Softball

ASC Softball Diamond Notes (6)

DALLAS – American Southwest Conference softball has a shortened week due to Easter Weekend coming up. East Texas Baptist remains atop the conference standings with a 9-0 record and are on a 16-game winning streak. LeTourneau rattled off five straight wins and matches Hardin-Simmons in the second spot through two conference series. McMurry is powering ahead with the second-most league wins (7), while UT Dallas gives the league five teams over .500 and on winning streaks. This week, four conference head-to-head matchups will take place with ETBU and McMurry playing its series next Tuesday through Wednesday.  
 
2024 ASC Standings
ASC PAST SERIES
Mary Hardin-Baylor at East Texas Baptist (ETBU won 3-0)
Howard Payne at LeTourneau (LETU won 3-0)
McMurry at Ozarks (MCM won 3-0)
Sul Ross State* at UT Dallas (UTD won 3-0) (Non-ASC games)
Concordia Texas at Hardin-Simmons (HSU won 2-1)
 
2024 ASC Softball Schedule
ASC SERIES MATCHUPS (March 28-30)
LeTourneau at Mary Hardin-Baylor
UT Dallas at Concordia Texas
Howard Payne at Hardin-Simmons
Ozarks at Sul Ross State* (Does not count toward ASC standings)
East Texas Baptist at McMurry (April 2)
 
ASC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK AND TOP PERFORMANCES
Co-HITTER OF THE WEEK – Tristen Maddox, SS, Sr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist senior shortstop Tristen Maddox (Mission, Texas) had a big weekend hitting over .500 with 3 home runs and 8 RBI. She had a walk-off 3-run home run in game 2 of the series in the bottom of the 7th inning. She logged four extra-base hits with three home runs and one double. In game one, with a 4-2 lead, she hit a home run in the sixth inning for a 5-2 lead. In game two, she took a 3-1 count with two outs and hit a 3-run home run to left field to end the game. In game three, she homered in the sixth inning for a 2-run shot to make it 6-0. This is her second ASC Hitter of the Week this season.
 
Co-HITTER OF THE WEEK – Maddie Flanery, OF, So., LeTourneau
LeTourneau sophomore outfielder Maddie Flanery (Tyler, Texas) batted .462 (6-for-13) with two triples, four RBIs, seven runs scored, and swiped eight bases in a 5-0 week for the YellowJackets. Flanery set a program game record, and tied the ASC record, with five stolen bases in a 10-2 win
over Howard Payne in game two of the series. In the three-game sweep of Howard Payne, Flanery went a combined 5-for-10 with six runs, two triples, three RBIs, and seven stolen bases. In a sweep of Centenary, Flanery went 1-for-3 in the opener with an RBI, run, and a stolen base.

Tri-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Jenna Lewis, RHP, Sr., McMurry
McMurry senior right-handed pitcher Jenna Lewis (Hearne, Texas) shut down the Eagles in two complete-game shutouts and combining to allow five hits. She logged 15 strikeouts and walked one batter. Lewis secured her sixth and seventh victories on the season as her efforts gave the War Hawks two shutouts and a series sweep.

Tri-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – McKenzie Cutbirth, RHP, Jr., UT Dallas
UT Dallas junior right-handed pitcher McKenzie Cutbirth (Klein, Texas) went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in her two complete game starts against Sul Ross State. She allowed just an unearned run, three walks and five hits, while striking out five and holding the Lobos to a .109 batting average. Cutbirth recorded a 1-0 shutout on Saturday in the series finale. She is the second pitcher in school history to start the season 9-0. This is her second ASC Pitcher of the Week honor this season.

Tri-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Madelyn Melton, LHP, Jr., East Texas Baptist
East Texas Baptist junior left-handed pitcher Madelyn Melton (Hallsville, Texas) pitched a complete game shutout in game three recording four strikeouts and allowing just 3 hits. She retired the side in the second, fourth, and seventh inning. She also went 2-of-3 at the plate with a home run.
 
NOTABLES
 
(Rankings)
NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll (Mar. 26)
No. 4 East Texas Baptist (220 pts.) (Prev. No. 4)

Tigers End Game with 3-Run Walkoff HR

 
YellowJackets Post 3 Homers in series opener

 
Comets Earn a Home Sweep

 
2024 ASC Season Stats
 
AROUND THE DIAMOND
East Texas Baptist continues to be one of the top teams nationally with a 17-1 overall record and took care of business at home over Mary Hardin-Baylor. The highlight game was a 10-9 victory thanks to Tristen Maddox smacking a three-run homer to win the game and secure the series. Madelyn Melton pitched a three-hit shutout to polish the sweep off with a 6-0 final.
 
McMurry swept Ozarks with a 17-2 series score overall. The War Hawks were led in the circle by Jenna Lewis with a pair of shutouts and combined 15 strikeouts. In the highest scoring game, 10-2, which was game two, the War Hawks scored nine runs from innings five and later.
 
UT Dallas posted a series sweep over Sul Ross State at home. The Comets had a pair of one-run victories, opening with a 2-1 final and closing with a 1-0 final. McKenzie Cutbirth was a force in both one-run decisions, going the distance and not allowing an earned run while fanning eight. Addison Caddel had the game-winning sacrifice fly in the third inning of the finale.
 
LeTourneau picked up a sweep over Howard Payne last weekend at neutral site fields. The YellowJackets won  a pair of eight-run games, before needing an eight-inning thriller to secure the sweep. LETU drove three runs in the seventh to force extra innings, and Jenna Carter doubled to left center and scored Lexi Hutchins, who had pitched the entire game.
 
Hardin-Simmons claimed a series win over Concordia Texas this past weekend. After dropping game one, 4-3. The Cowgirls edged CTX 2-1 and 8-5. HSU rallied down a run with a score in the fifth and sixth frames to take the lead. Kylie Ruiz and Jorey Hood combined to allow one run on six hits. HSU won the rubber game with a four-run sixth that lifted the team the rest of the way. Concordia Texas was led by three-run first and had the deciding run in the fourth. Four stolen bases were featured in the win. Mayson Post had a complete game.
 
Check out ASC’s Players of the Week to see who the league’s top hitter and pitcher performances were last week.