ODESSA, Texas (January 21, 2026) – The David Martinez era begins in just over a week for the UT Permian Basin softball team with first pitch slated for Friday, January 30, in Los Lunas, New Mexico. On Friday, the Lone Star Conference announced their Preseason Poll and Players to Watch List, which included UTPB senior shortstop Keri Sanford and sophomore pitcher Jessica Cantrell.

"I know we are young, but I am looking forward to seeing how our youth brings excitement to the field and meshes with our veteran players," said Coach Martinez. "The experience of our older players will help the younger players find the balance they need to make it through the length of a college season. On the flip side, the younger players are energetic, and the older players will feed off of that as well. Both sides will take something from the other."

Two of those veteran players Coach Martinez alluded to were Sanford and Cantrell.

A native of Georgetown, Texas, Sanford was UTPB's 2024-25 Edgardo Madrid & Associates Women's Student-Athlete of the Year and was also named Third-Team All-LSC. She started in all 52 of her games played (51 at shortstop), made the second-most starts on the team, and hit in the leadoff spot in the Falcons' lineup in 50 games. She led the Falcons with a .371 batting average and also led in at bats (167), runs scored (31), hits (62), triples (5), total bases (77), slugging percentage (.461), on-base percentage (.413), and stolen bases (11-for-11). As the team's starting shortstop, Sanford was second on the team with 183 chances, was first with 74 assists (33 more than the next player), set a new career-high with 86 putouts, and helped turn five double plays. She set a new career-high in games played, games started, batting average, at bats, runs, hit, doubles (2), triples, home runs (1), runs batted in (14), slugging percentage, walks (12), on-base percentage, sacrifice bunts (3), putouts (86) and assists. Sanford had a 10-game hitting streak to open the season, had 19-multi hit games, posted three four-hit performances, and scored at least two runs in a game nine times. Lastly, Sanford ranked eighth in triples, 16th in hits, 17th in at bats, 20th in stolen bases and 25th in batting average in the LSC.

A native of Elgin, Texas, Cantrell has been named an LSC Pitcher to Watch for the second time in her young career. As a true freshman last year, she made a total of 23 appearances in the circle. She totaled 135.0 innings pitched to go along with 103 strikeouts and a 3.94 earned run average. She was 5-13 with 11 complete games and one shutout in 17 starts in her first collegiate season. She ranked first on the Falcons in ERA, wins, starts, complete games, innings pitched and strikeouts as a freshman.

Coach Martinez said of Sanford and Cantrell, "Keri and Jessica are veteran, experienced players, and I am excited about them being two of our key returners that will not only lead our team this year, but will help build the foundation for years to come. I know what they are both capable of, and I am eager to see what they do on the field this year. Jessica had a great freshman season last year and has the makings of being a dominant pitcher this season. Keri is one of the more established players in this league, everyone on our team follows her lead, and I have no doubt that her experience will continue to lead this team."

Two-time defending NCAA Division II national champion UT Tyler is the favorite to win its sixth consecutive Lone Star Conference softball title according to the 2026 preseason poll, it was announced on Wednesday (Jan. 21).

The preseason poll and preseason players of the year are voted on by LSC head coaches, sports information directors and media members.

UT Tyler totaled 849 points and collected 39 of the possible 51 first-place votes in the poll. The Patriots went 62-5 overall and 40-4 in league play last season. They won a share of the league title and also claimed the LSC tournament crown. UT Tyler closed out its national championship season on a 24-1 run, including a 5-0 showing at the national finals. The Patriots, which led the league in pitching (1.33 ERA) and tied for tops in fielding (.978) last year, enter the season unanimously ranked No. 1 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.

West Texas A&M was picked as the runner-up with 817 points and eight first-place votes. The Lady Buffs went 56-8 overall and 40-4 in LSC play en route to a share of their second consecutive and sixth overall conference title. They led the league with a .362 average and 98 home runs and reached the NCAA Division II South Central Super Regional. WT, which won national titles in 2021 and 2014, is ranked No. 8 in the preseason national poll.

Angelo State was the third-place selection with 753 points and two first-place votes. The Rambelles went 47-14 overall and 34-10 in conference last year. They reached the NCAA regional and tied for the league lead in fielding percentage. ASU won the national title in 2004 and has collected a league-high eight conference championships. The Rambelles are ranked No. 13 in the preseason national poll.

Oklahoma Christian was selected in the fourth spot with 665 points and one first-place vote. The Eagles went 38-21 overall and 29-15 in conference play last season. They reached the NCAA regional. OC is ranked No. 25 in the preseason national poll.
Lubbock Christian was predicted to finish fifth with 665 points and the final first-place vote. The Lady Chaps went 36-22 overall and 26-18 in LSC play. They reached the NCAA regional.

Cameron was the sixth-place selection with 551 points. Eastern New Mexico (537 points) was seventh, followed by St. Edward's (489 points) and St. Mary's (445 points) to round out what would be the potential nine teams to qualify for the LSC Championship.

Two-time league champion Texas A&M-Kingsville (416 points) was predicted to finish 10th, followed by Texas A&M International (351 points), 2013 LSC champion Texas Woman's (322 points), two-time conference champion Midwestern State (285 points) and Western New Mexico (219 points). New league member UT Dallas (188 points), Sul Ross State (101 points) and UT Permian Basin (100 points) rounded out the LSC's 17 softball teams.

"There is no doubt that we play in the toughest Division II conference in the nation," said Coach Martinez. "Having coached within five different conferences in my career, this is by far the best conference I have ever been in. I am excited to be in the conference with many colleagues I have coached against and recruited against throughout my career."

The LSC softball season begins as early as Jan. 30 (Saturday). Due to being NCAA Division II provisional members, UTD and SRSU are not eligible for the LSC softball tournament but are able to win the LSC regular season title and postseason awards.

The LSC softball tournament is scheduled for May 6-9 (Wednesday-Saturday) at the site of the league's No. 1 seed. The NCAA Division II South Central Regional is scheduled for May 14-16 with the Super Regional following on May 21-22. The campus sites are TBD. The NCAA Division II Softball Championship is set for May 28-June 3 at Frost Stadium at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Falcons will begin their 2026 season at the South Central Regional Tournament (Jan. 30-Feb. 1), hosted by Western New Mexico University in Los Lunas, New Mexico.

"My expectation is for us to compete every game, every day, and with a never quite attitude," added Coach Martinez. "We are trying to put a product out there that hopefully UTPB and the community will be proud of. On opening weekend, I am just looking for the girls to go out and compete and put everything that we have worked on together. Focus on the fundamentals that we have worked on. Playing against difference teams from outside our conference will give us a chance to use a few different lineups and see what our girls can do."

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