Six Seniors To Play In Final Home Series
5/1/2014 7:00:00 PM | Softball
Six seniors will be playing in their final home series this weekend when the Bearkats play host to Stephen F. Austin at the Softball Complex Saturday and Sunday.
Cecilia Castillo, Alyssa Coggins, Kaleb Everitt, Tayler Gray, Shelby Lancaster and Amy Pelton look to lead Sam Houston to a series win that would nail down the number two seed at next week's Southland Conference tournament in Hammond, La.
The series with SFA begins with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday. The two will finish the regular season Sunday with a 12 noon single game.
McNeese State (17-6 in Southland action) has clinched the no worse than a tie for the championship and will be the top seeded team in the tournament that starts Thursday. The tournament champion will earn the Southland's automatic berth in the NCAA Championships.
Sam Houston (14-9) stands alone in second. Also in contention for the six berths in the Southland tournament are Northwestern State (12-10), Stephen F. Austin (12-10), Lamar (12-11), Houston Baptist (12-12), Central Arkansas (11-12), A&M-Corpus Christi (10-13) and Southeastern Louisiana (10-14).
Each of the six seniors has played a role in helping lead the softball program to 113 victories during the past four years.
Castillo, starting right fielder for the Kats this year, brings a team-leading .343 batting average into the series. In four years, the Port Lavaca Calhoun product has played in 143 games and owns a .304 career batting average. She earned All-Southland honorable mention honors as a junior.
Coggins, Sam Houston's starting second baseman the past four years, has played in 214 games. She ranks second in SHSU career assists defensively and stands sixth in career at bats. Last year, the Sealy High School product earned third team All-Southland honors, was a first team Academic All-League performer and was selected all-tournament in post-season play.
Everitt, a reserve outfielder for the Bearkats the past four years, has also seen action as a pinch runner in several contests. She came to SHSU after an outstanding high school career at Splendora.
Gray returned to the softball team after four years of volleyball action for the Bearkats. She has been one of the team's top hitters with a .340 average as starting shortstop in 2014. The Huntsville High School product, who was a two-time All-Southland performer in volleyball, played softball as a freshman in 2011.
Lancaster is one of only seven Bearkat pitchers to make more than 100 appearances in the circle. The Tomball product has been SHSU's starting pitcher 65 times, appearing in more than 475 innings. She ranks fourth in the Southland this year with an 8-3 league record. She earned all-tournament honors and was an Academic All-League selection as a junior last year.
Pelton will be appearing in her 170th game as a Bearkat when the series starts Saturday. The Katy Cinco Ranch High School product has started 44 contests in left field this season. During her four years at Sam Houston, Pelton has totaled 54 runs and 48 hits.
The six seniors will be honored in special pregame ceremonies Sunday before the 12 noon first pitch.
