Texas A&M University-San Antonio’s athletic programs continue to impress, as the University’s softball and golf teams have both made it to their respective Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Tournaments.
This marks the fourth time in five seasons the Jaguar softball team has advanced to the RRAC Tournament. The Jaguars finished the 2025 regular season in fifth place, so they will begin play in the tournament as the fifth seed. The team will first face off against the University of Houston-Victoria in game one of the double-elimination tournament. The competition kicks off today, May 1, in Pineville, Louisiana.
Head Coach Nicole Dame praised the team for playing through a tough schedule. “Securing the fifth seed put us on a more favorable path through the tournament, and I feel like we are going to be able to put together a run,” she said.
Standout players this season include Samara Aguilera, the team’s leading hitter with a .409 batting average and a .553 slugging percentage. Freshmen standout Kristianna Luera was not far off with a .404 batting average and a .461 slugging percentage. Kaylee Barlow led the team in stolen bases with 40 (third most in the RRAC).
The men’s golf tournament is May 4-6 at the Golf Club of Texas in San Antonio, hosted by Our Lady of the Lake University. This is just the latest milestone for the team, which finished the second round of the University of the Southwest Fall Invitational at two under, which is a school record for the lowest round ever. This past spring, at the Linda Lowery Invitational, Jacob Pena became the first golfer in University history to win an individual championship and in the process set school records for round and two-day tournament lows.
"We know we are fully capable of winning the conference championship, but we also know that to do it we need all five of our guys to all play well at the same time,” said head coach Christi Cano. “We have the right guys, and I believe we can get it done."
The tournament is the final event for conference teams, with the winner receiving an invitation to the NAIA National Championship.
The success of the University's softball and golf teams follows the historic run of the women’s basketball team, which advanced to the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament in March. The Jaguars made it to the semifinals, an accomplishment made all the more impressive given it was the team’s inaugural season.
“I’d like to personally congratulate coach Dame and Cano for making it the RRAC Tournament. For such young programs, this is truly an impressive accomplishment,” said Athletic Director Darnell Smith. “This is an exciting time at A&M-San Antonio. As the University grows, so do our athletics, as we forge a path towards even greater success.”
While the men's golf team finished the RRAC Tournament in fourth place, player Jacob Pena became the first individual conference champion in Jaguar golf history. He also became the first ever (individual or team) to win a conference championship in A&M-San Antonio athletics' history. Pena finished atop the RRAC Men's Golf Championship leaderboard, going one under par for the 54-hole tournament.
Meanwhile, the Jaguar softball team put together a solid run at the RRAC Conference, making it to the semifinal game, where they fell to host LSU-Alexandria. This was the program's second-most impressive performance at the conference tournament, having made it to the championship game in 2023, where they ultimately lost to Our Lady of the Lake University.