Tulsa Returns to Texas for Texan Classic in Stephenville

Thursday, February 19

Stephenville, TX

3 p.m.

Tulsa

Tarleton State

Tulsa Returns to Texas for Texan Classic in Stephenville

2/18/2026 12:31:00 PM | Softball

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tulsa is back in the Lone Star State this weekend for the Texan Classic hosted by Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Thursday vs. Tarleton State – 3 PM (ESPN+)
Thursday vs. Tarleton State – 5:30 PM (WAC International)
Friday vs. Army – 12 PM (WAC International
Friday vs. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (WAC International)
Saturday vs. Pitt – 10 AM (WAC International)

QUICK HITS

Tulsa is one of the most patient teams in the American Conference at the plate. Their 35 walks lead the American. Faith Russell and Maci Cole lead the team with seven each, tied for third in the league, while Daeya Moses has walked six times, giving the Golden Hurricane three of the top five in the league.
Maura Moore is off to a strong start in the circle. The graduate student is sixth in the league in innings pitched with 24.2. Her ERA of 3.12 is third lowest amongst the league's 10 players to throw at least 20 innings in 2026.
She is also tied for third in the league with 21 strikeouts.
Moore threw a no-hitter in six innings in the only other meeting between Tulsa and Tarleton State.
Amber Turner is a contact machine. The sophomore is one of 16 players in the country with at least 30 at bats without striking out. Persy Llamas of Ole Miss leads the nation at 42 at bats.
The Golden Hurricane have increased their doubles per game from last season. So far they are averaging 1.33 per game after hitting just 0.94 last year.
Tulsa has homered five times this season, led by two by Maci Cole. Cole is tied for second in the American Conference through two weekends of play.
This weekend wraps up road tournaments for Tulsa. Next week the Golden Hurricane host the Hurricane Invitational before getting into American Conference play.

TULSA vs. THE TEXANS

This is just the second all-time meeting between the programs.
The Golden Hurricane won the first meeting, 8-0, behind a no-hitter by Maura Moore.
Moore allowed just one base runner, a one-out walk in the fourth, who was then promptly erased three pitches later on a double play.
Claira Skaggs went 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the win in Tulsa.

TULSA vs. THE BLACK KNIGHTS

This is the first all-time meeting between the programs.

TULSA vs. THE ISLANDERS

Tulsa leads the all-time series 5-0.
All five meetings have been at neutral sites in Texas.
Tulsa opened the 2025 season with a 7-2 win over the Islanders. Claira Skaggs drove in two while Maura Moore struck out seven over 4.2 innings for the win.

TULSA vs. THE PANTHERS

This is the first all-time meeting between the programs.

BACK IN BUSINESS

The Golden Hurricane return 12 players from last season's roster.
Graduate student shortstop Maci Cole headlines the returners after earning First Team All-Conference honors.
Cole led the Golden Hurricane offense with a .316 batting average, 49 hits, 10 home runs, .594 slugging percentage, .454 on-base percentage, and 35 walks. She was also second on the team with 27 RBI.
Claira Skaggs was red-hot last year despite being limited to just 19 games in 2025 due to injury.
Skaggs was raking with a .365 batting average and 19 hits while slugging .615 and getting on base at a .469 clip. Despite missing so much time, Skaggs finished third on the team with 3 home runs while driving in 16 runs.
Annika Dill, Faith Russell, Elle Rouse, and Amber Turner are back after starting the majority of the 2025 season.
Dill had a strong freshman campaign, recording a slash line of .270/.335/.368 and starting all 54 games. She also was fourth on the Golden Hurricane with 17 RBI.
In the circle, Maura Moore's 4.47 ERA was the team low, while leading the team with 13 wins. She recorded 11 complete games and two shutouts. In 152.0 innings of work, Moore struck out 91 batters. Alexa Hopkins and Brinly Maples picked up the majority of the rest of the innings. Maples finished second on the team with 95.0 innings and struck 51. She won 6 games with 27 appearances in the circle. Hopkins struck out 54 in 80.0 innings, saving 2 games and picking up a pair of wins.

SOFTBALL TO SPACE

Graduate student Maci Cole has accomplished a lot since she has stepped foot on the TU campus. Last season, Cole worked on a mechanical engineering project, which is part of a NASA initiative.
During an 18-game hitting streak last season, Cole slashed .472/.569/.962 with six doubles, a triple, six home runs and 17 driven in.
Prior to the 2026 season, Cole was named to the D1 Softball Top 100 Mid-Major Players List.
She drew a team-leading 35 walks last, which was the fifth most in The American. Her 0.65 walks per game was 80th in the NCAA.

PRESEASON POLL

Tulsa was picked to finished 7th in the American Conference preseason poll.
Florida Atlantic was picked to win the league and received 8 first place votes.
South Florida received 2 first place votes and was picked second, followed by Wichita State, Charlotte, North Texas, East Carolina, Tulsa, UAB, UTSA, and Memphis in that order.

MAGNIFICENT MAURA

Maura Moore was busy last, throwing 152.0 innings, almost half of Tulsa's for the season and the only Tulsa pitcher to throw over 100.0. She finished fourth in The American for innings pitched and 83rd nationally. She led the conference in games started (32), second for complete games (11), ranking 14th and 106th in the NCAA, respectively.
Moore became the sixth pitcher in program history to start 90 games in the circle on opening day.
Moore trails only Aimee Creger (110), Emily Watson (109), Jenny Magill (101), and Jackie Lawrence (94), while she surpassed Maren Genow (91) on the all-time starts list earlier this season. Moore has 93 starts with the Golden Hurricane.
Moore also looks to join the 500.0 innings club, needing just 0.1 to do so. She would become the 10th pitcher in program history to reach that milestone.
The senior enters the 2026 campaign with 40 wins, needing just 2 more to crack the top 10 in program history.

NOTABLE NEWCOMERS

The Golden Hurricane welcome 7 newcomers to the roster ahead of the 2026 season.
The roster features 5 freshmen; Isabella Arroyo, Mackenzy Glenn, Preslee Ray, Malia Cabuyaban, and Makenzie Freeman.
Arroyo and Freeman add depth to the circle. Glenn is expected to impact the outfield, Cabuyaban is an infielder, while Ray can play all over the field including catcher.
Freeman comes in as one of the most decorated pitchers in Arkansas high school history. She was named the 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year and holds the Arkansas Activites Association records for wins (102) and strike outs (1,012). She is the only pitcher in state history to reach 100 wins and fan 1,000 batters. Freeman also holds state records for innings (665.1), shutouts (57), no-hitters (16), and perfect games (8).
Arroyo pitched to a 1.70 ERA and struck out 179 batters as a high school senior.
Glenn starred at Lutheran High School, helping them to 4 state championships. She posted huge numbers, batting .546 with a .614 on-base percentage while also earning 4 Academic All-State honors.
Cabuyaban comes to Tulsa after a strong high school career where she hit .322 with 13 home runs and 59 RBI.
Ray was a .309 hitter in high school and was named the 2022 Norman High Freshman of the Year. She earned All-Region, All-District, and was a VYPE Player to Watch as a senior.
A pair of JUCO transfers also look to make an immediate impact on the Golden Hurricane in outfielder Madison Garcia and infielder Daeya Moses.
Garcia spent 2 seasons at McLennan Community College where they went 114-12 and reached the 2024 NJCAA D1 National Championship.
She recorded 128 hits for a .408 batting average and drove in 79 runs in 116 appearances.
Moses played 2 seasons at Grayson College.
As a sophomore they won 54 games and reached the NJCAA D1 World Series. She hit .337 with 12 home runs and 66 RBI. As a freshman she hit .335 with 17 home runs and 78 RBI as Grayson won 38 games.

FREE BASES

The Golden Hurricane are patient at the plate, working an American Conference high 35 walks through nine games.
The team has been hit by a pitch nine times, the 36th most in America.
Maci Cole and Faith Russell are tied for second in the American with seven walks each.
Daeya Moses is right behind them with six walks while Annika Dill has walked four times.
Mackenzy Glenn and Claira Skaggs have each been hit twice at the plate.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Eight Tulsa players have racked up 12 doubles this season.
Sophomore Amber Turner leads the way with three, last season she only had four in 145 at bats.
Faith Russell has a pair of doubles in just 15 at bats.

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Maci Cole enters the weekend with 90 career hits, needing 10 for 100 for her Tulsa career.
Claira Skaggs is closing in on 150 hits and 100 RBI. She currently has 138 hits and 91 RBI.
Maura Moore has thrown 499.9 innings as a Golden Hurricane, needing 0.1 to become the 10th pitcher in program history to reach 500.0.
Head Coach Crissy Strimple is eight wins away from passing James Pinkerton as the second winningest coach in program history.

UP NEXT

Tulsa is home for the first time this season as they host the Hurricane Invitational beginning next Friday.

Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the softball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.