It has been a long time since DII softball has seen a repeat champion. So long, in fact, that most of the student-athletes on current rosters weren't even born yet. The last time a team repeated was the 1997-98 Cal (PA) Vulcans. Lock Haven won in 2006 and then again in 2009 and that's the closest any program has come to a repeat in the 24 full seasons of the 2000s.
UT Tyler won it all last year in a rather dominating fashion. The Patriots reeled off 58 wins and won the best-of-three championship series in two games over Western Washington by a combined score of 13-1. Odds 鈥 and history 鈥 are against the Patriots to do it again, but a 13-0 start and No. 1 ranking may hint otherwise.
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The Patriots have an absolutely brutal stretch coming up against No. 23 Lubbock Christian, No. 5 Angelo State, and No. 8 West Texas A&M in a row. Even if they lose a game or two there, it's early enough that UT Tyler can still be considered a favorite to win it all once again.
3 reasons the Patriots repeat in the 2025 DII softball championship
1. It starts in the circle. UT Tyler had great pitching last year, especially in the form of Christin Haygood who was utterly dominant in the finals. She pitched the shutout in Game 1 against Western Washington and then threw seven innings of two-hit, one-run ball to bring home the first DII softball championship in UT Tyler history.
Haygood and some of the rotation from the title run are gone, but two pitchers that were brought in are more than aptly filling the holes. Primrose Aholelei was the 2023 Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year, and she has had no trouble adapting to her new home. She didn't even allow a run in her first four appearances for UT Tyler and currently has a 0.68 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 52 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched. Cera Blanchard was a pivotal part of the 2024 Southeastern Southland Conference tournament championship team, and she has not lost any of that momentum in the circle in Tyler. She has a 1.18 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and is a perfect 5-0. Kaylee Davis who was sensational in both the rotation and bullpen for the Patriots in 2024 has been untouchable in 2024, having yet to be scored upon in six relief appearances.
Heading into the week of Feb. 18, UT Tyler was arguably the best pitching staff in DII. The Patriots were fourth in ERA, first in strikeout-to-walk-ratio and first in WHIP. That's depth, and depth like that is dangerous for the South Central Region.
2. Triple threat. The Patriots sure do hit a lot of triples, don't they? The second-most in DII to be precise. But it isn't just triples, this offense is second in slugging percentage, and they score about nine runs per game. JT Smith is still the leader of this offense. The last time we saw her, she went 3-for-4 with two home runs in the championship-clinching game. This year, through 13 games, she's hitting .600 (15th best in DII), with 23 runs scored (second most in DII), and five triples (most in DII).
She is not alone obviously. Last year's leadoff hitter on the championship run, Sam Schott, is also back in the swing of things. She has started the season 18-for-34 with three triples of her own and 20 RBI. Bailey Krolczyk rounds out the trio of Patriots hitting .500 or better. Krolczyk played on Southeastern with Blanchard last year and was a proven hitter at the DI level. It has translated well thus far in Tyler, as she leads the team in home runs and RBIs.
Like the pitching staff, this lineup is deep. That is evidenced by their .377 batting average and 1.114 OPS. There are plenty of wins 鈥 and runs scored 鈥 coming from these hitters.
3. A history of winning. Simply put, the Patriots are winners. They closed their DIII tenure with an incredible run, finishing as national runner-up in 2015, national champions in 2016, third place in 2017 and fifth place in 2018. Once at the DII level, they couldn't be slowed down, finishing 17-3 in their pandemic-shortened DII debut, winning the LSC regular season in their 2021 full-season debut, and making the DII national semifinals in both 2022 and 2023 before finally breaking through in 2024.
In short, the Patriots began their transition to DII in 2019 and in five short seasons, they have already built a dynasty. They are 219-33 from 2020-2024 and are now off to that torrid 13-0 start. They have finished with the best regular-season record in the LSC in all four of their full DII seasons. That shouldn't be taken lightly. The LSC currently has three teams in the top 10 and two more joining them in the top 25. It is no easy task to get to the top.
If you want to talk about a winning culture, that is exactly what head coach Mike Reed has built in Tyler.
