Lamar Opening Foe At Tournament
5/10/2016 11:32:00 AM | Softball
As one of only eight active NCAA Division I softball head coaches with more than 1,100 career victories in his pocket, Sam Houston's Bob Brock knows a lot about momentum.
The Bearkats' skipper believes his 2016 squad is heading into the 29th Southland Conference Softball Tournament Wednesday with plenty of momentum powering the squad.
“Everyone, coaches and players, is excited about heading to the tournament,” Brock said. “The players are determined to give it they're all. All the teams involved, from the No. 1 seed to us as the No. 6 seed is starting at zero in the tournament. Anything can happen.”
The excitement surrounding the Bearkat squad comes from the team's amazing turnaround this season. Winners of six of their final seven Southland Conference games, the Sam women enter the tournament Wednesday in Lake Charles, La., as one of the hottest teams in the event.
Midway through the season in March, the softball teams stood 7-21 for the season and at the bottom of the league standings with a 2-7 mark.
“We struggled early in the season against a challenging schedule,” Brock said. “But our players were persistent. They kept believing that we could be a strong team. After a few personnel moves, finding the right spot for the right person, we started playing well.”
The Bearkats closed out Southland play winning 11 of their final 18 games including series victories over Southeastern Louisiana, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Incarnate Word and Stephen F. Austin.
A young team with only four seniors and nine returning letter winners, Sam Houston's roster in 2016 included eight freshmen, five transfers and a player from the volleyball team. Brock never lost faith that the team had the talent to compete in the Southland.
“Our offense has really come on and we're getting quality defensive and pitching performances to go along with that,” Brock said. “Again, anything could happen.”
History backs up the head coach. In the 28-year history of the Southland tournament, the top seed has won only 12 times. The No. 6 seed has won the tournament and advanced to the NCAA tournament four times – in 1986, 1989, 1999 and 2005.
Three Sam Houston players were named as All-Southland performers Monday. Third baseman Breanna Homer was a first team selection, catcher Katie Doerre was a third team honoree and outfielder Dani Allen was an honorable mention selection. Homer (.398), Allen (.333) and Doerre (.292) plus freshman first baseman Codi Carpenter (.370) have been the Bearkats' top hitters in Southland play.
The 2016 Southland Conference Softball Tournament consists of a six-team double elimination format with a possibility of 11 games. The 11th game would be played in the event an undefeated team lost in the title game forcing a second game for the tournament championship, upholding the double elimination format. Game 11 start time is to be determined.
Sam Houston opens the event with an 11 a.m. contest with Lamar Wednesday morning. The Cardinals and the Bearkats are meeting for the first time this spring since the pair did not match up during the regular season. The winner takes on No. 2 seed Nicholls at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The loser heads to an elimination round matchup on Thursday morning.
The first nine games of the 2016 Southland Softball Tournament will be streamed live for free on the Southland Conference Digital Network, including Southland.org/watch and the league's mobile and tablet apps. The championship round will be an exclusive presentation of ESPN3, available via WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. Chris Mycoskie, Assistant Commissioner of Television and Electronic Media for the Southland Conference, will handle play-by play for all games. Former University of Houston outfielder Sidney Gerbracht will join him for the championship as the color analyst.
2016 SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 11
Game 1: #3 Lamar vs. #6 Sam Houston , 11 a.m.
Game 2: #4 Central Arkansas vs. #5 Stephen F. Austin, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: #2 Nicholls vs. Winner Game #1, 4 p.m.
Game 4: #1 McNeese vs. Winner Game #2, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 12
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 4, 11 a.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 3, 1:30 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 13
Game 9: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7, 10:30 a.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 2 p.m.
Game 11: If necessary game, 30 minutes after Game 10
