ARLINGTON, Texas –
Kathleen Rodriguez likes words. They come easy to her. She can put them together in strategic ways that inspire confidence and offer guidance. She recognizes the brilliance of words, such as these from former Tennessee basketball coach Pat Summitt:
Winning is fun ... Sure.
But winning is not the point.
Wanting to win is the point.
Not giving up is the point.
Never letting up is the point.
Never being satisfied with what you've done and where you want to be is the point.
That's the point the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball coach has tried to instill in her teams, and it's one that has had a lasting effect so far this season.
Fresh off a definitive success with four wins in three days in Chattanooga, Tenn., the Islanders (10-3) have embraced the mantra of "never letting up" as they head to Arlington to again play five more games in three days at the 5
th Boerner Invitational at Allan Saxe Field. A&M-Corpus Christi will face host UT-Arlington in a doubleheader at 3:30 and 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by games against UTSA and Grambling at 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, respectively. The Islanders finish the Invitational at 2 p.m. Saturday with another game against UTSA.
"No days off; business as usual is the agenda," said Rodriguez, whose team is off to their best start in 14 years (the 2010 team started 12-3). "We tell our women that every day is such a blessing to be on the field. We will not waste a single day."
True to form, aside from one bad inning in a 4-2 loss to host UT-Chattanooga, the Islanders were methodical, opportunistic and oh so determined in winning four of five games this past weekend at the Frost Classic. Whenever the Islanders trailed, they answered. Whenever the Islanders faced adversity, they rebounded. Whenever the Islanders needed a boost, they responded.
Having
Primrose Aholelei on the team helps too.
The senior from Hawaii now leads the country in strikeouts with 71 after collecting 31 in three games over the weekend. She picked up the win in all three of those games, giving her six for the season and a tie for seventh place nationally on the wins list. She's also tied for seventh nationally in innings pitched with 50.1 after tossing three complete games. It was her fifth complete game of the season and the 31
st of her career, placing her in a tie for fourth on the school's all-time list.
"Prim is the ultimate competitor," Rodriguez said. "She is a businesswoman. She just puts her head down and goes to work every day. She takes the role as our leader very seriously, making sure she sets the standard for her teammates through her daily work ethic and dedication to her craft."
While Aholelei shined on the mound, fellow senior
Kimane Rogron was her equal at the plate.
Rogron entered the weekend having seen her average tumble to .250. She returned home third on the team in batting at .341. In the five games combined in Chattanooga, Rogron hit .429, had an on-base percentage of .500, collected six hits, three singles, two doubles, one triple, five RBIs, two walks, a sacrifice and stole a base.
But it was a weekend with many heroes.
Rhea-Ann Avalos won the opener with a home run in the fifth inning against Valparaiso;
Karisa Lopez scored the winning run in the sixth inning against Ohio;
Taniece Tyson homered and drove in three against UT-Martin; then Tyson homered again while
Paolina Baez and
Crystal Davila each doubled and drove in a run in a win against Georgetown.
"All of these early-season games allow us to truly gauge what role every one of our athletes will play," Rodriguez said. "I'm proud of how they take care of one another. They lift each other up and truly want one another to succeed."
But it wasn't a perfect weekend, to be sure.
In the second game of the weekend, the Islanders led host UT-Chattanooga 2-1 in the sixth inning thanks to a stalwart effort from sophomore pitcher
Ariella Saenz. But in what would become a disturbing theme, the Islanders' defense began to falter.
Three errors led to three unearned Chattanooga runs and an eventual 4-2 loss for A&M-Corpus Christi. The Islanders had four in that game, but that wasn't even the high-water mark for errors. They committed five against UT-Martin, but it only led to two unearned runs in a 7-2 win.
After entering Friday with just six errors in eight games, the Islanders more than tripled that in five games. They had an error in every game during the weekend, including five in one game (a win), four in another (a loss, thanks to three in one inning), two in another and single errors in the other two. Of the 14 runs the Islanders allowed in the five games, only five of them were earned.
"Right now we are rushing through the ball a bit," Rodriguez said. "Our feet definitely got a little tangled up. We are also carrying some of our offensive miscues into defense and vice versa. We just have to remember to slow everything down, trust the process and have short-term memory. We need to concentrate on our one-pitch warrior mentality."
TAMUCC (10-3, 0-0 SLC)
Feb. 29-March 2 – at 5th Boerner Invitational (Arlington, Texas)
Feb. 29 – vs. UT-Arlington (3-12), 3:30 p.m. | vs. UT-Arlington (3-12), 6 p.m.
March 1 – vs. UTSA (4-12), 11:30 a.m. | vs. Grambling (7-5), 7 p.m.
March 2 – vs. UTSA (4-12), 2 p.m.
Who's Next? The
University of Texas at Arlington has just three wins this season: 1-0 against Louisiana-Monroe, 14-8 against Southern University and 1-0 against DePaul … The 14 runs against Southern account for nearly half of UTA's 30 total runs this season … UTA has been shut out seven times this season … The Mavericks hit just .237 as a team, led by Camille Corona (.432) and Lindsey Franklin (.333). No other player hits better than .250 … Franklin leads the team in doubles (3), home runs (2) and RBIs (11) … Opponents hit .320 against UTA and have scored 96 runs … The Mavericks have a team ERA of 6.14 … UTA's pitching staff has more walks (43) than strikeouts (40) and has given up 16 home runs … UTA has played two other Southland Conference teams, losing to Southeastern Louisiana (3-0) and Nicholls (8-4) … A&M-Corpus Christi is 16-15 all-time against UTA … The Islanders have won the last three against the Mavericks ... Their last matchup was a 2-0 Islanders win in eight innings in 2022.
UTSA has four wins this season: 5-1 against Northwestern State, 3-2 against Massachusetts, and 12-8 and 6-5 against St. Thomas (MN) … The Roadrunners' first two wins came on the same day, then the next two came last weekend on back-to-back days … UTSA has played three Southland Conference teams, beating Northwestern once (5-1) and losing twice (8-2, 3-1), losing to Nicholls 7-0 and losing to Southeastern 8-0 in five innings … UTSA is batting just .188 as a team, led by Jaylen Prichard (.324). No other Roadrunner is batting better than .268 … UTSA has just 16 extra-base hits (10 doubles, six home runs) … UTSA has scored 42 runs this season, but only 27 have been earned … The Roadrunners have a team ERA of 5.91 … They've given up 44 extra-base hits in 16 games, including 26 doubles, 14 home runs and four triples … A&M-Corpus Christi is 26-35 all-time against UTSA … The Islanders have won the past two games and 9 out of the last 12 … Their last meeting was an 8-2 victory for the Islanders last season.
Grambling and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi were scheduled to play in the season-opening River City Classic in Jackson, Miss., but the game was canceled because of the weather … Grambling has yet to play a home game. All of the Tigers' games this season, including this weekend, have been on the road in tournaments and invitationals … The Tigers hit .258 as a team, though five regulars hit .316 or better … Kamryn Broussard leads the team with a .370 average, followed by Katelynn Walls (.346), Z'Natria Evans (.333), Janecia King (.333) and Aniyah Lee (.316) … The Tigers have just 14 extra-base hits (13 doubles and one home run) … Speed is Grambling's game. The Tigers are 38-of-42 in stolen bases this season. Their 38 steals are the 10
th most in the nation, and their average of 3.17 steals per game is fourth-best in the nation … Walls leads the team with 12 steals in 13 attempts … This will be the first matchup between Grambling and A&M-Corpus Christi … The teams have two common opponents this season. The Tigers best Arlington Baptist 6-1 and Alabama A&M 6-0, while the Islanders beat Arlington Baptist 13-4 in the season opener and Alabama A&M 8-2 a day later.
Fellow SLC member
Incarnate Word is also at the Invitational, but the Cardinals and Islanders will not face each other.
Next Home Game: The Islanders begin a three-game series against Texas A&M-Commerce to start Southland Conference play on Friday, March 8 at Chapman Field. The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at noon Friday followed by a single game beginning at noon Saturday, March 9.
Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Softball, keep up with the team via their Facebook page (
Islanders Softball) and follow the program on Twitter (
@IslandersSball) and Instagram (
islanderssball).
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