(RV) Softball welcomes Hardin-Simmons to town for doubleheader

The UHV softball team holds plenty of optimism for the 2025 season.

Head coach Lindsey Ortiz says she saw plenty of encouraging signs during a 9-4 loss against a strong Missouri Baptist team, which is receiving votes in the NAIA Poll. Namely, the Jaguars' offense continued to prove it's a tough out by jumping out to an early 4-0 lead against a strong team.

Now, the Jaguars look to build off those positives with a home doubleheader against NCAA Division III Hardin-Simmons at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Victoria Youth Sports Complex. This is the first-ever meeting between UHV (5-4) and the Cowgirls (5-1).

"We were able to take advantage of good situations we put ourselves in," Ortiz said. "So, the takeaway from that is we need to be able to win ballgames when we put up four runs. So, we want to hold our pitching and our defense to a higher standard, but we're excited about the dynamics of our offense."

Jordan Jones and Kenzie Chambers each extended their hitting streaks to four games with hits on Tuesday. Chambers has also now reached base safely in the last 14 games for UHV, a streak which dates back to the Red River Athletic Conference tournament last season. The two lead the team in hits with Chambers boasting 13 and Jones with 12.

Chambers shares the conference lead in stolen bases with 11 this season after swiping three bags against Missouri Baptist.

Claire Blinka has hit safely in eight of the first nine games this season after going 2-for-4 with three RBIs on Tuesday. The Port Lavaca native enters Saturday's doubleheader with a .423 average and 10 RBIs, which ranks third in the RRAC.

Fayth Hoover, VeJeigh Zamora and Allison Snedeker also tallied hits for UHV on Tuesday with Snedeker also picking up an RBI.

"That's a big thing," Ortiz said. "We've talked about developing this pitching staff and I think the more offensive support we have, the better position we're in to win. At this point, I would put this lineup against anybody and that's exciting. It's fun to watch."

As the Jaguars prepare for their first-ever clash with the Cowgirls, Ortiz wants her team to use the games as stepping stones for their bigger goals this season.

"We want our offense to aim to score early and often, to continue to build on our situational hitting and good base running," Ortiz said. "We want our pitching staff to recollect themselves and refocus on getting ahead in counts and getting out of tough situations. We want to see the defense continue to gel together, to work on our communication and work as one unit. Truthfully, it's another building block. This season is focused on getting better every series and this one is no exception."