats available here.
 
A LOOK AT THE DUSTDEVILS
The 2018 edition of the Dustdevils features five starters from last year's squad that finished 19-35 and 12-9 in conference play including an eighth-place appearance in the Heartland Conference Tournament. Scott Libby is entering his ninth season as the head coach and 10^th season overall at TAMIU with an overall record of 210-293.
 
Delainy Thompson is the ace of the pitching staff and enters the season as the program's all-time leader in in complete games and ERA. The Eastvale, Calif. product is coming off a junior campaign where she went 12-16 with a program-best 2.66 ERA. She struck out 107 batters over 173.2 innings with opposing hitters hitting .276 against her. Joining Thompson on the mound will be Brandi Giles and Tori Carrion along with freshmen Melaine Lint and Miranda Martinez.
 
The Dustdevils return five of their top six hitters from last year including seniors Alyssa Acuna, Cassie Cannon and Erika Sanchez. Acuna has started in 160 games during her career and ranks ninth in career runs batted in (65) and 10^th in doubles (23). She had her best season from the plate in 2016 when she hit .282 with 12 doubles, one triple and one home run driving in 31 runs. Cannon hit .230 during her first season in Laredo hitting a team-high three home runs for 22 RBIs. She also excels on the base path as her 11 stolen bases a season ago are the fifth-most in a single season in program history.
 
Lindsey Smith, Maddison Schofield and Sumer Woodson are newcomers that Dustdevil Nation should get to use to seeing in the box score. Smith comes to Laredo after a stellar two-year career at Central Arizona College where she hit .375 with 10 home runs driving in 49 runs as a sophomore. Schofield was equally impressive at Barton Community College where she hit .436 and nine long balls. Woodson hit .283 in 2017 at Coastal Bend Junior College with two triples driving in 12 runs.
 
A LOOK AT THE BRONCHOS
Cody White enters his fifth season as the head coach at Central Oklahoma where he has gone 170-68 for a win percentage of .714. The reigning Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Coach of the Year has led the Bronchos to the NCAA Tournament every year since taking over the program in 2013.
 
The Bronchos return one of the top pitchers in Division II in All-American Jayden Chestnut. The Mustang, Okla. product went 23-4 with four saves and a 1.66 earned run average in 2017 after transferring from the University of Oklahoma. She earned 1^st team all-MIAA honors after striking out 220 batters in 185.2 innings. Joining Chestnut in the rotation will be senior Peyton Walker who earned 2^nd team all-conference accolades after compiling a 22-6 record last spring.
 
The top four hitters return for UCO, each of whom hit better than .350 last year. Seniors Carrie Abrams and Morgan Heard have combined to win the last two MIAA Player of the Year awards. Heard followed up her 2016 All-American campaign hitting .385 with 15 doubles, 14 homers, 37 RBI and 17 stolen bases as a junior.
 
A LOOK AT THE JAVELINAS
Craig Nicholson enters his first season at the helm at Texas A&M-Kingsville with more than 20 years of experience at the Division I and Junior College. He last served as the head coach for Arizona State during the 2015 season where the Sun Devils compiled a record of 36-22 and were two outs away from a super-regional appearance.
 
Victoria Schoonard-Saborio is the top returner for a Javelinas squad that finished 27-24 overall and 14-14 in Lone Star Conference play in 2017. The Elk Grove, Calif. native earned 2^nd team D2CCA All-South Central honors as a sophomore. She set a new single-season record with a .447 batting average while tying the school record for runs with 46. Schoonard-Saborio was also solid in the field at first base recording 304 putouts and nine assists for a .978 fielding percentage.
 
Haley Boyett is the top returning outfielder for TAMUK as the Waco, Texas product earned 1^st team all-conference honors and LSC Golden Glove honors as a junior. Another name to look out for is Roxy Chapa as the junior catcher has earned all-conference honors in consecutive seasons. She has been one of the top catchers in the highly competitive LSC where she became the programs first D2CCA All-American in program history in 2016.
 
DUSTDEVILS PICKED FOURTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Lubbock Christian was picked to win their first regular season title since 2015 receiving six first-place votes for a total of 88 points. The Rattlers of St. Mary's were picked to finish second as they also received six first-place votes for 84 points with Oklahoma Christian picked third (71 pts.). The Dustdevils garnered the fourth position with 50 points followed by St. Edward's (39 pts.), Newman (33 pts.) and Rogers State (27 pts.).
 
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS IN THE CLASSROM
Texas A&M International placed 87 student-athletes on the 2017 Heartland Conference President's and Commissioner's Honor Roll. The softball team had a team-high 17 student-athletes earn recognition with six of those earning President's honors.
 
2017 SEASON REVIEW
The Dustdevils qualified for the Heartland Conference tournament for the eighth consecutive season in 2017 finishing 19-35 overall and 12-9 in conference play. Then-junior Delainy Thompson earned 1^st all-conference recognition after going 12-16 in the circle with a program-best 3.42 ERA. Cassie Cannon and Sara Caterson earned all-tournament team honors after helping the Dustdevils defeat Newman 1-0 in the opening round of the tourney.
 
Head Coach Scott Libby won his 200^th career game after a 2-1 victory over Oklahoma Christian on March 24.
 
UP NEXT
The Dustdevils travel to San Angelo, Texas for the ASU George McCorkle Challenge presented by Bahlman Cleaners on Feb. 9-11 where they will face off against #2 Angelo State, Adams State and Florida Tech.