UCA series key for tournament hopes
5/4/2011 5:30:00 PM | Softball
The Bearkats' hopes of being one of the six teams involved in the event come down to the final weekend of regular season action.
The mission for the Kat softball team seems simple enough - win one more game than Northwestern State or two more than McNeese State this weekend.
The top six teams in the final regular season standings Sunday will earn tournament berths. Going into the last weekend of play, Northwestern State is the bubble team, standing in sixth place with Sam Houston one-half game behind in seventh.
The Demons are 14-13 in Southland action while Sam Houston is 13-13. Northwestern State plays host to Texas State while the Bearkats travel to Central Arkansas. McNeese State is in fifth with a 15-12, a game-and-a-half ahead of SHSU. The Cowgirls travel to face Southeastern Louisiana.
The Bobcats currently stand in third place with a 18-9 league. Texas State certainly will be motivated to perform as the Bobcats could possibly win or tie for the Southland regular season title with a sweep of Northwestern State. A&M-Corpus Christi stands in first with a 20-7 mark.
Central Arkansas is out of the tournament picture, standing in ninth with a 10-17 mark. However, Sam Houston's history with the Bears has seen SHSU win only three of the Kats' last nine meetings against UCA.
"Forget the past. This team knows what they have to do this weekend," Sam Houston head coach Bob Brock said. "We're missing some players due to injuries but this group has pulled together and overcome adversity in the stretch run. They're going to give it everything they've got."
The Bearkats have won each of their last three series, taking two of three from A&M-Corpus Christi, UT-Arlington and Southeastern Louisiana in that order.
Shortstop Hailey Wiginton (.337), outfielders Alex Survant (.321) and Tori Benavidez (.302) and first baseman Kim Damian (.311) have had the hottest bats for the Bearkats.
Freshman pitchers Shelby Lancaster and Cecilia Castillo will look to carry the load in the pitching circle.
Central Arkansas will present a tough challenge as the Bears rank as the league's number three hitting team with a .276 overall squad average.
Tickets for the Southland Conference softball tournament are available online at www.gobearkats.com or at the SHSU ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and the ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
