Emily Otto named Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week.

COMMERCE – Lion Athletics named Texas A&M University-Commerce pitcher Emily Otto the Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week.

Otto – a junior from Richmond (Lamar) – led the Lions to wins in each of their doubleheaders last week, picking up wins over No. 15 Rogers State, Cameron, and No. 18 Oklahoma Christian. Over the week, Otto held hitters to just a .167 average with 26 strikeouts. The junior started the week setting a career-high and setting the program record with 12 strikeouts in 6.0 innings against No. 15 Rogers State. She then pitched six innings with six strikeouts against Cameron without allowing an earned run in the team’s 2-1 victory. She then pitched 6.0 innings and had eight strikeouts against No. 18 Oklahoma Christian in the team’s 3-1 win.

For the season, Otto has an 8-3 record with two saves, four shutouts, and 79 strikeouts in 75.1 innings pitched. Otto is holding hitters to a .193 batting average and currently has a 2.02-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio on the year. 

The Under Armour Student-Athlete of the Week will be awarded by Lion Athletics each week during the academic year.
2019-20 UNDER ARMOUR STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Sept. 10 – Timon Kemboi, Men’s Cross Country
Sept. 17 – E.J. Thompson, Football
Sept. 24 – Cora Welch, Soccer
Oct. 1 – Sydney Andersen, Volleyball
Oct. 8 – Brandi Stalder, Women’s Cross Country
Oct. 15 – Dominique Ramsey, Football
Oct. 22 – Shelley Chapron, Volleyball
Oct. 29 – Miklo Smalls, Football
Nov. 5 – Leslie Campuzano, Soccer
Nov. 12 – Dyani Robinson, Women’s Basketball
Nov. 27 – Alexis Bryant, Women’s Basketball & Alex Shillow, Football
Dec. 4 – Preston Wheeler & Elijah Earls, Football
Dec. 13 – Malcolm Woods, Men’s Track & Field
Dec. 18 – Wayne Stewart, Men’s Basketball
Jan. 8 – Chania Wright, Women’s Basketball
Jan. 15 – Lexi Bubenchik, Women’s Golf
Jan. 22 – Jamie Williams, Cheer
Jan. 29 – Cesar Torres, Athletic Training
Feb. 7 – Alexus Jones, Women’s Basketball
Feb. 13 – Alberto Moreno, Men’s Basketball
Feb. 20 – Dorian Andrews, Men’s Track & Field
Feb. 26 – Minna Svaerd, Women’s Track & Field
Mar. 6 – Carliece Coleman, Dance
Mar. 11 – Emily Otto, Softball

Lions reenter the top 10 in National Rankings after a stellar week.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team is the No. 10 team in the nation in the fourth regular-season National Fastpitch Coaches Association coaches poll, as announced Wednesday. It is the Lions’ 32nd consecutive poll as a nationally ranked team. 

The Lions rose from No. 14 in last week’s poll after going 5-1 last week, including three wins over nationally-ranked opponents. The Lions picked up a sweep over Rogers State, who is ranked 17th in this week’s poll. The Lions also split against now No. 16 Oklahoma Christian, while also sweeping Cameron. The Lions hit .280 as a team while holding opponents to a .182 average, outscoring opponents 33 to 12 in their six games, while also going a perfect 9-of-9 stealing base. 

The Lions are now 16-7 on the year and still have not lost to an unranked team. A&M-Commerce continues to have one of the best defenses in the nation, ranking second in fielding percentage and leading the conference in lowest ERA. They also rank in the top 25 in the nation in stolen bases and WHIP.  

A&M-Commerce is one of six teams from the Lone Star Conference in the NFCA rankings. UT Tyler is ranked fifth, followed by Angelo State at seventh, Oklahoma Christian at 16th, Lubbock Christian at `8th and Tarleton on 20th. 

The Lions return to action this weekend with a pair of road conference doubleheaders. They will first face off against St. Edward’s on Friday, beginning at Noon in Austin, and then face St. Mary’s at 1:00 pm on Sunday in San Antonio.

2020 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll – March 11 (Week 4)

Rk.	School	Pts.	Record	Prev.
1	Southern Arkansas (10)	392	22-2	5
2	Chico State (3)	376	19-2	4
3	North Georgia	360	23-4	7
4	Augustana	355	10-3	1
5	UT Tyler (3)	341	17-3	2
6	Young Harris	326	17-3	6
7	Angelo State	294	19-6	9
8	Saint Leo	279	19-7	15
9	Rollins	252	21-3	3
10	A&M-COMMERCE	246	16-7	14
11	Trevecca Nazarene	227	10-2	10
12	Saint Anselm	223	16-4	12
13	Concordia Irvine	215	13-5	8
14	Lincoln Memorial	207	14-5	13
15	Valdosta State	154	16-5	19
16	Oklahoma Christian	150	21-5	18
17	Rogers State	144	19-8	11
18	Lubbock Christian	113	20-6	20
19	Southern Indiana	107	13-4	24
20	Tarleton	94	19-4	21
21	Lenoir-Rhyne	76	18-4	17
22	Saginaw Valley State	66	16-2	RV
23	UC San Diego	59	20-7	RV
24	Charleston	51	14-2	22
25	UAH	47	15-6	25