SAN ANTONIO – Trinity University Softball will host the entirety of its upcoming six-game homestand over the next seven days, welcoming Wellesley College (MA), DePauw University (IN) and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Centenary College (LA) to the TU Softball Field.
The Tigers (4-18; 2-4 SCAC) took home its first conference series last weekend with a pair of comeback victories at Schreiner University, taking down the Mountaineers (7-14; 1-5 SCAC) in the series' second (14-9, 8 inn.) and third contests (10-9).
As the starting designated player in both victories, junior
Dawson Dabboussi (Dallas, Texas / Highland Park) broke out for six RBI on five-for-eight from the plate, all of which came either (1) in an extra inning, (2) to tie or (3) to take a lead in either contest.
While being the Trinity starter in the circle was treacherous for all three contests, solid relief pitching kept Schreiner within reach for the comeback victories.
In two relief appearances for the weekend, first-year
Jordan Arce (Thousand Oaks, Calif. / Thousand Oaks) collected 7.2 relief innings with a 2.74 earned-run average, including the 3.2 shutout innings that rendered her first collegiate win on Saturday.
Junior
Bella Gutierrez (Devine, Texas / Devine) added to the strong relief with the final four innings of Saturday's matchup—for her second victory of 2023—allowing just one run after the Tigers took the lead with a three-run seventh frame.
Sophomore
Jessie Lloyd (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. / Trabuco Hills) continues to be the season's tone-setter at the plate as she holds a .333 batting average with team-highs of 22 hits, five doubles and is tied with first-year
Carsyn Lee (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) with nine RBI. Along with Lloyd and Lee, Dabboussi and junior
Marina Delaluna (Concord, Calif. / Concord) register as Tigers with seven or more RBI this season.
Trinity Softball will head back out on the road for its next SCAC series, following this weekend's visit from Centenary, to battle University of St. Thomas in Houston (April 7-8).
The final regular season homestand occurs over the next six games, highlighted by the weekend series with Texas Lutheran University (April 14-15), currently ranked fourth in NCAA III by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
Preview: Time to Break in the Turf
Having hosted just six of their first 22 games this season, the Tigers will host its next six contests in a span of six days at the newly-renovated TU Softball Field.
On the Blue: Wellesley will be seeking its first victory of the season heading into its three-day Texas mini circuit, which begins Monday night in Seguin, Texas against the nationally ranked Bulldogs. That said, the Blue opened their season just 10 days ago and are 0-3-1 thus far.
Last season, Wellesley recorded a 4-27 record that featured a 3-15 mark in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference play after the program stood dormant for two years, losing the entirety of the 2020 and 2021 schedules to the COVID-19 outbreak. In 2019, the Blue notched a 13-17-2 mark.
Of those returning from the 2022 roster, sophomore Lauren Young highlights the list as a pitcher/utility, making two starts in the circle along with one in right field. Last year, Young pitched 61.2 innings with a 4.09 ERA and has collected four hits (with a double and a triple) in 14 at-bats so far this season.
On the Tigers from Indiana: Thursday's meeting with DePauw will be the first since its departure from the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference after the 2010-11 academic year. These Tigers also face a Texas mini-circuit this week, visiting a pair of nationally ranked programs in No. 7 East Texas Baptist University (Mon.) and No. 4 Texas Lutheran (Wed.) ahead of their visit to San Antonio.
DePauw stands at 4-9 this season, and will not begin North Coast Athletic Conference play until April 8 or hold its home-opener until April 22. The two programs share one opponent so far this season: Piedmont University (GA), whom DePauw fell to, 8-5, on March 3. Last year, DePauw qualified for the NCAA III tournament with a record of 35-11 and finished the season ranked No. 20 by the NFCA.
During the entire shared tenure in the SCAC (1999-2011), Trinity held a 10-5 series record over DePauw, though the Hoosier Tigers claimed all of the final four matchups from 2008 through 2011.
DePauw's leading returner from 2022 at the plate this season—junior Goose Moore—is hitting .281 in 12 appearances though she has crossed the plate 11 times and has collected three triples already this season. Pitching has been a group effort for these Tigers as well in 2023, as four different players have collected at least two starts in the circle, led by first-year Megan Asher with a 2.56 ERA over 27.1 innings.
On the Ladies: Centenary, while 6-14 this season (2-4 in the SCAC), is solely responsible for the current SCAC standings not showing a three-way undefeated tie at the top as the Ladies are responsible for the first in-conference losses of both St. Thomas (GM1: 2-1, March 18) and Texas Lutheran (GM2: 7-6, March 25).
Since the Ladies joined the SCAC ahead of the 2012-13 academic year, Trinity holds a 25-14 series lead over Centenary including six of the last eight matchups over the past two seasons and all four matchups in 2022.
While full-season statistics are great, it may be more impactful to highlight the key performances from Centenary's two SCAC victories this season as this weekend's "players to watch."
In last weekend's victory over Texas Lutheran, junior rightfielder Mackenzie Cox went three-for-three with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored. To break the seal in the SCAC win column against St. Thomas, sophomore Anna Scarbrock tossed a complete game from the circle allowing five hits, one of which being a seventh-inning solo home run for her lone earned run.
In the Hole: On the Road Again
Trinity Softball hits the pavement once again following this week's condensed homestand to battle St. Thomas for a three-game conference series in Houston, April 7-8.
The Tigers host No. 4 Texas Lutheran April 14-15 and Dallas April 21-22 to round out the 2023 home regular season schedule.
The 2023 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Softball Championship tournament will be held May 5-7 at the TU Softball Field.
