Lone Star Conference softball teams returned to action after snow and cold weather cancelled several games last week.   Two teams - Oklahoma Christian and West Texas A&M – remain undefeated this year.

      LSC teams are playing a single round-robin schedule with a doubleheader (two games) against each league opponent starting on March 5.  The LSC Champion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference games.

      LSC schedule and results available here: http://www.lonestarconference.org/calendar.aspx?path=softball&&
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
HITTER
Shanna McBroom, West Texas A&M, SR, Sports & Exercise Science, C, Sachse, Texas, Sachse HS
McBroom put on a hitting clinic at the WT Invitational as she hit .846 (11-for-13) to help the Lady Buffs record four victories, moving to 8-0 on the season.  The Sachse native batted 1.000 (3-for-3) in WT's victories over UC-Colorado Springs and Colorado Mines.  McBroom collected three doubles, three triples and a home run for eight RBI and scored 12 of the Lady Buffs 60 runs.  She was dangerous on the base paths as well stealing four bases (four attempts).
 
PITCHER
Taylor Franco, Lubbock Christian, JR, Exercise Science, P, Monahans, Texas, Monahans HS
Franco had two complete-game shutouts in her two appearances at the WT Invitational, with wins claimed against Colorado Mines and Fort Lewis. She faced three batters over the minimum in each start and faced 11 batters Sunday (against FLC) before allowing her first hit. She induced 23 ground outs and held opponents to 1-for-15 with at least one runner on base. Her 12.0 innings without allowing an earned run moves her season totals to 39.1 innings without allowing an earned run.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Hitter
F-9       Brooke Makemson, Lubbock Christian
F-23     Shanna McBroom, West Texas A&M
 
Pitcher
F-9       Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas A&M-Commerce
F-23     Taylor Franco, Lubbock Christian
 
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
      Kylie Janzen, Oklahoma Christian, a freshman, hit a healthy .667 with a 1.167 slugging percentage and eight RBIs and kept coming up with big hits as No. 12-ranked Oklahoma Christian swept four games in the Edmond Regional Festival. She hit an RBI single during a three-run second inning in OC’s closest game, a 4-2 win over East Central. She had a solo home run – the first of her college career – in a 12-0 win over Chadron State. In a 6-1 win over Fort Hays State, she hit an RBI double in a two-run first inning and later drove in two runs with a sixth-inning triple. She went 2-for-4 with a run-scoring single as OC rallied from a 4-0 deficit for a 10-4 win over Pittsburg State. She leads the LSC in hitting with a .667 average.
      Haleigh Swinney, UT Tyler, had seven hits in her eight at bats in UT Tyler's first games of 2021 against the University of Montevallo. The Crosby, Texas native had four extra-base hits, three doubles and a triple, and totaled six RBI's in the two wins for UT Tyler. She went 4-for-4 in the season opener on Friday afternoon, driving in five runs, hitting two doubles and a triple to help UT Tyler post a 12-1 win in just five innings to open up 2021. Swinney went 3-for-4 on Saturday afternoon with three runs scored and her third double of opening weekend as UT Tyler finished off game number two with a 10-3 win. She added another 3-for-4 effort in the Patriots' third straight win to open the season, a 7-1 victory over UT Permian Basin.
      Kayla Gonzales, Texas A&M-Kingsville, swung a red-hot bat during a weekend in which she helped the Javelinas go 3-1. In her team's first game on Saturday, she went 2-for-3, drove in two runs and scored twice and she added another hit and RBI later in day in a matchup against Columbia College. In a Sunday rematch with the Cougars, Gonzales' go-ahead, sixth-inning, two-run single provided the difference in a 3-1 TAMUK win. She closed out the weekend with three more knocks against St. Mary's to go with a stolen base and three more RBIs, bringing her total for the week to seven. Overall, Gonzales collected seven hits in 12 at-bats for a .583 average with .600 on-base percentage.
      Jayme Johns, St. Mary's, returned to the lineup in a big way this weekend as the junior helped lead St. Mary's to a 2-2 record. Johns hit .571 in four games with eight hits, four RBI, and four runs scored.
      Jade Strother, Angelo State, had an amazing weekend for the Rambelles in their annual George & Ola McCorkle Challenge, finishing with a batting average of .528 after the second day. Strother smacked two home runs against Texas A&M International, earning four RBI for the week. She also scored two runs off of three hits, for a slugging percentage of .778 and earning a .364 on-base percentage.
      Skylar Herrera, Lubbock Christian, paced the team's 8.3 runs per game in the event with a combined 16 total bases off six hits and a .429 batting average as LCU went 4-0 at the WT Invitational in Canyon, Texas. Herrera had at least one hit and at least one RBI in each of the four games. She produced three home runs against Fort Lewis College, including a 2-for-4 performance on Saturday against FLC, which featured a grand slam and a two-run home run for a six-RBI performance. The sophomore middle infielder followed Sunday morning with a solo home run against a gusty wind. She was also 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts. Of her 9 RBI, six were two-out-RBI, and she was 5-for-9 (.556) in at-bats with runners on base.
      Brenna Busby, Cameron, set the table at the top of the order, leading the Aggies to four wins this weekend to improve to 7-1 on the season. The senior hit just .400 but had a slugging percentage over .900 and an on base of .600. Busby opened the weekend with a 2-3 game with three RBI and two runs scored against Nebraska-Kearney, hitting the 51st homer of her career in the second inning. She followed that up with a 2-RBI performance against Colorado Christian before scoring three more runs for CU during Monday’s two wins.
      Jocelyn Bright, Cameron, in just her second career start, pitched five shutout innings against Chadron State in a 7-2 win for Cameron. The Burkburnett, Texas native only allowed three hits and walked just one batter while striking out three and holding CHC to a .176 batting average while she was in the circle.
      Alex McLennan, St. Mary's, made three appearances this week and one start. In her start against Tabor College, she led the Rattlers to an 8-0 run-rule victory. McLennan tossed a two-hitter and struck out two batters. In a relief appearance against Columbia College, McLennan turned in a clean sheet in two-thirds of an inning, allowing no runs and no hits.
      Emilee Wilson, West Texas A&M, made three appearances in the circle for the Lady Buffs to help them go 4-0 at the WT Invitational.  The Esko, Minn. native was rewarded her first victory of the season in a 19-0 shutout against UC-Colorado Springs.  Wilson allowed only one run (one earned) on five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in nine complete innings.
      Payton Foster, UT Tyler, went 5.0 innings and picked up the win in the season opener for UT Tyler with a 12-1 win over the University of Montevallo. Foster didn't allow a single earned run in the outing, limiting the Falcons to just four hits while striking out four. The 5.0 innings thrown were enough for a complete game as the Patriots run-ruled the Falcons in the first of two wins on the weekend. She also went 6.2 innings in a narrow 3-2 defeat to Angelo State.
      Makayla Corbin, Angelo State, had a phenomenal weekend for the Rambelles in their annual tournament, the George & Ola McCorkle Challenge, with an ERA of 1.27. Corbin threw 11 total innings, recording five strikeouts and only allowing one run. She is currently ranked fifth in the conference in ERA with a 0.69. She pitched for four innings in relief against the UTPB Falcons, throwing one strikeout with no runs allowed.
      Kali Crandall, Oklahoma Christian, Crandall, the LSC’s preseason pitcher of the year, has picked up where she left off last season for No. 12-ranked Oklahoma Christian. She went 2-0 in the final weekend of the Edmond Regional Festival, striking out nine and going the distance in a 4-2 win over East Central (in which she allowed only one earned run), then recording five strikeouts in six innings as OC beat Fort Hays State 6-1.
      Beth Montes, Texas A&M-Kingsville, in her first two collegiate starts, logged two wins and pitched to a 1.80 ERA in 11 2/3 innings. She retired the first 17 batters she faced in her Javelina debut and didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning against Tabor College on Saturday. She finished the afternoon with a complete game, one-hit shutout and 13 strikeouts. One day later, Montes started against St. Mary's and added eight more strikeouts while holding the Rattlers to three runs over 4 2/3 innings in a game the Javs would hold on to win 6-5. Her 21 punchouts for the week were accompanied by just two walks and she held the opposition to a .167 batting average.