at Texas A&M Commerce
Commerce, Texas (John Cain Family Softball Complex)
Saturday, Feb. 17
1 p.m. doubleheader
Sunday, Feb. 18
1 p.m. single game
Video
ESPN+ all three games
Live Stats
SIUEstats.com
QUICK SERIES
The Cougars scheduled a three-game series with Texas A&M Commerce for Saturday and Sunday. The two programs have never met previously.
THE LAST TIME
SIUE is coming off a 30-26 season in which the Cougars advanced to the title game of the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Cougars won 10 of their last 12 games and the season-best six straight games to close out the regular season. SIUE, the No. 5 seed at the 2023 OVC Championships, knocked out the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the tournament.
OPENING WEEKEND
Rylie Pindel recorded the team's lone victory in the circle last weekend. She appeared in four of the five contests and recorded 5.1 innings pitched.
BACK TO BACK
Grace Lueke and Lauren Yslava smacked the first two home runs of the season for the Cougars, and they were back-to-back blasts against Boston University. Lueke now has 21 career home runs while Yslava now has 14.
DRIVING THEM HOME
Piper Montgomery leads the team in runs batted in with five. Lueke is next up with four.
HIT MACHINE
Paige Rocha recorded a Division I era-best 74 hits last season. It was the most hits by a Cougar since Alicia DeShasier hit 82 in 2006. All four of the players who have more hits in a season by the Cougars now reside in the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame (DeShasier, Jenny Esker, Katie Waldo and Erin Newman). Rocha continued that trend with a team-leading seven hits during the opening weekend.
LEADING HITTER
Outfielder
Jenna Herron finished 5 for 12 during the first five games and holds a team-leading .417 batting average.
SAVES LEADER
Kelsey Ray led the OVC last season with five saves. That tied for the most saves in a season during the Division I era with Baylee Douglas (2016).
100 STRIKEOUTS
Baalman and Ray were neck and neck in strikeouts last season. Ray finished ahead with 103 in 132.2 innings pitched. Baalman recorded 101 in 154.2 innings pitched. Ray fanned six batters in 12.1 innings pitched so far this season.
START OF AN ERA: Lone Tree, Iowa, native
Ben Sorden is in his second season as head coach of the Cougars. Sorden came to SIUE after holding positions at Michigan State and Indiana, helping the pitching staffs to national honors and top-notch results.
