FORT WORTH, TX - Texas Wesleyan Softball (3-11, 1-1 SAC) got to celebrate a milestone Tuesday afternoon most team's never get to enjoy. The players got a victory for Head Coach Shannon Gower, her 400th of her coaching career, in a 10-2 triumph over Southwestern Christian (2-4, 1-1 SAC) in a run-ruled fifth frame.

The squad showed up, shaking off a 9-2 loss in the first game of the doubleheader with a four-run second and a five-run fifth in Game 2. Jenna Rhoades went 4-for-4 with 4 RBI on three different hits, a career high for the third-year Ram. 

Per the most recent NAIA records for winningest coaches, prior to the start of the 2018 season only 25 active head coaches around the country have eclipsed the 400 career wins mark. Of that company, she ranks 19th in wins-per-season amongst the very best coaches, averaging 26.4 victories a season.

"Honestly, it's cool to hit that accomplishment, but ultimately it's not about me," Gower said. "My assistant coach (Felix Esparza) is right there with me. I feel I need to (mention) every single player and coaches name - that's what it's really about. I love the game, I'm grateful for the game and what the university has done for me. They hired me young, took a chance on me. If I can impact just one kid per year, that means more to me than a stat and that's all that it is - a stat."

Gower is the longest tenured coach in Texas Wesleyan Softball history, now in her 16th season since she ascended from player to assistant coach to head coach in just three seasons. During her tenure, she has coached 54 All-Conference players, five Conference Players of the Year, 10 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, and three All-Americans. She has recorded two conference championships (2010 and 2012) and made one appearance at the NAIA National Championship Opening Round (2012). In addition, her 2006 team cracked a then NAIA record 66 home runs, with an emphasis - always - on the word team.

During non-conference, the Lady Rams have spent the majority of a pair of weekend tournaments trying to put the pieces together for conference season, which the squad emphatically did. In ten losses, the team lost seven by just three runs or less. Pitcher Madison Ortiz got the start and she was able to reduce homerun hitters from Game 1 (Keirsten McCraw and Faith Maberry) to 0-for-4 and a strikeout.

Rebecca Finley also had herself a day. Just a pinch-runner in Game 1, Finley ignited the offense with a 3-for-3, 5 RBI performance including a 3 RBI double to right field that scored Chyann Jarrett (who stayed busy and errorless with Ashton Davis fielding ground balls from second to first base much of the second matchup) Saeya Esparza and Caille Hendrick.

Game 1's loss was the first to the Eagles since 2015 but Game 2's 10 runs was the eighth time in the last 12 meetings Southwestern Christian was haunted by double-digit runs on the scoreboard.

Texas Wesleyan will host No. 3 Oklahoma City at Sycamore Park Tuesday March 3 starting at 2 p.m. The Stars are off to a rough start, dropping two to No. 2 Science and Arts-Oklahoma, followed by a loss to 2-4 Central Methodist. OCU barely took out Oklahoma Panhandle State earlier in the week in an extra eighth inning.

NAIA All-time winningest coaches, average wins per season
 

Rank	Coach	Wins	Seasons	Avg. Wins per Season
1	Phil McSpadden	1,680	31	54.2
2	Wes Holly	854	29	29.4
3	Myra Minuskin	846	24	35.3
4	Wendy Spratt	832	23	36.2
5	Deb Thompson	798	33	24.2
6	Hal Wynn	740	27	27.4
7	Tracy Gastineau	724	22	32.9
8	Beth Renkoski	721	22	32.7
9	Pat Reardon	717	25	28.7
10	Brandie Paul	713	21	33.9
11	Jessica Jones-Sitzmann	653	19	34.4
12	Mark Mathews	595	24	24.8
13	Ken Phillips	595	27	22.0
14	Mike Christner	582	16	36.4
15	Craig Walston	566	21	26.9
16	Anna Welsh	556	15	37.1
17	Jeana Howald	554	27	20.5
18	Shannon Wathen	546	15	36.4
19	Kevin Gall	521	20	26.1
20	Charlie Kennedy	503	19	26.5
21	Greg Stewart	482	21	22.9
22	Thomas Thornton	477	15	31.8
23	Steve Babinski	460	15	30.6
24	Devon Thomas	459	15	30.6
25	Bill Wilson	435	18	24.2
26	Shannon Gower	400	16	26.4 (397 wins through first 15 seasons)