Hernandez named Southland's top newcomer
3/21/2019 5:06:00 PM | Women's Bowling
IRVING – The Bearkat bowlers got some good news on the eve of the Southland Bowling League Championships. Bea Hernandez was named the Newcomer of the Year by the League offices on Thursday afternoon.
The is the first year the Southland has awarded individual superlatives honors for the Southland Bowling League.
Hernandez has been a big boost to the squad this year, stepping in to the anchor position as a freshman from the start of the season. She has spent most of the season in the No. 5 spot for the Kats.
She is third in the conference in overall scoring average and fourth in individual fill percentage. She is one of three bowlers in the league who have an overall strike percentage better than 50 percent, converting strikes on 50.4 percent of her 1,273 attempts. She's even better in the baker format hitting on 53 percent of her attempts.
“The biggest thing with Bea has been her consistency,” said head coach Brad Hagen. “The moment she got here she has been the same bowler and I always know what we are going to get from her.”
The end of the game is where Hernandez has been her best. She leads the Southland in 10th frame scoring with an average of 21.1, just ahead of the Southland Bowler of the year Maria Bulanova from Vanderbilt. When she has bowled in the 9th frame she is also tops in the league in 9th frame strike percentage at 53 percent.
Hernandez and the rest of the Kats will get the league championships started on Friday morning at USA Bowl in Irving. It is the second straight year the championship will be hosted at this facility. It's also the second tournament of the year for the Kat at USA Bowl.
“It is a place we have been before so it is nice to have some local knowledge,” Hagen said. “But that is really the case for anyone here. The key for us is making shots and really converting our spares. If we can do that I think we will have a really good weekend.”
The Kats will enter as the No. 2 seed in the tournament and will face Louisiana Tech in the opening match. The tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. and will feature two matches per day until Sunday's championship match.
