KINGSVILLE, Texas – One year after entering the season atop the Lone Star Conference Preseason poll and with a national ranking of No. 2, the highest in program history, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team is occupying a different role in the public eye as they prepare to begin the 2021 campaign in San Antonio, Texas with two games at the Softball Stadium, first against the Angelo State Rambelles at 4 p.m., then taking on the St. Mary's Rattlers at 6 p.m.
Despite still being the owners of the most recent Lone Star Conference regular season and tournament titles and the 2019 South Central Regional Championship, the Javs were picked fifth in the 2021 LSC preseason rankings. There were also only two votes for the Javelinas in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason Poll.
The group attempting maintain TAMUK's status as a championship program includes four former All-LSC first-team performers, but one of the players not on that list is the team's best hitter from their shortened 2020 season.
Sophomore catcher Matisen Onofrei (Mesa, Ariz.) was in the midst of a breakout year before everything came to a halt after 26 games. She led the team in hitting, homers and tied for the team lead in RBIs with 21 while posting a .716 slugging percentage, the highest in program history in at least 70 at-bats. Her team-high six round-trippers included a stretch of six games in February in which she hit four long balls in six games.
Onofrei figures to have plenty more opportunities to drive in runs with two of the squad's best table-setters back in the fold, junior Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas) and sophomore Jory Cervantes (Pflugerville, Texas). These two outfielders finished 1-2 on the 2020 Javelina leaderboard in hits and runs scored.
A year ago, Kelly became the first Javelina softball player to ever steal 100 bases in a career and her 33 thefts in 26 games, which led the nation, had her on pace to shatter the program's single-season stolen base record of 41, which she set in 2019. She also batted better than .330 for the third straight time and her career BA of .346 puts her in the top 10 in the TAMUK record book for career hitting.
Cervantes, who, like Kelly, has started every game for Javs in the last two years, hit .326, a mark that included a .411 average over her team's first 18 games. She also scored 16 runs during those 18 contests. In the field, Kelly and Cervantes have combined to give the Javelinas one of the best and most sure-handed outfields in the LSC.
Coach Craig Nicholson added three new faces to the Javelina pitching staff in freshmen hurlers Lizette Del Angel (Robstown, Texas), Beth Montes (San Antonio, Texas) and Janae Girouard (Galveston, Texas). These new faces help fortify a staff that already includes two of the best pitchers in program history in senior Breanna Smith (San Antonio, Texas) and sophomore Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas).
After crafting a 2.07 ERA as a freshman, Castillo lowered that to 1.65 in year two and finished in the top 20 in Division II in strikeouts for the second consecutive time. She allowed two runs or fewer in 15 of her 17 appearances while also logging two shutouts, putting her career in that category at 10, fifth-most in school history.
In 2019, Smith's record of 22-4 set a new Javelina record for win percentage in a season at .846 and she already sits in second place in the TAMUK record book with 54 career victories. Despite a few hiccups in 2020, Smith finished the season by pitching to a 1.54 ERA in her last four games and owned a winning record when the season was shut down.
Links to live stats and video of both games as well as a recap of the first day of TAMUK's season will be available through Javelinaathletics.com. Stay current with Javelina softball by following @TAMUKSB and @JavelinaSports on both Twitter and Instagram, liking the Javelina Sports Facebook page, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
