Future bright for Sam Houston State softball
5/20/2007 1:00:00 AM | Softball
COLLEGE STATION ? In their first trip to the NCAA regionals, the Bearkats on Saturday came away with quite possibly the biggest victory in their program's history, defeating and eliminating a Louisiana-Lafayette team that had been ranked in the Top 25 for most of the year.
“We kept looking for that one run and when we got it, at first nobody knew what to do. We didn't know what to expect because we've never been here,” SHSU senior Stephanie Mosley said. “It was very exciting and fun.”
The Bearkats have been knocking on the door the past few years only to fall short in the Southland Conference Tournament. This year, the Bearkats finally broke through and tasted what the next level is like.
“This is kind of new to all of us,” Mosley said. “We've been pretty close the last four years. We didn't want to come in and lose two games. Expectations weren't high for us. If we lost two games, no big deal. We came in here and won a game, so that speaks volumes.”
Not only did Mosley finally get a Southland Conference Tournament championship after four years, but it was her line drive to right-center field in the eighth inning against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday that plated the game-winning run for the Bearkats' first NCAA tournament win.
The future looks particularly bright for the Bearkats, as much of the success this season has been due to the contributions of the team's underclassmen. Starting pitchers Brandi Crnkovic and Morgan Mikulin, a sophomore and a freshman, respectively, led the Bearkats to their first 30-win season since 1993.
Sophomore catcher Casey Everitt led the Bearkats in hitting with a .316 batting average. Everitt also drove in 30 runs and led the team with eight homers.
Freshman first baseman Amy Brown connected for 59 hits and had a .298 batting average. Returning on the hot corner for the Bearkats is sophomore Sarah Parich. Parich batted .292 with 24 runs batted in this season.
For another underclassman, freshman utility player Lauren Burns, the College Station regional was a learning experience. It was also a homecoming of sorts for Burns, who singled off the center-field fence Friday against A&M pitcher Amanda Scarborough.
“It was exciting. It was great to come back to my hometown and play on this field. I've actually played on this field a couple of times, so I wasn't too nervous,” Burns said.
While the Bearkats lose only two seniors, Burns said they will be sorely missed.
“It's going to be hard losing those two seniors. They brought a lot of leadership to our team and we'll really miss them,” Burns said.
Heading into the offseason, there are many bright spots the Bearkats can look back on and build upon. The pitchers as well as the position players will have more experience. The Bearkats also have the familiarity of both the Southland and NCAA tournaments as they look to defend their conference title next season.
“We kept looking for that one run and when we got it, at first nobody knew what to do. We didn't know what to expect because we've never been here,” SHSU senior Stephanie Mosley said. “It was very exciting and fun.”
The Bearkats have been knocking on the door the past few years only to fall short in the Southland Conference Tournament. This year, the Bearkats finally broke through and tasted what the next level is like.
“This is kind of new to all of us,” Mosley said. “We've been pretty close the last four years. We didn't want to come in and lose two games. Expectations weren't high for us. If we lost two games, no big deal. We came in here and won a game, so that speaks volumes.”
Not only did Mosley finally get a Southland Conference Tournament championship after four years, but it was her line drive to right-center field in the eighth inning against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday that plated the game-winning run for the Bearkats' first NCAA tournament win.
The future looks particularly bright for the Bearkats, as much of the success this season has been due to the contributions of the team's underclassmen. Starting pitchers Brandi Crnkovic and Morgan Mikulin, a sophomore and a freshman, respectively, led the Bearkats to their first 30-win season since 1993.
Sophomore catcher Casey Everitt led the Bearkats in hitting with a .316 batting average. Everitt also drove in 30 runs and led the team with eight homers.
Freshman first baseman Amy Brown connected for 59 hits and had a .298 batting average. Returning on the hot corner for the Bearkats is sophomore Sarah Parich. Parich batted .292 with 24 runs batted in this season.
For another underclassman, freshman utility player Lauren Burns, the College Station regional was a learning experience. It was also a homecoming of sorts for Burns, who singled off the center-field fence Friday against A&M pitcher Amanda Scarborough.
“It was exciting. It was great to come back to my hometown and play on this field. I've actually played on this field a couple of times, so I wasn't too nervous,” Burns said.
While the Bearkats lose only two seniors, Burns said they will be sorely missed.
“It's going to be hard losing those two seniors. They brought a lot of leadership to our team and we'll really miss them,” Burns said.
Heading into the offseason, there are many bright spots the Bearkats can look back on and build upon. The pitchers as well as the position players will have more experience. The Bearkats also have the familiarity of both the Southland and NCAA tournaments as they look to defend their conference title next season.
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
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/ Softball
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/ Softball
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/ Softball
IF
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