The Wildcats are preparing for their first season in the UAC, with the fall season still months away.

As a way to let teams train between seasons, the NCAA allows teams to play games on five days during the spring semester. The Wildcats have two doubleheader days scheduled, allowing them to play a total of seven games.

Head Coach Stephen Salas said that this spring has been “awesome” for the team as they prepare for their main season this fall. 

“I mean, for us, it’s about development,” Salas said. “It’s about building for the fall, but at the same time too, we want to get results. 

The Wildcats have played a mix of opponents this spring, from junior colleges up to Division I programs. To start the spring season, the Wildcats took on #18 Texas Tech, losing in that match 2-0. Despite the loss, Salas was still happy with his team’s performance and reflected on what their focus has been this spring.

“I think on the field it’s building out our possession,” Salas said. “We had a 77% passing percentage, which is the highest we’ve had so that shows that we’re doing some good things.”

From there, the Wildcats hosted two teams at home, Ranger College, a junior college, and Sul Ross State, a Division II program. Since it was a doubleheader, each match was 60 minutes instead of the normal 90, which allowed the players to see each other’s playing styles and not exhaust themselves. The Wildcats shut out both teams, winning 4-0 against Ranger College and 7-0 against Sul Ross State.

This past weekend, the Wildcats traveled to Fort Worth to take on TCU, which was ranked fifth in the nation at the end of last season. Keeping it close until the final minutes, the Wildcats lost 0-1 in another performance that Salas was proud of. 

With several players out with injuries, Salas called back a pair of seniors for the road trip. McCarly Holloman, from Midland, and Hannah Vetromile, from Justin, came back to support the team’s limited road roster. 

Along with developing the players, there have also been changes in the coaching staff. With former coaches Audrey Adkison and Kylie Gazza leaving for new roles at other schools, the Wildcats welcomed assistant coach Jose Salazar to the staff just a few weeks ago. Salazar has worked at all levels of the sport, from high school up through college, and is getting into the groove in Abilene.

“He’s known for being relational,” Salas said. “He’s been a great addition and will be really good for us in the future.”

The Wildcats will take on UT Permian Basin and Cisco College this Saturday. The first game will be at 2 p.m., with each game again being 60 minutes. The Wildcats will play at Elmer Gray Stadium, and admission is free for the public.