WEEKEND BASICS
• The third-ranked and No. 8 national seed Bulldogs open NCAA postseason play with the NCAA Seguin Regional, May 14-16, at Ed Kruse Stadium, playing host to Penn State Behrend, #13 Huntingdon, and Trinity.
• 2026 marks the 12th straight season the Bulldogs have made the NCAA Tournament, making the NCAA Tournament every season since joining the SCAC in 2014.
• TLU begins regional play vs. Penn State Behrend on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT. The game can be seen on ncaa.com for free with EJ Sanchez and Justin Simmons calling the regional action throughout the weekend. With a win, TLU would meet the winner of Huntingdon vs. Trinity (TX) on Friday at 11 a.m. CT. The regional final will be Saturday at 11 a.m. with an if-necessary game later in the day.
• The winner of this weekend's regional will advance to the NCAA Super Regional round against the winner of the Waverly Regional, hosted by Wartburg College, the following weekend with the goal of reaching the 2026 DIII Women's College World Series in Salem, Virginia.
• Tickets will be available at Ed Kruse Stadium. Tickets will be $15 for adults, $10 for students and senior citizens (65 and older), $5 for children, and children two and under are free per day. A tournament pass can also be purchased for $40 for adults or $30 for seniors for access to all games for the weekend.
• The winner of this weekend's regional will advance to the NCAA Super Regional round against the winner of the Waverly Regional, hosted by Wartburg College, the following weekend with the goal of reaching the 2026 DIII Women's College World Series in Salem, Virginia.
• Texas Lutheran completed the SCAC title sweep last weekend in Abilene, claiming the program's 22nd overall SCAC title (12 regular season titles and 10 tournament crowns). The Bulldogs have won 12 straight SCAC regular season titles.
MAYHEM
• Texas Lutheran has made the NCAA Tournament every year since joining the SCAC in 2014, all under head coach Wade Wilson (tournament was not played in 2020).
• In 2025, TLU reached its fourth WCWS in program history, culminating in an eighth place finish. The Bulldogs have made the WCWS four times since 2019, tying with Trine for the most in D3.
• This marks TLU's fourth-time hosting a regional. Overall, Texas Lutheran is 24-14 (.632) in NCAA Regional play with four Regional championships. In 2025, TLU won the NCAA Ithaca Regional final with a dominant 9-1, six-inning victory over #21 Ithaca.
• The Bulldogs are looking to make their fourth appearance in NCAA Super Regionals. All-time, TLU has competed in four Women's College World Series, earning a National Championship in 2019.
LAST TIME OUT
• For the tenth time in program history and the tenth time in the last 12 conference championships, No. 3 Texas Lutheran was crowned champion of the SCAC Softball Championship Tournament after defeating Ozarks (AR), 8-1, at Edwards Field in Abilene.
• The win tallied Texas Lutheran's 22nd overall conference title and secured the Bulldogs' 10th SCAC title sweep in program history.
• Senior Serena Gonzalez (Corpus Christi/Foy H. Moody) paced TLU in the game with a 4-for-4, two home run, four RBI performance with two runs scored. Gonzalez also became the first player since 2021 and the eighth player in conference history to hit two home runs in a single SCAC Tournament game and the first ever to do so in a SCAC Championship game. For her efforts, Gonzalez was named NFCA Player of the Week fot the third time in her career.
• Six Bulldogs were named to the All-Tournament team: Gonzalez, Jordyn Joy (Kerrville/Tivy), Harleigh Russell (Fort Worth/Boswell), Chesley Swisher (Cypress/Bridgeland), Caelee Clark (Montgomery/Lake Creek), and Cady Bowyer (Fulshear/Jordan).
SEASON STORYLINES
• The Bulldogs are 4-3 in ranked matchups on the season, highlighted by midweek splits over then-No. 6 WashU and No. 17 Tufts and a series victory over then-No. 19 St. Thomas. The Bulldogs closed the season ranked eighth in the NCAA NPI.
• TLU is outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 353-73 on the season, surrendering an average of 1.73 runs/game. The pitching staff has been exceptional, tossing shutouts in 19 of TLU's 42 games to rank second in the country.
• Katelyn Howard (Waller/Hempstead) leads the pitching staff with a 0.75 ERA, while the Bulldogs three primary pitchers hold ERAs under 2.50. Three members of the Bulldogs' staff hold ERAs under 2.00 in Howard, Joy (1.48) and Jamie Burch (Sinton/Sinton) (1.31).
• As a team, TLU is batting .394, ranking second in NCAA Division-III with 226 stolen bases - leading the NCAA across all levels. TLU ranks fourth in runs (353) and scoring (8.40) while ranking third in on-base percentage (.462) and fifth in hits (444). Caelee Clark, who became college softball's all-time stolen base leader earlier this season, leads the nation with 76 stolen bases with Riley Davila (Angleton/Angleton) ranking in the top 25 nationally with 38 this season. Taylor Vannett (Kingwood/Kingwood) leads the team with 59 RBIs while three other Bulldogs have 30-plus runs batted in.
A LOOK AT THE REGIONAL FOES
• Huntingdon, the No. 2 seed in the Seguin Regional, posted a 31-10 overall record on the year, going 13-3 in CCS play. The Hawks are led by Huntingdon alum, head coach Casey Chrietzberg in her 10th season back in Montgomery. She holds a 251-134 record at Huntingdon and has led the Hawks to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Hawks are led at the plate by All-CCS First Team honorees, outfielder Kylie Stephens and third baseman Maddie Grace Hubbard. Stephens, who was named to the NFCA Player of the Year Watch List, leads the Hawks with 54 hits and is second on the team with 45 RBI. Maddie Grace Hubbard earned All-Tournament honors in the CCS Conference Tournament and leads the Hawks in on-base percentage (.566), runs (47), and stolen bases (31).
• Allie Roberts, the back-to-back CCS Pitcher of the Year, paces the Hawks in the circle with a 1.71 ERA and a 14-5 record. She has 128 strikeouts on the season to 33 walks. Roberts was named to the NFCA Pitcher of the Year Watch List and tossed a no-hitter earlier this season. Addison Gaines is also a force in the circle, tossing two no-hitters in 2026 as an All-CCS Second Team honoree. Gaines ranks fifth in NCAA Division-III in strikeouts per seven innings (9.1) with 115 strikeouts this season.
• Last Time They Met: The Bulldogs and Hawks have only met twice in the team's respective histories as the Bulldogs traveled to Montgomery in 2017 to take on the Hawks. The Bulldogs swept the doubleheader outscoring the Hawks 14-2 on the day. In game one, Maitlin Raycroft set TLU's single-game record, striking out 18 batters in a no-hitter with the Hawks only base runners coming via four walks.
• Trinity (TX), the three-seed in this weekend's regional, posted a 30-11-1 overall record on the year, going 14-4 in their first season in the SAA, earning Co-Regular Season Championship honors with the Rhodes College Lynx. The Tigers are led by head coach Bailey Wittenauer (91-34-1) in her third season at the helm in San Antonio as she leads the Tigers to their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and their first appearance since 2007.
• TLU holds a 74-27 advantage over former SCAC foe the Trinity Tigers. The Bulldogs hold the series lead over the Tigers in Seguin 32-15.
• Five Tigers position players earned All-SAA First Team honors in 2026: shortstop Angela Baltzell, catcher Hannah Boudreaux, pitcher/DP Josephine Koelewyn, outfielder Ella Whitacre, and third baseman Mariana Garcia. Boudreaux leads the Tigers with a .410 batting average, five homers, and 37 RBI to go along with a team-high 40 runs scored. Whitacre has stolen a team-high 31 bases on 33 attempts.
• In the circle, the 2026 SAA Pitcher of the Year, Megan Kriechbaum, leads the team with a 12-5 record and 102 strikeouts to 60 walks. She holds a 2.41 ERA and teams are batting .220 off the junior.
• Last Time They Met: The Bulldogs and Tigers are familiar foes, meeting yearly until 2026 as rivals in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). The Bulldogs swept last year's SCAC series in San Antonio. While the Bulldogs and Tigers have never met in the NCAA Tournament, the two have squared off several times in the postseason with the last coming in 2024's SCAC Tournament championship at Ed Kruse Stadium that saw TLU win 6-1. TLU is 11-2 against Trinity in postseason play.
• Penn State Behrend, automatic qualifiers as winners of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), went 28-11 on the year with a 15-1 mark in AMCC play. The Lions are making their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Penn State Behrend is paced by All-AMCC First Team honorees, Alexia Brown and Izabel Pozar. Brown ranked third in conference games with 25 hits, fifth in stolen bases with 10 and sixth in total runs scored (20). She had nine multiple-hit games in 16 AMCC contests along with four multiple-RBI games. Overall, she ranks third on the team with a .346 average, smacking 37 hits and recording a team-leading 26 walks. Pozar ranks fourth on the team with 37 hits and has driven in 16 runs, while scoring 24. Pozar has nine stolen bases and eight doubles to go with three triples. She has turned five double plays and boasts a .971 fielding average in 38 games played.
• In the circle, Abby Tingley, who was named AMCC Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday, leads the team with a 13-6 record with one save and 82 strikeouts to 36 walks. She holds a 2.79 ERA and teams are batting .251 off the senior.
• Thursday's matchup between TLU and Penn State Behrend will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.
THREE NAMED TO NFCA PLAYER/PITCHER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
• Three members of the Texas Lutheran softball team were named to the 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Pitcher and Player of the Year Watch List announced in early April.
• Seniors Caelee Clark and Katelyn Howard and junior Riley Davila were among the 118 student-athletes on the mid-season watch list.
• It marks Clark's third appearance on the mid-season list, while Davila and Howard make their first appearances.
• The winners will be announced prior to NCAA Division-III Women's College World Series slated for May 28-June 3 at Moyer Park in Salem, Virginia.
BULLDOGS PACE CONFERENCE IN YEARLY AWARDS
• Texas Lutheran softball earned three of the four Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference yearly awards and placed eight across the All-SCAC First and Second Teams, including a league-best five on the first team.
• Senior Caelee Clark was named SCAC Player of the Year for the third time in her career, while senior Katelyn Howard was named Pitcher of the Year. TLU head coach Wade Wilson was named Coach of the Year. It marks Wilson's third straight SCAC Coach of the Year honor.
• Clark collects TLU's 12th SCAC Player of the Year award, winning the award every year since joining the conference in 2014. Clark becomes the first athlete in SCAC history to win Player of the Year honors three times.
• The highlight-reel second baseman has started every game for No. 3 TLU and led the team throughout the season in batting average, on-base percentage, hits, runs, walks, and stolen bases. She has consistently ranked in the top ten nationally in hits, runs, and stolen bases. The NCAA's all-time career stolen base leader has stolen 76 bases on 79 attempts to lead all of college softball and been exceptional at second base for TLU, turning five double plays with a .982 fielding percentage. The Montgomery, Texas, native stole the NCAA record-breaking career base No. 258 in front of her home crowd in March and has run her career total to 293 entering the NCAA Tournament. Clark led the conference in batting average (.482), runs (66), hits (68), on-base percentage (.546) and stolen bases. In SCAC play, Clark had four extra base hits, 48 runs scored, 50 hits, 18 RBI and 54 stolen bases. She is on pace to become the first athlete in SCAC softball history to lead the league in hits in three different seasons and historically currently ranks second all-time with 246 hits.
• Howard, collected her first career conference awards in SCAC Pitcher of the Year. Her pitcher of the year honor is TLU's 11th in school annals and is TLU's sixth consecutive.
• Howard has had a dominant senior campaign, holding a 0.75 ERA that ranks fourth nationally with ten individual shutouts and one no-hitter. The Hempstead, Texas, product is 20-1 in the circle and has allowed just 13 extra base hits in 2026. Howard has 83 strikeouts to just 20 walks and 14 earned runs, while opponents are batting just .225 against the senior. In conference play, Howard led the league in wins (16-1) while holding a 0.65 ERA and allowing just 12 runs.
• Wilson wins his third consecutive SCAC Coach of the Year award and 11th overall in his 15 seasons at the helm in Seguin. Since the Bulldogs joined the SCAC prior to the 2014 season, Wilson has guided the program to a 527-97 overall record, including an impressive 267-10 (.964) mark in conference play. His 267 SCAC victories are the most by any coach in conference history.
• Wilson has guided the third-ranked Bulldogs to a 38-4 record in 2026 and 12th consecutive SCAC regular season title and 10th SCAC Tournament title. The team has outscored opponents 353-73 on the year and 263-45 in conference play. The Bulldogs allowed just 38 earned runs and stole 158 bases in conference.
• Of the 12 student-athletes that made up the All-SCAC First Team, five were Bulldogs.
• TLU's league best five selections outpaces the next-highest school by two. Claiming First Team honors were Clark, Howard, Riley Davila, Serena Gonzalez, and Taylor Vannett.
• Juniors Cady Bowyer and Ashley McMahon and sophomore Jordyn Joy brought TLU's All-SCAC total to eight with their selections to the All-SCAC Second Team.
• Sophomores Brey Jones (San Antonio/Brennan), Jordyn Stuessy (Garden Ridge/Davenport), and Chesley Swisher and senior Harleigh Russell were named All-SCAC honorable mention to bring the Bulldogs All-SCAC total to 11 honorees.
THE CAE WAY
• Texas Lutheran second baseman Caelee Clark has showcased her versatility and dependability for the Bulldogs since she stepped foot on campus as a freshman in 2023 and her productivity from the leadoff spot has been pivotal to the Bulldogs success.
• Clark has started and hit in the leadoff spot in every game for the Bulldogs over the last four seasons, with the Bulldogs being 155-22 over that span.
• The speedy leadoff has continued to showcase her ability to get on base, tallying a team-high 21 walks while pacing the nation in stolen bases with 76 stolen bases.
• The two-time NFCA All-American and two-time Golden Shoe Award winner paces TLU in batting average (.482), walks (21), runs scored (66), hits (66) and stolen bases (76-79). She ranks in the top-five nationally in runs (1st), and stolen bases (1st).
• Earlier this season, Clark stole base No. 258 to break the tie with Georgia's Nicole Barber to be the NCAA career stolen base leader. Clark currently is looking to become the first softball player to ever steal 300 bases, entering the weekend with 293 in her career.
GOOD COMES TO THOSE WHO WAIT
• After serving as a role player her first three seasons, Texas Lutheran senior right-handed pitcher Katelyn Howard rode the momentum that started last postseason into a career year in 2026.
• An All-SCAC honoree in 2025 and a member of the 2026 NFCA Pitcher of the Year Watch List, Howard has paced TLU's pitching staff with 83 strikeouts and a 0.75 ERA, allowing opponents to bat just .225. Howard has a nation-best ten individual shutouts in 2026 and has combined on four. The Waller, Texas, product also threw a no-hitter on Opening Day against UMHB.
• With her performance this year, Howard has entered her name into the TLU record book. Her 20 wins thus far tie for the fifth most in a single-season.
JOY, HOWARD, STUESSY LEAD PITCHING STAFF
• The nine-deep Texas Lutheran pitching staff has put together a solid season, pitching shutouts in 19 of TLU's 42 games and have tossed shutouts in seven of TLU's last 14 games.
• Along with Howard's no-hitter, the staff has allowed just one hit in three games this season.
• The staff holds a 1.64 ERA, good for sixth in the country, and has allowed 73 runs in 42 games to go with 1457 strikeouts and 237 hits allowed to 52 walks.
• Sophomore lefty Jordyn Joy boasts 43 strikeouts in 66.1 innings of work to go with 12 wins and one loss. Opponents are batting just .218 against the Kerrville, Texas native. In conference play, Joy had a 1.08 ERA with 27 strikeouts to eight walks while opponents hit .212 against her.
• Senior RHP Katelyn Howard paces TLU with 83 strikeouts on the year in 131.0 IP to go with a team-best 20 wins. In conference play, Howard was 16-1 with a 0.65 ERA to go with 62 strikeouts and 15 walks. Opponents hit just .218 against Howard in conference.
• Sophomore transfer Jordyn Stuessy has impressed at times in her first season with the Bulldogs, striking out 28 in 47.2 innings pitched and collecting four wins to one loss while leading the SCAC with three saves. Stuessy holds a 2.23 ERA and has struck out 20 in conference play to ten walks.
• Sophomores Jamie Burch (5.1), Kezia Alvear (4.1), and Andrea Hataway (Port Lavaca/Calhoun) (1.1) as well as freshmen Sophie Donalson (Bellaire/Bellaire) (4.1) and Layla Gallardo (Cypress/Cy-Ranch) (3.2) have all seen action for the Bulldogs in 2026.
#STOLENBASEU
• As TLU paced the country in stolen bases eight of the last nine seasons (NCAA record 236 stolen bases in 2025), the Bulldogs are off to another scorching pace in 2026, having stolen 226 bases, leading the NCAA across all three divisions in total stolen bases and stolen bases per game (5.67).
• In 2026, the Bulldogs have stolen a base in 40 games of their 42 games and only stole less than two in three of the Bulldogs 42 games so far this season. Texas Lutheran stole a season-high 13 bases twice this season.
• Individually, six Bulldogs have stolen double-digit bases and 14 out of 21 active offensive players have stolen at least one base. Caelee Clark paces the nation with 76 while Riley Davila ranks 22nd in Division-III with 38. Ashley McMahon (Las Vegas, NV/Durango) (22) and Chesley Swisher (22) join Clark and Davila with 20+ stolen bases this season.
MORE NOTES & NUMBERS
• Texas Lutheran has won 236 of its last 270 games (.874 win%) dating back to the start of the 2021 season.
• Of those 270 games, 97 have been via run-rule (35.9%).
• TLU's defense ranks third in Division-III with a .978 fielding percentage, committing 24 errors on the season.
• Texas Lutheran has outhit its opponents in 35 of 42 games this season, and in the seven games they didn't outhit the opposition, the Bulldogs are 4-3.
• TLU has been exceptional in a number of situations this season, hitting .416 with an RBI opportunity and leadoff hitters getting on base at a .520 clip. The team is batting .621 with a runner on third with less than two outs, with a number of players hitting over .700. Serena Gonzalez leads the team with 15 RBI with two outs with Cady Bowyer following close behind with 14 of her own. The team is batting .376 with two outs, led by Gonzalez's .583 average with two away.
