SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State softball team opens the 2026 season this weekend at the DII First Pitch Invitational in Conroe, where they will face five opponents, two of whom are in-region opponents.
 
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The Rambelles face Southeastern Oklahoma and Simon Fraser on Friday before taking on Mississippi College and Saint Martin's on Saturday. The Rambelles close the weekend out on Sunday against their only RMAC opponent of the weekend, Chadron State.
 
TROTTER NAMED LSC PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Rambelles senior outfielder Tatiana Trotter was selected as the conference's preseason player of the year, as voted on by the league's coaches, SIDs, and media members. Trotter, an Intelligence and Analysis student from Lubbock, is coming off a season in which she hit .330 with 14 home runs and 47 RBI. She slugged .648 and had a .449 on-base percentage. Trotter also notched seven assists from the outfield en route to being named an LSC Golden Glove winner. The senior was also a third-team Academic All-American selection last season.
 
SCOUTING SE
Southeastern Oklahoma went 26-27 overall and 17-16 in GAC play a season ago. The Savage Storm returns top hitters Iliana Olivares (.367 batting average) and India McMurray (.674 slugging percentage). SE returns four of its five pitchers from last season, led by 12-win pitcher Emily Simmons and Trinity Oden, who led the staff with 115 strikeouts. The Rambelles are 17-3 all-time against the Savage Storm, having won the last 11 games in this matchup.
 
SCOUTING SFU
Simon Fraser went 24-25 last season and 13-11 in GNAC play, making a run to the conference tournament final. The Red Leafs hit .322 as a team last season, with Cassidy Affeldt returning after hitting .380 a season ago. SFU returns top pitcher Monica Bourque, who went 13-7 with a 2.35 ERA inside the circle. The Rambelles and the Red Leafs have never faced each other, and with Simon Fraser leaving NCAA sports at the end of the 2027 season, it could stand as the only-ever matchup between the two squads.
 
SCOUTING MC
Mississippi College went 36-19 overall and 22-11 in GSC play, qualifying for the NCAA South Regional. The Choctaws return their top six hitters from last season's lineup, led by all-region selections Blakely Gill (.616 slugging percentage, 40 RBI), Shelby Samples (.407 batting average, 19 stolen bases), and Madelyn England (.353 batting average, eight home runs). The Choctaws owned a 2.59 team ERA last season, led by Camryn Bailey's 2.19 ERA. Bailey went 14-7 with 134 strikeouts in 128 innings. This marks the first-ever matchup between the Rambelles and the Choctaws.
 
SCOUTING SMU
Saint Martin's went 32-16 last season, and 16-7 in GNAC play. The Saints qualified for the NCAA West Regional as the seventh seed. The Saints return seven of their top ten hitters from a lineup that hit .330 as a team and tallied more walks than strikeouts. Heather Ebner hit .439 and set the GNAC single-season record with 67 RBI. She hit 11 of the team's 18 home runs and slugged .752. The Saints return four of their five pitchers from last season, but lost ace Chloe Leverington, who won 19 of the Saints' 32 games in 2025. Much like Simon Fraser and Mississippi College, this is the first-ever matchup of the Saints and the Rambelles.
 
SCOUTING CSC
Chadron State went 22-28 in 2025 with an 18-26 mark in RMAC action. The Eagles enter the season under first-time head coach Skye Koehl, who joins after a successful stint as head coach of Otero College. The Eagles' top returning hitter is Aliyah Rothstein, who hit .345 with nine stolen bases. Belle Akins is the lone holdover on the pitching staff. As a freshman, Akins struck out 59 batters in 59 innings as she collected four saves. The Rambelles and the Eagles are 1-1 all-time, with this meeting marking the two teams' first since 2016.
 
RAMBELLES PICKED THIRD IN LSC PRESEASON POLL
The Rambelles were picked to repeat their third-place finish in the LSC Preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches, SIDs, and media members. The Rambelles received a pair of first-place votes and tallied 753 total points. Two-time defending champions UT Tyler were picked to repeat as conference champions with 849 total points and 39 of 51 first-place votes. West Texas A&M received eight first-place votes and 817 total points. Oklahoma Christian and Lubbock Christian each received a first-place vote to round out the top five. Cameron, Eastern New Mexico, St. Edward's, and St. Mary's round out the top nine in what would fill the spots for the LSC Tournament.
 
25 YEARS OF RAMBELLES SOFTBALL
The Angelo State softball program is playing its 25th season of Division II softball this season. The Rambelles hold a record of 988-362-1 since the 2002 season. In that time, the Rambelles have qualified for 19 NCAA Tournaments, winning six South Central regional championships, the 2004 National Championship, and finishing as the National Runners-Up in 2017.
 
RETURNING STATS
The Rambelles' lineup only returns 364 of their 1,535 at-bats from a season ago, with Tatiana Trotter and Abby Brand the only mainstays returning from last season's lineup. In the circle, Bri Waters is the lone holdover from last season's pitching staff. All in all, 14 new faces will suit up for the Rambelles in 2026.