The 2021 season is underway with several Lone Star Conference teams in action.  Three teams – Oklahoma Christian, Texas A&M-Kingsville, and West Texas A&M – are unbeaten to start the year.
      LSC teams are playing a single round-robin schedule with a doubleheader (two games) against each league opponent.  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
Brooke Makemson, Lubbock Christian, SR, Business, SS, Frisco, Texas, Wakeland
Makemson had one of the most dominating performances both offensively and defensively, as LCU cruised to a 4-0 record (all against MIAA programs) in the Lubbock Sports College Invitational, which named her the Best Offensive Player of the event. She hit .692, with nine hits in 13 at-bats. Six of her nine hits were for extra-bases, with a double, triple and four home runs leading to a 1.846 slugging mark and a .714 on-base percentage. In the four games, she had 24 total bases, 13 RBI, while also providing nine put-outs and 13 assists defensively with a perfect 1.000 fielding mark. Makemson had multi-hit and multi-RBI performances in all four games. She opened with a 2-for-4 performance with two homers and five RBI against Washburn. The shortstop had home runs in three of the four games and also had a 4-RBI performance against Fort Hays State, which was a contest she had a home run and a triple. In the opening week of the season (LCU was the only LSC squad to play in the opening weekend of play), Makemson, hitting .474 on the season, was able to obtain a .286 on-base percentage.
 
PITCHER
Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas A&M-Commerce, FR, Sports & Recreation Management, P/INF, Katy, Texas, Katy HS
LeBlanc was dominant in the opening weekend in the circle, with a 3-0 record, 0.00 ERA, and a five-inning no-hitter. In the Friday win over Arkansas Tech, she came into the game in relief and pitched 2.0 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and a walk to pick up a win thanks to late Lion offense. In the Friday win over A&M International, she struck out eight and allowed one baserunner on a fourth inning walk, picking up the fifth no-hitter in Lion history in the 13-0 win. In the Saturday win over A&M International, she pitched a complete game shutout with four hits, seven strikeouts and one walk. She is tied for the LSC lead in ERA, third in opponent batting average, fourth in innings pitched, third in strikeouts (most looking), and tied for the league lead in wins. She also had a homerun, a double, and three RBIs at the plate during the week.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Hitter
F-9       Brooke Makemson, Lubbock Christian
 
Pitcher
F-9       Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas A&M-Commerce
 
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
      Jade Strother, Angelo State, was crucial with her batting capabilities and speed in ASU’s win over St. Mary's this past weekend. Strother had four hits on the weekend, scoring one run and three RBI for the Rambelles, with a batting average and slugging percentage of .667. Strother grabbed a stolen base for ASU, with a 1.381 on base plus slugging percentage.
      Kylie Janzen, Oklahoma Christian, started her collegiate career with a bang, going 4 for 6 with two doubles as Oklahoma Christian won its first two games, beating Southern Nazarene 2-0 and Southwestern Oklahoma State 8-5. Against Southwestern, she keyed a five-run first inning, helping pull off a successful double steal and later scoring herself. She later doubled and scored in the third inning to extend the Eagles’ lead to 8-1.
      Madison Schaefer, Texas A&M-Commerce, was the Lions' leading offensive threat, with a .733 OBP from the leadoff spot in a 3-1 week. She reached base multiple time in all four games and drove in five runs. In the first game vs Arkansas Tech, she went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, 2 RBIs, a run scored and a steal. In the second game vs A&M International, she went 1-for-1 with an RBI, walked twice and scored twice. In the third game vs A&M International, she went 2-for-4 with a two-run double. In the final game vs Arkansas Tech, she went 1-for-2 and walked twice. She ranks third in the LSC in batting average, third in slugging percentage, second in on base percentage, and seventh in total hits.
      Brenna Busby, Cameron, set the table as CU’s leadoff hitter this past weekend, leading her team to a 3-1 record at the Edmond Festival. The senior from Washington, Okla. put up a remarkable 1.325 OPS, reaching base in 11 of her 18 at bats this past weekend. Busby led CU with seven runs scored and a .714 slugging percentage with three of her seven hits going for extra bases. The shortstop was also 4-4 in her stolen base attempts and made recorded eight defensive assists in the field. Busby scored at least one run and one hit in all four games, with her best performance coming against Ouachita Baptist, where she went 3-4 with four runs scored and three stolen bases in a 14-2 win.
      Alyx Cordell, West Texas A&M, led the Lady Buffs with a .500 batting average (6-for-12) as WT opened the season 4-0 at the LCU Invitational this past weekend.  The Canyon native drove a bases-clearing double down the left field line to put the Lady Buffs ahead 3-1 in their final game against Washburn to go undefeated at the tournament. 
      Saidi Castillo, Texas A&M-Kingsville, started her third season in Blue and Gold by firing nine innings of three hit ball against St. Mary's and earning the victory in a game the Javelinas won in ten innings. All three hits she allowed were singles and she also walked only two and struck out eight. Castillo didn't allow a hit until the fifth and retired 12 of the final 13 batters she faced. She also stranded runners in scoring position twice in the late innings, keeping a scoreless tie intact until TAMUK could push across the go-ahead runs in the 10th.
      Kali Crandall, Oklahoma Christian, picked up both pitching wins as preseason LSC favorite Oklahoma Christian won its first two games, against Southern Nazarene and Southwestern Oklahoma State. She threw a complete-game one-hitter in the opener against SNU, allowing only a fifth-inning infield single, as the Eagles won 2-0. The next day, she picked up the win in relief against Southwestern, with the Eagles prevailing 8-5. In eight innings of work for the week, she gave up only two hits and struck out seven batters.
      Taylor Franco, Lubbock Christian, was a combined 3-1 (and 1 save) with a 0.00 ERA in 27.1 innings pitched for LCU, the only LSC team to be in action for two weeks’ worth of games. Her first two appearances came on the road against Mississippi College (played in Mobile, Ala.) and at West Florida in Pensacola, Fla. and she went 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA in 13 innings pitched. She had two complete games and 15 strikeouts. Opponents hit .200 against Franco on the trip.  This past weekend, she had three appearances in the circle, and went 2-0 and recorded a save, to help LCU sweep play (4-0) at the Lubbock Sports College Invitational, which named Franco the Most Outstanding Pitcher of the event. Franco pitched a complete-game seven-inning one-hitter (went 5.1 innings before allowing the first hit) against Washburn, facing one batter over the minimum. She continued with a 6.0-inning performance against Fort Hays State in which she faced two batters over the minimum and held the Tigers to one hit. Her final outing, she pitched 1.1 innings in relief and pitched five pitches in the process to claim the save. Opponents hit .045 against her in 14.1 innings (no walks issued), as she faced three batters over the minimum in the combined three appearances.
      Kyra Lair, West Texas A&M, went 3-0 in the circle to open her sophomore campaign, making three appearances and two starts for the Lady Buffs.  Lair allowed just three runs (three earned) on 11 hits with 16 strikeouts in 15.0 innings.  She collected a career-high nine strikeouts in the Lady Buffs final game of the tournament against Washburn.
      Bethany Hines, Cameron, the veteran, was solid in the circle for the Aggies during their opening weekend at the Edmond Festival. She posted a 1.71 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched, while limiting opposing hitters to just a .217 batting average. Hines recorded 17 strikeouts to just three walks during her three appearances last weekend. She opened the weekend with a one-hit, four-strikeout performance against Southern Nazarene for her first save of the year and then followed that up with six punchouts and just two earned runs giving up during an 8.2 inning outing against Central Oklahoma. Hines wrapped up the weekend with 5.0 innings of work against Northeastern State, striking out seven and fiving up just four hits in the win.