SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State softball team opens up the 2024 season this weekend in Conroe, Texas, at the Scrap Yard Sports facility as they compete at the DII First Pitch Invitational.
The Rambelles open their weekend with a pair of first-time opponents in No. 17 Wingate and Central Washington. Days two and three will see the Rambelles take on more familiar foes in MSU Denver and Arkansas Tech on day two and No. 19 Rogers State and Colorado Mesa on day three.
The Rambelles went 3-3 last season in Conroe; they are playing a pair of schools (Arkansas Tech and MSU Denver) whom they played last season in Conroe. Arkansas Tech defeated the Rambelles 7-3, and the Rambelles closed their weekend out last season by defeating MSU Denver 4-3.
Head Coach
Travis Scott returns nine players from last season's team, and he added 11 new players into the fold - seven from the junior college ranks and four true freshmen.
Top newcomers into the lineup include infielder
Erin Plunkett, first baseman
Zoey De Baca, and outfielder
Carter Smith. Plunkett was a Gold Glove shortstop at McLennan while De Baca and Smith were standouts for Midland College and Weatherford College, respectively.
Three new additions -
Averie Gunther,
Amelia Hatthorn, and
Matie Wolkow - will feature for the Rambelles in the circle this season. Gunther and Hatthorn come to San Angelo from Weatherford College, while Walkow joins from McLennan.
The top returners in the lineup are led by fifth-year senior catcher
Keilei Garcia. Battling injuries last season, the Rambelles' backstop hit a career-high 11 home runs last season and was third on the team with 29 RBIs.
The Rambelles' pitching staff returns a pair of familiar faces in
Cheyenne Floyd and
Torrey Hogan. Floyd led the team with 36 appearances, a 2.43 ERA, and 114 strikeouts.
DII First Pitch Invitational
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Tournament Central
The Rambelles' six opponents this weekend went a combined 208-127, good enough for a .621 winning percentage. Two of the Rambelles' opponents this weekend were NCAA Tournament teams last season, and two of them enter this season ranked in the NFCA Division II Top 25.
Wingate, the 17th-ranked team in the country, went 48-17 a season ago as they made it to the Southeast Super Regionals before falling to eventual national champions North Georgia. The Bulldogs return seven of their top eight hitters and five of their six pitchers from last season's team. Savanna Brooks hit .375 to lead the Bulldogs last season, also hitting a team-high 15 home runs and driving in 64 runs. Raechel Cutcher led last year's team with a 2.79 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 184 innings of work.
Central Washington went 21-27 last season; they share one common opponent with last season's Rambelles in Cal Poly Humboldt, who took three out of four games from the Wildcats. The Rambelles defeated Humboldt 9-1 in a five-inning run-rule last season in Conroe. The Wildcats return top hitter Alyssa Benthagen from last season's team. The Wildcats' catcher was the only player to start and play in every single game last season, and she led the team with a .351 average, hitting seven of the team's 15 home runs and driving in 36 runs.
MSU Denver went 34-22 a season ago and 29-13 in RMAC play; the Rambelles defeated the Roadrunners 4-3 last season in Conroe. The Roadrunners return every single player from last season's team in addition to adding Colorado Christian transfer Miki Berg. The Roadrunners had seven players hit over .300 last season and averaged six runs scored per game.
Arkansas Tech went 28-24 last season and 17-15 in conference play; last season, they defeated the Rambelles 7-3 in Conroe. The Golden Suns only return two of their top seven hitters from last season in Shelby Chavers and Kaylyn Aguirre, and only return one pitcher in Bradi Basler. Chavers led the team with 21 stolen bases last season, and Aguirre was second in sacrifice hits with eight. In the circle, Basler went 9-10 with a 3.55 ERA; however, she struck out six Rambelles and only allowed six hits in their matchup last season.
Rogers State, the 2022 National Champions, is 19th in the country in the NFCA Preseason Poll. Last season, the Hillcats went 45-14 and made the Central regional before being eliminated by Southern Arkansas. They return six of their top seven hitters, four of whom hit over .300. Bridgett Morales led the team with a .353 average, 11 home runs and 51 RBIs. They also return their two main pitchers in Sara Llamas-Howell and Jade Sanders. Llamas-Howell had a 1.21 ERA and a .195 opponent batting average, and Sanders struck out 158 batters in 154.1 innings of work.
Colorado Mesa went 32-23 last season and made a run to the RMAC Tournament Championship game before falling to top seed Colorado Christian. The Mavericks do not return their top four hitters but do return six hitters from last season, led by Ava Fugate, who hit .345 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs. The Mavericks return their two top pitchers in Hannah Settler and Marisa Nehm. Settler had 17 wins last season and recorded 89 of the team's 141 strikeouts last season.
UP NEXT
The Rambelles are home next weekend to host the 2024 George and Ola McCorkle Challenge on February 9-10.
