Bearkats face No. 21 Texas A&M Wednesday
4/15/2014 2:42:00 PM | Softball
The Bearkat softball team plays its sixth game against a nationally-ranked opponent Wednesday when they travel to College Station to take on No. 21 Texas A&M.
The Aggies defeated the Kats 8-3 in SHSU's opening game of the 2014 season in Huntsville Feb. 12
In Sam Houston's most recent encounter with a nationally-ranked opponent on March 25, the Bearkats defeated No. 12 Baylor 4-3 in 10 innings in Huntsville.
Houston Baptist ended a seven-game winning streak for the Kats with a 3-2 victory over SHSU in the final contest of a three-game league series Sunday in Houston. The Kats went up 2-1 in the top of the seventh but gave up two unearned runs in the bottom of the inning.
Junior designated hitter Hillary Adams stands as Sam Houston's all-time home run hitter with 30 in her three-year career. Her total passed Kim Damian's total of 27 set last year. Adams set a new single season home run record with 13 in 2013. She has eight home runs this year.
Junior shortstop Tayler Gray is a two-time All-Southland setter who helped lead the Bearkats to a Southland championship in 2012. A two-sport letter winner as a freshman in 2010-11, she elected to concentrate on volleyball for the next three seasons. Now working on her Masters' degree, she is back playing softball.
Senior right-handed pitcher Shelby Lancaster started the year 3-5 but now stands 7-6 in the circle. She owns a 6-1 Southland Conference record that includes a no-hitter in a 6-0 victory over Nicholls March 22 (Lancaster's second no-hitter in her four-year career).
The long-ball has been a big weapon for Sam Houston this season. The Bearkats' 34 home runs stand as the third highest total by an SHSU team. The school record is 59 home runs in 61 games set by the 2012 Sam Houston squad.
The Castillo sisters, Cecilia and Tiffany, from Port Lavaca Calhoun, give the Bearkats a one-two punch. Cecilia, SHSU's senior right fielder, leads the team with a .359 batting average that includes 21 RBIs, 9 doubles and 3 home runs. Younger sister Tiffany, a sophomore catcher, hits .308 with 28 RBIs, 8 doubles and 8 home runs.
Four-year starter Alyssa Coggins from Sealy has played in 205 games at second base for Sam Houston. Coggins stands 4th in Bearkat career assists (465). The school record is 496 set by Jan Sanders in 1985-88. Coggins has totaled 504 put-outs. The Kat record for most games played is held by Christy Roschal who appeared in an SHSU uniform 227 times from 1989 to 1993.
Sam Houston plays host to Abilene Christian in a three-game Southland series Friday and Saturday at the Softball Complex. Action begins with a Friday doubleheader at 4 p.m. The third game of the series is Saturday at 12 noon.
