Skip To Main Content

Houston Christian University Athletics

OFFICIAL SITE OF HCU ATHLETICS
HCU ATHLETICS
ESPN Plus Logo
2025 SB SENIOR DAY (Morris, Savage, Castillo)

SB: HCU hosts East Texas A&M to close out 2025 regular season slate

Trio of Keely Castillo, Mackenzie Morris and Haylie Savage to be honored after "Senior Day" series finale on Saturday



HCU (15-30 / 8-16 SLC) vs. East Texas A&M (9-38 / 5-19 SLC)
  • Friday – April 25, 2025 (DH – 4 and 6 pm)
  • Saturday – April 26, 2026 (Senior Day – 12 pm)
  • Husky Field - Houston, Texas
  • 📈 LIVE STATS
  • 🗒️ GAME NOTES  
Houston Christian University hosts East Texas A&M University in a three-game Southland Conference series this weekend at Husky Field to close out the regular season campaign. The Huskies and Lions will play a twin-bill starting at 4 pm on Friday, followed by a "Senior Day" series finale on Saturday at noon.
 
Despite a loss in their midweek matchup at Houston on Tuesday, the Huskies are coming off a solid conference series last weekend in Beaumont in which they took two of three from Lamar University. HCU claimed its first conference series win since the opening three-game set against Northwestern State with late rallies in each of the last two games of the series, which also clinched a spot in the Southland Conference tournament to mark HCU's fifth straight appearance in the postseason.
 
After falling in the first game of last Thursday's twin-bill 7-1 the Huskies captured two straight in dramatic fashion to claim back-to-back victories for the first time since aforementioned series with NSU. HCU scored six times in its final two at-bats to win Friday's nightcap 11-10, then stormed back from a 4-0 deficit in the series finale with nine unanswered runs, including a monstrous five-run ninth inning.
 
Karlie Barba had a two-run double in the sixth and Hanna York hit the go-ahead RBI double in the seventh for the big blows in Friday's comeback which saw the Huskies set season-bests with four doubles, 14 hits and 11 runs. On Saturday Haylie Savage put HCU on top in the ninth with a two-run jack, her fourth of the season, and York ran into her first career dinger, a two-run smash later in the frame as HCU again pounded out 14 hits.
 
Cara Pitman earned the decision in each of the three games of the series, starting and losing the opener, winning in relief in game two, then coming back to throw all nine for the victory in the Saturday finale.
 
HCU fell at UH on Tuesday 11-0 as the Cougars smashed two homers in the first two innings, including a grand slam in the second frame that opened up a big lead. HCU had just two hits in the contest.
 
Savage, the only three-time All-Southland Conference selection in program history, enters the final week of the regular season batting .375 and has reached base in 17 straight games. She has 11 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games, and currently ranks seventh in the SLC in RBI and OPS, eighth in doubles and slugging, ninth in on-base and 10th in batting average. Her three -hit game in the series finale at Lamar was the fourth of this season and 11th of her career.
 
She has put her name on nearly every major offensive category in school history. The senior third baseman from Angleton, Texas is one of just 10 players ever at HCU to hit the century mark in runs driven in (now at 121) and her homer at UTA made her one of just nine players in school history with 20 career home runs (now at 22).
 
She is now just five hits shy of 200 for her career with 195, good for seventh all-time. She is one of just six players in school history with 40 or more doubles, ranking second with 44. She is two at-bats away from fourth all-time while ranking seventh in walks and 11th in both games played and runs scored.
 
Ella Herrewig is third on the club in batting at .318 and is third in runs scored and second in stolen bases. Maddy Bailey is batting .277 and is third on the club with 17 RBI, just behind Hanna York who now has 20 on the season which is the most for a freshman since Katy Schaefer drove in 18 in 2018.
 
Two rookie hurlers continue to lead pitching staff, as Cara Pitman and Leah Hammack have combined for 13 of the team's 15 victories. The eight victories by Pitman are the most for a frosh hurler since Emma Guindon had nine in 2019.  Pitman leads the club in wins, innings, appearances, games started, complete games, strikeouts, saves and shutouts.
 
HCU closes the regular season slate with a three-game series against East Texas A&M University. The two teams have met just six times, with the Huskies holding a 5-1 lead following three-game series each of the past two seasons. HCU swept the Lions at Husky Field in 2023 before taking two of three last season in Commerce, including Mary-Ellen Hall's 900th career victory in the series finale.
 
ETAMU, formerly Texas A&M-Commerce before a name change at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, is led by third-year Head Coach Brittany Miller. The Lions are currently 9-38 overall and 5-19 in SLC play entering the final weekend, looking to hold on to the eighth and final spot in the conference playoff race.
 
Graduate outfielder Maddie Cason leads the offensive charge, pacing the club in batting average (.333), hits (44) and stolen bases (11). Junior first baseman Tatum Wright and senior utility player Stephanie Tapia each have nine homers. Senior righthander Julia Sanchez leads the pitching staff in appearances, games started, complete games, innings pitched and strikeouts.
 
HCU and ETAMU will play two on Friday, starting at 4 pm. The Huskies will then have their "Senior Day" on Saturday following the noon series finale, where they will honor their three departing student-athletes: Keely Castillo, Mackenzie Morris and Haylie Savage.
 
The Huskies will know the seeding for the Southland Conference Tournament following this final weekend of conference action. The postseason begins May 1 with two separate four-team brackets played at the two highest-seeded teams. The winners of those pods play a three-game series at the higher seed to determine the SLC champion.
 
Heading into the weekend, Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese are tied for first at 20-4 in league play, with Nicholls sitting third at 17-7. Nicholls plays at Southeastern, while McNeese is at SFA.
 
#DawgsUp
 
Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Related Stories