PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University softball team will open its 2025 season in the DII First Pitch Invitational this weekend (Jan. 31 – Feb. 2) at Conroe, Texas, with five games at the Scrapyard Sports Complex.
Pitt State will open the three-day tournament Friday at 1:30 p.m. (CST) against Angelo State and 6:30 p.m. against St. Edwards. On Saturday, the Gorillas will battle St. Mary's at 1:30 p.m. and Texas Woman's at 6:30 p.m.; and Pitt State will close out the tournament with a 10 a.m. game Sunday against Midwestern State.
(RV) Pittsburg State (53-8, 23-3 MIAA)
The Gorillas welcome back 13 players from last year's squad that qualified for and hosted an NCAA Division II Central Region pod. Pittsburg State is receiving votes in the 2025 NFCA D2 Preseason poll (Jan. 21). Heather Arnett (Pittsburg, Kan.) was a consensus first-team All-American, an All-Region selection and the MIAA Player of the Year after hitting .454 with 103 hits, 73 runs scored and 51 stolen bases. Alleyna Rushing (Bentonville, Ark.) hit .340, Courtney Storey (Rogers, Ark.) hit .325 and Kadyn Trochim (Waco, Texas) hit .322 to round out qualified returners that hit over .300. In the circle All-Region and MIAA Freshman of the Year Ava Laurent (Grand Island, Neb.) went 19-1 with a 1.98 ERA in 169.1 innings while striking out 201 batters. Chelsea Beville (Seneca, Mo.) is also back after going 7-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 48 innings and struck out 60 hitters. The Gorillas are under the direction of first-year head coach Josh Barnes. Barnes came to Pitt State after posting a 221-161-1 (.578) record in seven seasons at the junior college level.
No. 11 Angelo State (37-18, 28-14 LSC)
The Rambelles were picked to finish third in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll as announced on Jan. 24. 12 Returners are back from last seasons regional team, led by Tatiana Trotter an All-Region selection after hitting .353 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs with 14 stolen bases. Laylonna Applin was the other qualified hitter to bat over .300 at .304 while adding in six home runs, 28 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Cheyenne Floyd was the LSC Pitcher of the Year on her was to NFCA second-team All-American honors in the circle after going 20-10 with a 1.89 ERA in 163 innings and struck out 167 batters. Matie Wolkow (3-1, 1.91 ERA, 47.2 IP), Averie Gunther (4-1, 3.14 ERA, 42.1 IP) and Amelia Hatthorn (5-0, 3.15 ERA, 53.1 IP) are the other returning pitchers. Travis Scott leads the Rambelles into his 20th season in 2025, with a career record of 972-363-3 (.728) between his time at Angelo State and Southeastern Oklahoma. Historically against the Gorillas, ASU is 4-1 as Pitt State claimed the last matchip 3-2 on Feb. 5, 2023 in Conroe.
St. Edward's (18-34, 16-26 LSC)
The Hilltoppers were projected to finish 11th in the LSC Preseason Poll, with 14 returners back from a year ago. Megan Morris led the team with a .329 average having a team-high 11 doubles and 22 RBIs to go with 14 stolen bases. Arianna Vidales was the other qualified hitter to bat over .300 at .302 with two triples and 11 stolen bases. In the circle, Kylen Padgett is the top returner going 8-17 with a 6.09 ERA in 130 innings and struck out 82 batters. Lisette Urquidez (6-9, 5.75 ERA, 98.2 IP) and Makenna Holloway (0-0, 9.64 ERA, 14 IP) are the other returning pitchers. Hailey Post enters her second season in charge of the Hilltoppers and went 18-34 in her first season. In the all-time series, SEU is 6-4 but the Gorillas claimed a 9-1 five inning run rule victory in the last meeting on Feb. 4, 2024 in Conroe.
St. Mary's (Texas) (32-26, 26-16 LSC)
The Rattlers were projected to finish tied for fifth in the LSC Preseason Poll, with 13 returners back from a regional team last year. Lauren Gonzales was an All-LSC performer last season after hitting .317 with a team-high 37 stolen bases, as Raegan Tennill is the other returner to hit above .300 at .305 and contributed 32 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. In the circle, Savannah Youngblood earned second-team All-LSC honors after going 11-3 with a 2.75 ERA in 89 innings. Jadyn Abrego (6-8, 2.79 ERA, 95.1 IP), Madeline Bloom (7-8, 3.71 ERA, 113.1 IP), Breanna Ford (7-6, 4.57 ERA, 64.1 IP) and Emily Ayala (0-0, 9.63 ERA, 8 IP) are the other returning pitchers. Heading into her first season in charge of the Rattlers, Ronnie Landines is taking over on an interim basis for 2025 after Donna Fields retired in July with a 1076-508 (.679) record in 27 seasons. Pittsburg State has a 3-2 advantage in the series against St. Mary's following the 7-2 win on Feb. 2, 2024 in Conroe last season.
Texas Woman's (25-29, 23-20 LSC)
The Pioneers were picked to finish seventh in the LSC Preseason Poll, with 10 returners from a season ago. Vica Hernandez is the top qualified hitter from a season ago, hitting .245 with 20 RBIs. In the circle Allison Gonzalez (1-5, 4.89 ERA, 42.1 IP) and Janyssa Ramos (1-3, 6.05 ERA, 19.1 IP) are the returning pitchers. Gay McNutt is back for her third season in charge at TWU with a 50-57 (.467) record and is 678-723 (.484) overall in her 25 years as a collegiate coach. TWU holds a 7-3 advantage in the series history against Pitt State, but the Gorillas earned a 5-4 eight inning walkoff win in the last meeting on Feb. 3, 2024 in Conroe.
Midwestern State (15-36, 13-29 LSC)
The Mustangs were picked to finish 13th in the LSC Preseason Poll, as 13 returners are back from a season ago. Camile Nunez is the leading returner from the batters box, hitting .280 with three home runs and nine stolen bases. Addison Lindemann hit .236 while owning a 7-11 record in 128 innings for a 3.88 and struck out 100 batters from the circle. Other pitching returners are Sydney Gonzales (1-1, 4.53 ERA, 17 IP), Shyanne Florence (1-4, 5.75 ERA, 28 IP) and Zoe Isom (0-4, 8.91 ERA, 33 IP). Returning for her fourth season in charge at Midwestern State, Brittanie Talley is 35-112 (.238) during her time with the Mustangs and 164-187 (.467) overall in her eight seasons as a collegiate coach. All-time the series history against the Mustangs for Pitt State is tied 2-2 with the Gorillas winning the last game 9-6 on Feb. 22, 2020 in Edmond, Okla.
