Joel "Jewlz" Morris
Sports Editor
An inner- city rivalry between Texas A&M University-San Antonio Jaguars and Our Lady of the Lake Saints will start at noon April 24 with game one of a three-game series.
Since the softball program at A&M-San Antonio came into existence in 2020, the all-time record versus OLLU is 2-21 with its last win coming May 6, 2023, in the postseason, 8-1. Throughout the drought, OLLU has earned 10 straight wins over the Jags, dominating the head-to-head matchups for two years.
Much has been made about the rivalry between the two schools due their proximity, only a 25-minute drive from each other, but Jags head coach Nicole Dame downplays the hype, saying there is no heightened emotions leading up.
“We don’t feel it,” Dame said. “Our intention is we want to beat everybody. I wouldn’t say there’s anyone specific that we want to beat more than anyone else.”
OLLU is coming into the game with high-level credibility being the No. 1seed in the Red River Athletic Conference, due to its effective pitching skills led by senior right-handed pitcher Annika Litterio.
Litterio has piled up 133 strikeouts, keeping batters from getting clean looks at the plate. Her productivity has made things easier for her infielders on defense, but Dame knows that’s not a recipe for A&M-San Antonio’s success.
“Putting the ball in play and actually making her defense work behind her,” Dame said. “So our goal is to put pressure on the defense.”
The contrasting styles of play create a matchup of who can enforce their strengths first, with the Saints efficient pitching facing a Jags offense that has been potent all season, ranking fifth in hits and fourth in runs. More than ever, the bats have been connecting and producing runs, with 40 over the last five games.
Dame recognizes the chess match between the two play styles, but she wants her team to stay relaxed.
“All the pressure is on them, we’re just going and we’re going to play the best softball we can.” Dame said, noting OLLU has a regular- season title at stake.
