Joel "Jewlz" Morris
Sports Editor
The Texas A&M University-San Antonio softball team ended the 2024-25 season by winning eight of its last 12 games and earning a Red River Athletic Conference playoff berth. The Jaguars look to build on the late-season success with more consistency, grit and experience.
Head coach Nicole Dame emphasizes a culture of knowing the difference between “interested and invested,” Dame said.
“When we walk through these doors, we want to be all committed,” Dame said.
That emphasis on commitment carries into nearly every aspect of the Jaguars’ roster and approach this season.
Below are some “quick-hitting” notes on what to watch from the Jags’ 2025-26 softball team:
The return of key players: The Jags return three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-Region players. Junior designated player Kaylee Barlow earned First Team All Region honors, while senior first baseman Samara Aguilera and sophomore outfielder Kristianna Luera were named Second Team All Region.
Barlow credits her accolades to assistant coach Javi Tovar.
“I’m really tough on myself and he knows that, and every time I’ve gotten down on myself, he’ll pull me out of it,” Barlow said.
Heading into her junior year, Barlow said she wants to “provide runs for the team” and find ways to get on base consistently.
Setting the bar high: At the beginning of practice in preparation for the team’s first game of the season against Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Dame wasn’t satisfied with the team’s focus through drills. She organized the team in the middle of the field to deliver a pep talk.
“You’re better than what you’re showing right now,” Dame said, cracking down on the team’s focus and urgency level the day before a game.
Player-led team program: With 18 upperclassmen on this year’s roster, Dame expects leadership from players and ownership.
“We as coaches are leading from the back and they’re kind of driving the bus,” Dame said. “That’s what we’re working towards, and we see it more and more each day.”
New pitching squad: The pitching mound for the Jags will be occupied by all new faces after the team replenished the position with transfers and freshmen.
The new pitchers are junior Sari Travis, who was ineligible last season due to transfer rules; sophomore Krisilyn Corral, a junior college transfer from Arizona Western College; sophomore Skyler Ramos, a transfer from Texas A&M University-Kingsville; and freshman Hannah Schultz from Yoakum High School.
Confidence over legacy: Despite being a newer team in the Red River Athletic Conference, the Jags have conviction about what they can do this season among programs that have been around longer.
Barlow reflected on the in-conference victories she has experienced since her freshman year and what it takes to rise to the top of the RRAC.
“We’ve beat every team in this conference; we beat OLLU (Our Lady of the Lake), then we beat (Texas A&M University)-Texarkana, we beat LSUA (Louisiana State University of Alexandria),” Barlow said. “We have what it takes. It’s just a matter of confidence.”
Luera reinforced her teammates’ mindset, saying the team is “out for blood,” after being overlooked in preseason polls and defeating higher-ranked teams in the conference tournament.
“We got fifth in ranking overall in the conference, conference tournament came around, and we ended up in third place. We knocked out fourth and fifth, which a lot of people didn’t think we could be able to do,” Luera said. “These girls want it, the seniors want it, I want it, coaches want it and as a team we’re going to hustle for that.”
The Jags will play their first game of the season versus Panhandle State University at noon Jan. 31 at their new home field.
