WEEKEND BASICS
• Third-ranked and No. 8 national seed Texas Lutheran hosts its second ever Super Regional May 21-22 as the Bulldogs play host to No. 9-seed Redlands in a rematch from the 2025 Women's College World Series.
• Game One is set for a 2 p.m. CT start on Thursday before a 1 p.m. first pitch Friday. Friday's if-necessary game time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The games can be seen on ncaa.com for free all weekend.
• This weekend's Supers marks TLU's second straight appearance. Overall, it's TLU's fourth appearance in Super Regionals.
• 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 $25 for adults or $15 for seniors for access to all games for the weekend.
• The Bulldogs are aiming for their fourth Women's College World Series appearance.
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 second straight Super Regional appearance and fourth overall. All-time, the Bulldogs are 6-1 in the round, including a 2-0 mark in Supers held at Ed Kruse Stadium. The last Seguin Super Regional came in 2022 against Belhaven which the Bulldogs swept in two games.
• The Bulldogs are aiming for their fourth Women's College World Series appearance.
LAST TIME OUT
• TLU swept through the NCAA Seguin Regional, including two run-rule victories, outscoring the opposition 35-4. The Bulldogs beat Penn State Behrend 10-0 in five innings to open the regional and followed that up with a 19-3 win over Trinity in five innings before taking down No. 13 Huntingdon in the regional final 6-1.
• In Friday's regional semifinal against Trinity, Texas Lutheran had a number of historic performances. The 19-run effort is the second most runs in an NCAA Tournament game in SCAC history only trailing the Bulldogs 21-3 win over Cedar Crest in the 2021 NCAA Seguin Regional. The 19 runs also helped the 2026 squad pass the 2016 team (375) to become the highest scoring team in program history, bringing their season run total to 382. As a team, Texas Lutheran broke the NCAA Division-III stolen base record for the fourth time in five seasons as their seven stolen base effort on Friday brought their season total to 239, surpassing last season's NCAA record of 236. The 239 stolen bases move the Bulldogs into the top 15 for stolen bases in a season across all levels. The NCAA stolen base queen Caelee Clark (Montgomery/Lake Creek) made more history on Friday, breaking TLU's single-season hit record set by former teammate Annie Kay just last season (71, 2025) as her 3-for-4 performance pushed her season tally to 74 on the season. Clark also made more history on the base paths. With her four stolen bases on Friday, Clark not only tied Kelly Jurden (4, 2021) for the program record for stolen bases in a regional game, but she became the first player in college softball history to steal 300 bases in their career, stealing the 300th base in the fifth inning. Clark also became the first player in NCAA softball history with multiple 80+ stolen base seasons, raising her season total to 83 on Friday. The history continued for Clark as she tied Chassety Raines (4, 2021) for the program record for runs scored in a regional game with four runs scored. Teammate Taylor Vannett (Kingwood/Kingwood) also made history on Friday, breaking the TLU single-season RBI record previously set by teammate Serena Gonzalez a season ago (61, 2025) with her 63rd RBI of the season coming on Friday.
• Senior Caelee Clark had an exceptional regional showing, hitting 9-for-11 (.818) with two doubles, eight runs, ten stolen bases and four RBIs, earning Seguin Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.
• On the weekend, the Bulldogs stole 20 bases paced by ten from Clark.
• Four different Bulldogs recorded three or more RBIs in a single game regional weekend. (Vannet, 3 vs. Trinity, Fri.; Bowyer, 4 vs. Trinity, Fri.; Pacheco, 3 vs. Trinity, Fri.; Clark, 3 vs. Huntingdon, Sat.)
• TLU outscored its regional opponents 35-4 and outhit the foes 34-17.
• In the circle, TLU's pitching staff pushed its shutout number to 20, surrendering just four runs on the weekend to go with 12 strikeouts. The staff threw a two-hitter vs. Penn State Behrend. Texas Lutheran's pitching staff registered a 1.65 ERA across 17.0 innings in the regional.
• The regional championship was the fifth in program history and second straight.
• Taylor Vannett, Cady Bowyer (Fulshear/Jordan), Clark, Jordyn Joy (Kerrville/Tivy) and Ashley McMahon (Las Vegas, NV/Durango) were named to the Seguin Regional All-Tournament Team.
SEASON STORYLINES
• The Bulldogs went 4-3 in ranked matchups in the regular 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. The Bulldogs added another Top 25 win last week over Huntingdon.
• TLU is outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 388-77 on the season, surrendering an average of 1.71 runs/game. The pitching staff has been exceptional, tossing shutouts in 20 of TLU's 45 games to rank second in the country.
• Katelyn Howard (Waller/Hempstead) leads the pitching staff with a 0.86 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 (1.39) and Jamie Burch (Sinton/Sinton) (1.31).
• As a team, TLU is batting .398, ranking second in NCAA Division-III with 246 stolen bases - leading the NCAA across all levels. TLU ranks fourth in runs (388) while ranking third in on-base percentage (.466) and scoring (8.62) and fifth in hits (478). Caelee Clark, who became college softball's all-time stolen base leader earlier this season, leads the nation with 86 stolen bases with Riley Davila (Angleton/Angleton) ranking in the top 20 nationally with 40 this season. Taylor Vannett leads the team with 63 RBIs, ranking eighth in Division-III, while three other Bulldogs have 30-plus runs batted in.
A LOOK AT THE BULLDOGS
• The Redlands Bulldogs are led by head coach Jose Ortega in his eighth season at the helm in Redlands, California. Oretega helped the Buldlogs to the program's first Super Regional and World Series in 2025.
• The Bulldogs are 41-5 on the year and won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) regular season and tournament championships with a 20-1 mark in the regular season.
• Redlands is paced by All-SCIAC First Team veterans Katelyn Gandara and Jenay Scott, among other Bulldog upperclassmen along with Caitlynn Griffth, who was named 2026 SCIAC Newcomer of the Year.
• Gandara, a one-time All-American and multi-time SCIAC Pitcher/Player of the Year, is renowned as one of the best players in the West Region. Gandara is batting .452 in her senior season with four homers and 53 RBIs. In the circle, she is 21-1 with a 47 strikeouts and a 2.24 ERA. Gandara was named Most Outstanding Player of the Waverly, Iowa Regional and also was named to the NFCA All-West Region First Team.
• Fellow All-Region honoree Jenay Scott was the second-leading hitter for the Bulldogs with a .457 average to earn Second Team All-Region honors. She added 14 extra base hits, 34 RBI, 42 runs scored, and nine stolen bases. She was also selected First Team All-SCIAC.
• Griffin ranks fourth in the country with six saves as a freshman in 2026.
• Senior Adyson Kim joined Gandara on the NFCA All-West Region First Team as a third baseman. Kim, also a First Team All-SCIAC selection, is hitting .344 with a .379 on-base percentage. She also had 43 runs batted in, which is second most on the team, and 17 extra base hits, which is the third most for the Bulldogs.
• History with the Bulldogs: TLU and Redlands have just once in the programs two histories with the matchup coming in last year's Women's College World Series. Redlands won the match up 2-0 to eliminate the Bulldogs with Gandara driving in both runs and picking up the win in the circle.
SIX NAMED NFCA ALL-REGION
• Texas Lutheran Softball had six student-athletes named to the NFCA All-West Region team, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced the honors last week.
• Collecting First Team honors was senior second baseman Caelee Clark, junior outfielder Riley Davila, and senior pitcher Katelyn Howard. Senior designated player Serena Gonzalez (Corpus Christi/Foy H. Moody) and senior catcher Taylor Vannett were both named Second Team All-Region while Cady Bowyer earned Third Team honors.
• Overall, this marks the fifth time in the last six seasons Texas Lutheran receives five or more All-Region honorees.
• The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association's 10 regions with first, second and third teams selected for each region. The all-region teams were voted on by NFCA member coaches from each respective region, and all the honorees now become eligible for selection to one of three 2026 NFCA Division III All-American teams.
• For clarification, position players must play 50% of a team's total games (60% of nominee's total games at the nominated position). Pitchers must accumulate 100 innings pitched or 30% of team's total innings pitched throughout the regular season.
• The 2026 NFCA Division III All-America teams, voted on by the NFCA DIII All-American Committee, will be announced May 27.
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 86 bases on 89 attempts to lead all of college softball and been exceptional at second base for TLU, turning seven double plays with a .979 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, runs, hits, on-base percentage, 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 259 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 0.88 ERA that ranks fourth nationally with ten individual shutouts and one no-hitter. The Hempstead, Texas, product is 21-1 in the circle and has allowed just 14 extra base hits in 2026. Howard has 87 strikeouts to just 22 walks and 17 earned runs, while opponents are batting just .229 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 530-97 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 41-4 record in 2026 and 12th consecutive SCAC regular season title and 10th SCAC Tournament title. The team has outscored opponents 388-77 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 158-22 over that span.
• The speedy leadoff has continued to showcase her ability to get on base, tallying a team-high 22 walks while pacing the nation in stolen bases with 86 stolen bases.
• The two-time NFCA All-American and two-time Golden Shoe Award winner paces TLU in batting average (.507), walks (22), runs scored (74), hits (77) and stolen bases (86-89). She ranks in the top-ten nationally in hits (7th), runs (1st), and stolen bases (1st). She is currently tied for fourth in Division-III history in runs scored in a single-season and needs two stolen bases to break her own Division-III record for stolen bases in a season (87, 2024). Her 243 career runs scored rank fifth in Division-III history. In 2026, Clark became the first player in NCAA Division-III history to post a 70-70-70 season with 70+ hits, runs, and stolen bases.
• 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. Last week, Clark became the first softball player to ever steal 300 bases.
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 87 strikeouts and a 0.88 ERA, allowing opponents to bat just .229. 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 21 wins thus far tie Maitlin Raycroft for the third 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 20 of TLU's 45 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 seventh in the country, and has allowed 77 runs in 45 games to go with 169 strikeouts and 254 hits allowed to 59 walks.
• Sophomore lefty Jordyn Joy boasts 51 strikeouts in 75.1 innings of work to go with 14 wins and one loss. Opponents are batting just .221 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 87 strikeouts on the year in 138.0 IP to go with a team-best 21 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 (5.1), 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, the Bulldogs are off to another scorching pace in 2026, having stolen an NCAA Division-III record 246 bases, leading the NCAA across all three divisions in total stolen bases and stolen bases per game (5.47). As a team, Texas Lutheran broke the NCAA Division-III stolen base record for the fourth time in five seasons as their seven stolen base effort against Trinity brought their season total to 239, surpassing last season's NCAA record of 236.
• In 2026, the Bulldogs have stolen a base in 43 games of their 45 games and only stole less than two in three of the Bulldogs 45 games so far this season. Texas Lutheran stole a season-high 13 bases twice this season.
• Individually, seven 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 86 while Riley Davila ranks 18th in Division-III with 40. Ashley McMahon (24), Chesley Swisher (23), Brey Jones (20), and Harleigh Russell (20) join Clark and Davila with 20 or more stolen bases this season.
MORE NOTES & NUMBERS
• Texas Lutheran has won 239 of its last 273 games (.875 win%) dating back to the start of the 2021 season.
• Of those 273 games, 99 have been via run-rule (36.3%).
• TLU's defense ranks third in Division-III with a .978 fielding percentage, committing 26 errors on the season.
• Texas Lutheran has outhit its opponents in 37 of 45 games this season, and in the eight games they didn't outhit the opposition, the Bulldogs are 5-3.
• TLU has been exceptional in a number of situations this season, hitting .411 with an RBI opportunity and leadoff hitters getting on base at a .536 clip. The team is batting .616 with a runner on third with less than two outs, with a number of players hitting over .700. Serena Gonzalez and Cady Bowyer lead the team with 16 RBI with two outs. The team is batting .380 with two outs, led by Gonzalez's .564 average with two away.
