Softball Heads To Corpus Christi This Weekend
4/25/2014 9:41:00 AM | Softball
With two weeks remaining in the 2014 Southland Conference softball race, Sam Houston heads to the Texas coast to take on A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday and Sunday.
The weekend series is crucial to both squads' hopes of securing a berth in the post-season tournament May 8-10 in Hammond, La.
Saturday's doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. The two teams complete the series Sunday with a 12 noon single game.
McNeese State leads the Southland with a 15-5 league mark. Sam Houston stands in second at 13-7. A series victory in Corpus would likely clinch a tournament berth but a sweep could keep the Kats' regular season title hopes alive.
The Islanders (8-12) stand in ninth place, a game-and-a-half behind sixth place Stephen F. Austin. But A&M-Corpus Christi proved how dangerous they can be with a three-game sweep of third place Lamar last week.
Since Houston Baptist ended a seven-game winning streak (longest of the season) with a 3-2 victory over SHSU April 13 in Houston, the Kats have gone 2-4 in their last six games.
Sam Houston took two-of-three in a Southland series with Abilene Christian in Huntsville Friday and Saturday and lost in their last outing Wednesday at Texas Southern. The Bearkats look to use strong hitting to spark a strong finish to the regular season.
The Castillo sisters, Cecilia and Tiffany, from Port Lavaca Calhoun, give the Bearkats a one-two punch offensively.
Cecilia, SHSU's senior right fielder, leads the team with a .356 batting average that includes 22 RBIs, 12 doubles and 3 home runs. Younger sister Tiffany, a sophomore catcher, hits .308 with 31 RBIs, 8 doubles and 9 home runs.
Junior designated hitter Hillary Adams stands as Sam Houston's all-time home run hitter with 30 in her three-year career. She has eight home runs this year.
Junior shortstop Tayler Gray sports a .326 batting average this year.
The long-ball has been a big weapon for Sam Houston this season. The Bearkats' 39 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
Senior right-handed pitcher Shelby Lancaster started the year 3-5 but now stands 9-6 in the circle. She owns an 8-1 Southland Conference record. Junior Haley Baros and sophomore Meme Quinn further strength the Bearkats in the pitching circle.
Sam Houston wraps up the 2014 regular season with a home series with Stephen F. Austin on Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4.
