SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State softball team is home for the first time in 2026 this weekend when they host the George and Ola McCorkle Challenge Presented by West Texas Steel.
 
Tournament passes are available for $ 25 and give you admission to all 11 games this weekend at Mayer Softball Field. Single-game adult and youth tickets are available for $10 and $8, respectively.
 
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The Rambelles face Missouri Western and Ouachita Baptist on Friday and Saturday before taking on Texas A&M International on Sunday in a non-conference matchup.
 
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 MWSU
Missouri Western is 4-0 on the season after competing in the Lone Star D2 College Classic last weekend in Mansfield, where they defeated Harding, Drury, MSU Denver, and Texas A&M-Kingsville by a combined score of 33-15. The Griffons are hitting .353 as a team, with four players hitting over .400. BYU transfer Amiya Hernandez is hitting .500 with five RBI. In the circle, MWSU's staff carries a 3.37 team ERA, led by Ashlyn Finarty's 0.64 ERA. The junior owns an opponent batting average of .162 across 11 innings of work. The Griffons and the Rams split their two games last season, with the Griffons winning a 1-0 game, while the Rambelles claimed a 3-2 walk-off win as Tatiana Trotter scored the deciding run on a wild pitch. 
 
SCOUTING OBU
Ouachita Baptist has yet to take the field in 2026 after the season-opening tournament they host, the McGhee-Hawkins Memorial, was canceled due to weather in central Arkansas. Last season, the Tigers went 21-32 overall; at the 2025 McCorkle, they claimed a single win, a 5-4 victory in eight innings over Texas A&M International, walking off the Dustdevils with a sacrifice bunt. The Tigers return All-GAC performers Catie Amador and Emily Reed, who were all-conference honorable mentions in 2025. Amador collected 13 of the Tigers' 21 wins last season, while Reed hit .306 with a team-high 11 home runs and 29 RBI. The Rambelles are 6-0 all-time against the Tigers, defeating them 6-2 and 3-1 in last season's invitational.
 
SCOUTING TAMIU
Texas A&M International is 3-3 on the season; like the Rambelles, they opened the campaign at the DII First Pitch Invitational in Conroe. The claimed wins over Chadron State, Simon Fraser, and Mississippi College, while dropping games to the Choctaws, Southeastern Oklahoma, and Saint Martin's. The Dustdevils return third baseman Kennedy Griego from last season; the senior third baseman is hitting .500 this season and was the Division II Gold Glove recipient at third base. The Dustdevils' pitching staff owns a 4.30 ERA in the circle, led by Kylie Goad's 3.11. She is 1-1 with 14 strikeouts in 18 innings. Nevaeh Herrera is 2-0 in the circle this season for the Dustdevils. The Rams are 69-7 all-time against the Dustdevils - tied with Eastern New Mexico for ASU's most wins against a single opponent.
 
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 993-362-1 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.