University of Texas at Tyler seniors, front left, Kristin Lopez, Vanessa Carrizales and Jackie Mendez, and, standing left, Emily Burkhardt, Kelsie Batten, Raven Rodriguez and Britney Bledsoe pose together outside the ball diamond on Monday on campus in Tyler. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph

When the UT Tyler softball team finished the 2015 season as the national runner-up with a record 50 wins, the odds were in the Patriots’ favor that they would be back in Salem, Virginia, for the Division III College World Series this season.

The Patriots had a strong core returning with seven seniors, a few of whom had already been to two College World Series and the squad was losing only four seniors.

UT Tyler head coach Mike Reed went out and found some parts he felt the team needed to make it back to Salem. After Saturday’s 2-0 victory against Linfield (Oregon) College that clinched a second straight CWS berth, it appears he found the right pieces.

The Patriots are ranked No. 3 in the nation and are 44-4 overall. They went 29-0 in American Southwest Conference play and had a 32-game winning streak during the regular season.

“I think one of the things with this team is that all the new pieces that came in brought in exactly what this team needed and filled in all the gaps and allowed us to do so many different things,” Reed said. “The combination of the experience of our seniors and our new players that have come in and provided exactly what we needed when they came in and they bought in and worked hard and I think it is a good combination of both.”

Returning as seniors for their final season were three-time All-American pitcher Kelsie Batten, ASC Player of the Year Raven Rodriguez and all-conference selections Jackie Mendez, Vanessa Carrizales and Kristin Lopez.

Batten continued her dominance in the circle. She enters the CWS with a 32-3 record and a 1.10 ERA. Rodriguez is batting .409 with a team-high 11 home runs. Carrizales leads the team in RBIs with 53. Lopez is just behind her with 48.

Among the pieces Reed brought in are Kaylee Prather, a junior transfer from LSU-Alexandria, who was named the ASC Newcomer of the Year and leads the team with a .432 batting average as the starting right fielder.

“Just being a part of this team, its just amazing,” Prather said. “I am really excited that we get to go on this journey and its something new and we are ready to just take it day by day.”

Other newcomers include freshman Cheyenne Thompson, who started 20 games and played in 39 of the team’s 48 contests. She is second on the team with a .431 batting average. Bianca Van Vlerah is another newcomer. In 44 games, the junior transfer from Kilgore College is batting .345. In 42 games Jade Green, a freshman from Mineola, is batting .337.

All have contributed in the Patriots’ postseason run over the last two weekends that consisted of winning the four-team Tyler Regional and sweeping the Super Regional series against Linfield.

Both the experienced veterans and the newcomers that are about to play on the biggest stage in Division III softball have enjoyed the journey so far and are excited about taking the final step to a national championship.

“We are so excited that they get to enjoy this journey with us,” Batten said. “Each team is different and this team is something very special. We are so close and we are just so excited that we get to spend a week in Salem, Virginia, together. “

The Patriots open play at the CWS at 10 a.m. Thursday against St. John Fisher. The Cardinals are 38-10. It will be the first meeting between UT Tyler and St. John Fisher.

UT Tyler is making its fifth trip to the CWS and third in the last four years. Last year’s runner-up finish was their highest finish there.

Now this year’s team, with is mix of experience and newcomers, will try to do what they came so close to doing last year – bring a national championship back to Tyler.