Softball faces crunch time in Corpus Christi
4/9/2010 7:13:00 AM | Softball
For the Sam Houston State softball team to make a return trip to the Southland Conference Post-Season Tournament in May in San Marcos, the Bearkats need to get things turned around in a hurry.
Sam Houston heads to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a three-game series this weekend riding a five-game Southland losing streak. The series is the first of five league series remaining on the Kats' 2010 schedule. Only six teams make the tournament and, currently, Sam Houston stands tied for 9th place with a 4-11 Southland won-lost record. SHSU has been swept in three Southland series this year.
Injuries and bad breaks have hounded the softball squad but the Bearkats have shown promise. SHSU swept their series with 7th place UTSA and shut out No. 23 Baylor in a non-conference game. Junior shortstop Hailey Wiginton leads Sam Houston at the plate with a .346 average. Sophomore Tomi Garrison is hitting .464 and provides experienced pitching to go along with the Bearkats' senior ace Morgan Mikulin who was a preseason All-Southland Conference selection.
The A&M-Corpus Christi is particularly important as the Islanders are tied for fifth place with McNeese State, both at 9-9 in league action. If the tournament were this weekend, the Islanders and Cowgirls would round out the tournament field along with Stephn F. Austin (13-2), Texas State (14-4), Nicholls (11-4) and UT-Arlington. A sweep in Corpus Christi would cut the gap between the Kats and the league's current top six.
Following the series with the Islanders, the Kats have series remaining with third place Nicholls, fourth place UT-Arlington, eighth place Central Arkansas and last place Southeastern Louisiana.
The UT-Arlington series is the Bearkats' next Southland encounter at home with the games set for Saturday and Sunday April 17-18.
Tickets for Sam Houston State softball home games are on sale online at www.gobearkats.com. All Sam Houston students, faculty and staff receive free admission with their SHSU BearkatOne I.D. cards. For $2, students and faculty/staff can upgrade their seats with reserved chairback seat. Offer is available at the ticket booth the day of the game.
For more information on exciting ticket offers go to the links below or contact the Sam Houston State ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
