Above photo of returning starter Shorey Nguyen courtesy of UMHB Sports Information
BELTON — When Melissa Mojica fills out her lineup card ahead of Friday’s season-opener at Texas Lutheran, it will look fairly different from the way it did last season.
11 seniors graduated off the 2025 team, a squad that went 24-16. That includes shortstop Lindsey Polleschultz, the program’s all-time leader in stolen bases, catcher Tori Skinner, first baseman Bailey Frenzel, centerfielder Taylor Henken, second baseman Madeline Stephenson, and infielder/pitcher Bryton Wright, and starting pitchers Chloee Miller and Eileigh Whyte.
In summary, there will be a lot of new faces pressed into action early in this 2026 campaign. But it won’t be a rebuilding year for The Cru.
“All the talent is there,” Mojica, entering her sixth season as UMHB’s head coach, said earlier this week. “It’s just being consistent, day in and day out, and focusing on what we need to get done.”
That starts with Friday’s doubleheader at TLU, the nation’s eighth-ranked team who is coming off a 44-5 season and a trip to the D3 World Series last June. With games set for 2 and 4 p.m. in Seguin, the Crusaders will see where they stand relative to the nation’s best, a quality test for a squad that has made positive strides throughout its pre-season prep.
It kicks off a stretch of 14 road games in the first 16 contests of the season, including a Feb. 28 doubleheader at Huntingdon in Memphis, Tennessee. By March 21, The Cru will have played three nationally-ranked teams.
“We’re playing three Top 25 teams in the first two months, but we haven’t talked about all the travel at the beginning,” Mojica said, when asked about the season starting with six straight away from Belton. “Nothing has really been said. Our freshmen and newcomers, I think they’re just along for the ride. If we just show up and play ball, we’ll be OK. We’re just excited to play games. You practice and you practice and you practice, so we’re excited to now get on the bus and go be competitive.”
That practice through the offseason served a valuable purpose for Mojica’s young team, which features several talented freshmen who will contribute from Day 1. It always takes time to get the newcomers up to speed, but with so few returning starters, there was urgency to get the freshmen into the mix. That group includes Addy Todd, who hit .530 with four HRs and 42 RBIs at McGregor High School last spring, and Macy Alewine, a First Team District 9-6A honoree from Wylie High School.
“We’re going to be expecting several freshmen to come in and be starters and contribute right away,” Mojica noted. “Overall, the freshmen bring more power to the team. I think we’ll hit more home runs with them. They’re stronger physically, and will be a little more powerful than what we’ve been in the past. Hopefully that will be a good mix with some speed from Shorey [Nguyen] and Vic [Shimabukuro].”
Nguyen and Shimabukuro, along with seniors Bralyn Belk and Jordan Iverson and sophomore Ava Jolley, provide a key experience piece to The Cru’s formula for success. Nguyen made 39 starts in the outfield last season, tallying the fourth-most hits on the team (110), while Shimabukuro hit .308 in 21 starts as a freshman. Both Belk and Iverson recorded a handful of starts in 2025, but also saw action as pinch-hitters and defensive substitutes last season. Jolley was another one of The Cru’s go-to contributors off the bench a year ago, appearing in 27 games primarily as a pinch-runner, where she was a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts.
“Practices have been phenomenal for her, and her scrimmage on Saturday was great,” Mojica said of Nguyen, a three-year starter. “Shorey’s not super loud but she’s a natural leader and has definitely been doing a good job. She’s going to be our lead-off hitter, and we’re glad to have her back.”
The puzzle pieces have largely fit into place so far for Mojica, though it may be some time before The Cru enters a game with all of those pieces on the field. Injuries and illness in the days leading up to UMHB’s opening weekend doubleheaders at TLU and Schreiner will test The Cru’s depth right out of the gate.
“Friday and Saturday will probably not be a normal starting rotation because we’re missing a couple starters,” Mojica added. “But it gives opportunities for the next kids, especially those young ones, to step in and get going right away.”
In the circle, UMHB’s pitching staff is composed of six arms. Alli Dafoe, Beth Ann Johnston, and Ella Gamblin return, with Gamblin being the most experienced of that trio (11 app, 2 starts, 34.0 IP in 2025). Chloe Booth and Madelyn Denn transferred in, with Booth throwing 10.2 innings at Our Lady of the Lake last spring and Denn going 9-6 with a 3.14 ERA as a freshman at UT-Dallas in 2025. Tyler native Katherine Neal is the lone freshman of the group, a pitcher that Mojica said the coaches “have high hopes for”.
“I’ve been extremely pleased with the pitching staff overall,” Mojica said. “All of them contribute and bring something to the table. Every single pitcher pitched Saturday in a scrimmage. In 14 innings, we gave up five hits, three base-on-balls, which are great with us going against TLU and Southwestern. They did really well. Right now, they are competing every day.
“Madelyn throws a little harder than what the other people on our staff do. She’s very controlled, throws lots of strikes, and already has a year of college experience. Kat Neal is a gamer; she pitched really well on Saturday and did a good job. Chloe is out with an injury right now, but she’ll be back soon. Ella, Beth Ann, and Alli came in on Saturday, stayed ahead in the count, and forced a lot of groundballs. They continue to work hard in the bullpen every day.
“We have a lot of different options with our pitching. We just have to make sure we’re working with them and matching them up with the right teams so they can be successful.”
UMHB’s Opening Weekend Schedule
Feb. 6 | at #8 TLU | 2 p.m. | Seguin, TX
Feb. 6 | at #8 TLU | 4 p.m. | Seguin, TX
Feb. 7 | at Schreiner | 1 p.m. | Kerrville, TX
Feb. 7 | at Schreiner | 3 p.m. | Kerrville, TX
Quick Notes
- UMHB is facing TLU for the first time since 2023, after previously-scheduled series in 2024 and 2025 were cancelled due to weather. The Cru is 37-34 against TLU since 2000.
- The Cru opens its season on the road for the third consecutive season. UMHB swept St. Thomas (TX) in a doubleheader last year in Houston.
- On Saturday, the Crusaders face future ASC foe Schreiner for the first time since 2022. UMHB is 50-9 against the Mountaineers since 2000, and has won the last seven meetings between the programs.
- Melissa Mojica is nine wins away from the career 150-win mark as a head coach. In five seasons leading The Cru, she is 141-70.
