The Tarleton State University TexAnn softball team will take the field Feb. 2 for their first game of the season. In the Lone Star Conference pre-season poll, the team was selected to finish sixth in the conference, but the team has been practicing diligently for this upcoming season and has one clear goal: a championship.

“We have very high aspirations and have set step by step objectives to work toward them,” said TexAnn head coach Julie Mata. “We play in the toughest NCAA Division II conference in the nation and we want to be the top team.  We want to play with a love of the game and represent Tarleton State in such a manner that our students, faculty, staff and the community will be proud to sit in the bleachers rooting for us.” 

The team’s first game will also be the home opener. They will face Southwestern Oklahoma State University at 3 p.m. for a double header. The TexAnns have not opened their season at home since 2007.

Last season, the TexAnns’ season ended in the opening game of the Lone Star Conference Championship Tournament. This season, the team is not looking to repeat last season. They have been training hard mentally and physically, according to Coach Mata.

“Yesterday is gone.  Today is the only day.  We never focus on or even talk about last year,” commented Coach Mata. “This is a new team.  These players know their core values, they can define them and they have the specific mindset to love the game and play it the right way.  To do that, we have to stick to our training.  These players do the work, coming in early, staying late, so they’ve earned the right to be proud and confident. The positivity that these players possess is fun to be around. They build each other up, hold each other accountable and set the bar high.”

After their first game, the team will travel to Commerce to compete in the first ever Texas A&M-Commerce Lion Classic. One more home game and two other invitational tournaments will give the team time to prepare for their first LSC games of the season.

Sophomore outfielder, Lauren Powers is just one of the TexAnns determined to have a winning season. “A national championship is our goal.  Our plan is to execute excellence, focus on the process and not the results,” said Powers on her hopes for the season.

This season, the LSC Championship tournament is set to be held on May 1-2 and the NCAA South Central Regional Championships will be May 7-10.

The TexAnns begin their season Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. in the Tarleton Softball Complex.