Kingsville - The Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team is headed north to take on Lone Star Conference newcomers UT-Dallas in a Friday doubleheader with first pitch set for 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m..

Differing from their usual schedule, this doubleheader will be the Javelinas' only set of contests this weekend, marking the first of three straight weekends where Kingsville plays just one doubleheader per week (all are LSC opponents).

The Javelinas enter the weekend coming off of the best win of their season to date, a come-from-behind upset of No.13 Oklahoma Christian in Kingsville on Sunday. Down by six, the team's bats got red hot, batting around in two separate innings to take down the Eagles.

A huge key in that comeback was junior first baseman Dakota Martinez, who went 9-for-15, driving in seven runs and hitting for the cycle in Friday's game one contest against Cameron. That set of performances helped her win the Lone Star Conference's Hitter of the Week award for the first time in her career, becoming the second Hog to win the award this season. Her and the Javelinas will be hoping to continue their momentum heading into Friday's matchups with UT-Dallas.

As a new member of NCAA Division II (previously NCAA DIII), TAMUK's opponents, the Comets, have never faced off with the Javelinas before. Friday's two games will be the first ever played between the two programs.

Scouting the Competition: The UT-Dallas Comets (5-7, 3-5 LSC)

In their first year at the D2 level, the Comets started the year 4-2, which included multiple wins at the Lone Star D2 Classic, the same tournament that TAMUK opened its season at, but have lost five of their last six contests entering the weekend. 

UTD's doubleheader with the Javelinas will be the fifth and sixth of 10 straight home games for the squad as it attempts to right the ship entering the meat of LSC play. The team will lean on its hitting, which has been excellent to start the year. The Comets boast the third-best on-base percentage in the conference and fourth-best team batting average. Though the team ranks just 11th in total runs scored, that can be attributed to the squad's low total game count, having played in just 12 matchups entering Friday's doubleheader.

Javelina Quick Hitters:

• Kingsville enters the weekend fresh off a come-from-behind upset win of No.13 Oklahoma Christian on Sunday, the first win over a ranked opponent in LSC play for the Javelinas since 2024
• Early in the year, the Javelinas went on a tear, winning nine straight games, including the first four LSC games of their season - the streak is their longest since 2022
• Junior first baseman Dakota Martinez is fresh off of one of the best hitting weekends a Javelina has had in recent memory. She went 9-for-15 with six extra base hits and seven RBI - she hit for the cycle on Friday against Cameron, the first time a Javelina has accomplished such a feat since 2023
• For that stellar weekend, which saw D. Martinez hit post a .647 on-base percentage and slug 1.333, earned her the Lone Star Conference's Hitter of the Week award, the first of her career and second won by a Hog this season
• Senior RHP Andrea Martinez has stepped into a starting role for Kingsville and has been excellent, striking out 57 batters, the sixth-most in the LSC
• Early in the season, sophomore outfielder Lainee Ballin had a stellar weekend at the Southern Colorado Crossover, hitting .588 with three home runs, keying Kingsville to the first five of nine straight wins and earning the Lone Star Conference's Hitter of the Week award
• Freshman OF Victoria Vargas has had a great start to her collegiate career, hitting .409 (15th in the LSC), scoring 21 runs (20th in the LSC), and walking 12 times (T-23rd in the LSC)
• Kingsville as a squad ranks second in the conference in walks, having drawn 103 on the season, and has stolen the fourth-most bases
• Fresh off of a three-homer contest in a game-two upset of No.13 OC, the team ranks eighth in the LSC in jacks with 16. 
• Defensively, the pitching staff has struck out the third-most batters in the LSC and has given up just eight home runs this year, the second-fewest in the conference