CANYON, Texas – After starting the season 5-0 at the South Central Regional Challenge, the West Texas A&M softball team returns to Canyon for its home opener as part of the WT Invitational. The three-day tournament sees the Lady Buffs face Lincoln, MSU Moorhead, and UC-Colorado Springs.
A full tournament schedule with game links can be found on the softball page of GoBuffsGo.com.
GAME COVERAGE
The Athletic Communications Department from West Texas A&M will provide live stats and a pay-per-view web stream. Fans will need to purchase a monthly ($19.99) or annual ($107.88) subscription with FloSports, the official streaming provider of the Lone Star Conference. The subscription allows fans access to any content available on FloSports.
A LOOK AT THE LADY BUFFS
The Lady Buffs started the season 5-0 at the South Central Regional Challenge with wins over Adams State, New Mexico Highlands, Simon Fraser and UCCS. Over the five wins, WT outscored its opponents 70-5.
13 of the 16 Lady Buffs who batted posted a .333 or higher batting average in the opening weekend including
Cadence Colborn with a .750 average. As a team, WT features 12 players a 1.000 or better OPS. The Lady Buffs proved to have success on the base paths, stealing 16 bases in 20 attempts. Colborn and
Halie Stoneking hit two doubles each with
Emilee Boyer and
Lauren Granger hitting two home runs. WT averages 14.0 runs per game, leading the nation and the Lone Star Conference. The Lady Buffs also rank inside the top 10 in multiple other categories.
In the circle, WT has posted a 0.48 ERA with 32 strikeouts and two earned runs in 29 innings.
Heidi Vortherms and
Emilee Boyer recorded double-digit strikeouts with the pair accounting for 12 and 10, respectively.
Kendall Selitzky notched nine in her first collegiate innings.
Head Coach
Michael Mook is in his sixth season at WT, registering a 191-53 (.783) record in that time. For his career, Mook holds 345-114 record in 10 seasons for an overall winning percentage of .752.
SCOUTING LINCOLN
(Friday / 3:45 p.m. | Sunday / 1:30 p.m.)
The Blue Tigers were selected to finish 15th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Preseason Poll after a 13-35 overall (4-22 MIAA) record in 2024. In July 2024, Lincoln joined the GLVC as 2025 marks the first season for the Blue Tigers in the conference. Lincoln is led by third-year head coach Jason Ollison who has posted a record of 20-76 in his career.
Returning senior Abbi Conrad led the Blue Tigers in batting average last season with a .340 average while Maris Ollison followed with a .282 average. Abby Pulliam returns to the circle for Lincoln which posted a 5.28 team ERA with 127 strikeouts to 170 walks in 303.2 innings of work.
SCOUTING MSU MOORHEAD
(Friday / 8:15 p.m. | Saturday / 3:45 p.m.)
The Dragons opened the 2025 season with a 4-2 mark at the Minot State Bubble Invite, recording wins over Minot State, Univ. of Mary, and Black Hills State.
Avery Steffen leads the Dragons offense as the senior holds a .632 batting average with a 1.682 OPS, 1.000 slugging average, and .682 on-base percentage. The Zumbrota, Minn. native paces MSU Moorhead with 12 hits and three doubles to go along with two triples and eight stolen bases. Eliya Johnson follows with a .368 average, .874 OPS, and a .400 on-base percentage.
As a pitching staff, the Dragons hold a 1.97 ERA in 39.0 innings of work. During that time, opponents are hitting .209 while hitting 12 doubles and striking out 39 times. Steffen leads the staff with a 1.40 ERA on three appearances with three starts, holding a 3-0 record with 24 strikeouts and nine walks. Steffen was also named the NSIC Pitcher of the Week for her performances in the circle.
Vanessa Kellems is in her first season as the head coach of the MSU Moorhead program and third overall. Johansen holds an 58-53 (.523) record for her career with a 4-2 record at the helm of the Dragons.
SCOUTING UC-COLORADO SPRINGS
(Saturday / 8:15 p.m.)
The Mountain Lions opened the 2025 season with a 3-1 record at the South Central Regional Challenge. UCCS defeated Eastern New Mexico, Sul Ross State, and Western New Mexico before falling to WT.
Katie Steinmetz leads the Mountain Lion offense as the junior holds a .667 batting average with a 1.922 OPS, 1.222 slugging average, and .700 on-base percentage. The Chula Vista, Calif. native paces UCCS with six hits including two doubles, a home run, and four RBIs. Jacqueline Berkowitz follows with a .500 average, 1.000 OPS, and a .500 on-base percentage.
As a pitching staff, the Mountain Lions hold a 6.37 ERA in 26.0 innings of work. During that time, opponents are hitting .310 while hitting 10 doubles, five triples, a home run and striking out 27 times. Hannah Hunt leads the staff with a 1.80 ERA on two appearances with one start, holding a 2-0 record with nine strikeouts and one walk. Autumn Kunze leads the Mountain Lions with 11 strikeouts.
Dwight Sanders is in his second season as the head coach of the UCCS program and fourth overall. Johansen holds an 65-90 (.419) record for her career with a 22-23 record at the helm of the Mountain Lions.
LSC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
On Monday, the Lone Star Conference announced West Texas A&M freshman
Cadence Colborn earned the league's Softball Freshman of the Week honor.
Colborn impressed in her collegiate debut for West Texas A&M, helping the Lady Buffs to a 5-0 record at the South Central Region Crossover. Colborn put together a 6-for-8 showing at the plate (.750) with three doubles – two against Adams State, a triple, four runs, and six RBI. She posted a .667 on-base percentage to go with a 1.375 slugging percentage. Colborn also swiped two bases in her two attempts.
NFCA RANKINGS
Reigning national champion UT Tyler received all 16 first-place votes to claim the top spot in the preseason poll. 2024 National Runner-up Western Washington earned the No. 2 spot with 384 points followed by Indianapolis (362), Lenoir-Rhyne (356), and Wilmington (325). Auburn-Montgomery (317), Augustana (310), North Georgia (273), Rogers State (256), and Tampa (255) round out the top 10.
The South Central region is represented by five teams with UT Tyler leading the way at No. 1. Angelo State (11
th), WT (13
th), Colorado Mesa (21
st), and Oklahoma Christian (24
th) earned spots in the poll.
LSC PRESEASON POLL
Reigning National Champion UT Tyler took the top spot in the poll with 34 first-place votes and 672 points followed by WT with eight first-place votes and 642 points. Angelo State grabbed the final first-place vote for 590 points with Oklahoma Christian following at 528 points. Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's tied for fifth in the poll with each school totaling 483 points. Texas Woman's (382), Texas A&M-Kingsville (372), Cameron (348), and Eastern New Mexico (315) occupy the seventh through 10
th spots, respectively. St. Edward's (293), Texas A&M International (215), Midwestern State (214), UT Permian Basin (97), and Sul Ross State (72) round out the poll.
UP NEXT
The Lady Buffs remain at Schaeffer Park to kick off Lone Star Conference play. WT takes on St. Edward's on Friday before hosting St. Mary's on Sunday.
