The 2022 season is underway with most Lone Star Conference teams in action. Two teams – Cameron and UT Tyler – 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.
In the NCAA Division II South Central Region, LSC teams are 7-6 combined versus Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference competition.
LSC schedule and results available here:
http://www.lonestarconference.org/calendar.aspx?path=softball&&
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
HITTER
Paxton Scheurer, Angelo State, JR, Industrial Org. Psychology, 3B, Mansfield, Texas, Mansfield HS
Scheurer was vital for the Rambelles' offense to open their season at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational. After only collecting one hit in the opening two games, the third baseman would homer six times in the next four games. A three-run homer against Southeastern Oklahoma preceded a two-home run, five-RBI performance in the Rambelles' 6-0 win over No. 16 Southern Arkansas. Against receiving votes Rogers State, she went 3-4 from the plate with a home run and four RBIs in a 9-7 win over the Hillcats. To close the weekend, the Mansfield native went 2-3 from the dish with a pair of homeruns and five RBIs in an 11-1 win over hosts Arkansas Tech. The junior has already exceeded her 2021 season total in homeruns, RBIs and total bases.
PITCHER
Emily Otto, Texas A&M-Commerce, SR, Athletic Administration, Pitcher, Richmond, Texas, Lamar Consolidated HS
Otto pitched three complete game wins this past week, including two wins over ranked opponents. She threw 10 innings, giving up three runs to No. 2 Augustana and tossed a complete game one-hit shutout against No. 25 Central Missouri. She had 27 strikeouts, having nine in each game, and had a perfect game bid through 3.1 inning against Central Missouri. She picked up a complete game win over Arkansas Tech as well on Saturday. She is the lone pitcher to have three complete games this past week, pitching the most innings of any pitcher and her 27 strikeouts were most for any pitcher.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Hitter
F-8 Paxton Scheurer, Angelo State
Pitcher
F-8 Emily Otto, Texas A&M-Commerce
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Bayli Simon, UT Tyler, paced the No. 1 UT Tyler offense that hit a league-best .448 as a club on opening weekend with two hits in each of the five Patriot victories at the Arkansas Tech Invitational in Conroe, Texas over the weekend. Simon went 10-for-16 at the plate as the Patriots knocked off a pair of nationally ranked opponents and outscored their opposition 51-to-12 to go 5-0 in the event. That .625 average led the Patriots and featured four doubles, eight RBI and five runs scored. The Frierson, La. native went a perfect 2-for-2 in the season opener against Harding, and then finished 2-for-3 in both wins against o. 20 Central Oklahoma and Arkansas. She totaled four RBI in that win over Harding to start out the tournament and scored at least one run in all but one game.
Kasey Flores, Lubbock Christian, led with seven runs-batted-in and 12 total bases in the tournament as LCU went 2-2 at Gulf Shores Invitational. She had a pair of multi-hit games, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI against No.14 Auburn Montgomery and 3-for-3 with a double, home run and four RBI against West Georgia. The UTEP transfer was 5-for-8 with runners on base and five of her seven RBI were two-out-RBI.
Kayla Gonzales, Texas A&M-Kingsville, had a scorching hot week, batting .538 with a 1.231 slugging percentage to help the Javelinas go 3-1. In a Saturday win over Southeastern Oklahoma State, Gonzales blasted a pair of homers, drove in seven runs, scored twice and stole a base in a 15-4 victory. She added four more hits on Sunday, reaching twice against Southern Nazarene and Central Missouri. Her final hit of the weekend was a game-tying solo shot against UCM in a 2-1 TAMUK triumph. Gonzales' three long balls were accompanied by eight RBIs.
Jayme Johns, St. Mary's, led the Rattlers at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational hitting .500 over her four games. The team went 3-2 with both losses coming to teams appearing in the NFCA poll. She was 6-for-12 at the plate with a team-best five RBI, drew two walks and was hit by a pitch.
Lisette Urquidez, Eastern New Mexico, had a great debut for the Greyhounds in the opening weekend. The freshman led the team with nine RBI's over four games and accounted for two home runs (grand slam and 3-run) and scored four runs. The Greyhounds went 2-2 on the weekend, besting New Mexico Highlands twice.
Avery Boley, Texas A&M-Commerce, had two game-winning hits for the Lions this past weekend as well as a game-tying home run against No. 2 Augustana, which the Lions won in extra innings. She had seven hits in total and drove in seven runs. Boley had a hit in five of the six games, batting 3 for 4 against Arkansas Tech. Playing as a catcher as well as a first base, she had 48 putouts and three assists.
Josie Swafford, Cameron, made a big impact for her new team during a 6-0 opening weekend for the Aggies. The Charlotte transfer went 3-0 in the circle, giving up just one earned run in 13.1 innings of work. She struck out six batters each against Henderson State and Arkansas-Monticello and held opponents to just a .167 average against her. Swafford also hit .438 with three runs scored and two RBI over the six-game span.
Genesis Armendariz, Angelo State, was dominant in the circle for the Rambelles at the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational. Against Rogers State, she allowed seven hits and two earned runs in the loss. Against No. 16 Southern Arkansas, she shut out the Mulerider offense, holding them to a pair of hits while striking out 12. Against Arkansas Tech, she only allowed four hits and one run in five innings in the Rambelles' 11-1 victory over the Golden Suns. The New Mexican also collected a pair of saves against Southeastern Oklahoma and Rogers State.
Beth Montes, Texas A&M-Kingsville, pitched in a pair of games for the Javelinas during the season's opening weekend and helped her team start the season 3-1. Montes started her year with 2 1/3 innings of one-run relief against Harding, then she took the mound for her first start on Sunday versus Central Missouri. The sophomore San Antonio allowed just one run on three hits while going the distance for TAMUK. After UCM scored in the third, Montes allowed just one more hit and finished the day by retiring the final 10 hitters she faced.
Maxine Valdez, Lubbock Christian, made three appearances in LCU's play at the Gulf Shores Invitational. She made the start against No.14 Auburn Montgomery and went 5.1 innings, allowing one earned run and striking out five batters, as she had no decision on the game ending in extra innings. Against West Georgia, she went 4.0 innings of an abbreviated five inning game, as she held the Wolves to two runs (none earned) and struck out five batters while claiming the win. She held opponents to a 1-for-9 mark (.111) in two-out at-bats.
Kali Crandall, Oklahoma Christian, had a hand in all three of the Eagles' wins during their first four games of the season in the Arkansas Tech Winter Invitational in Conroe, Texas. She pitched two innings of shutout relief in a 5-3 win over No. 2-ranked Augustana (S.D.) on Saturday to earn a save. In a 3-1 win on Sunday over Colorado School of Mines, she retired the Orediggers' first 15 batters and finished with 10 strikeouts in a complete-game effort. A few hours later, she threw 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief as OC rallied for a 3-2 win over No. 25 Central Missouri. Crandall also threw a complete game on Saturday in a 3-0 loss to Harding (Ark.). She finished the week with 16 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings and a 1.53 ERA.
Payton Foster, UT Tyler, finished 3-0 on the weekend with a 1.79 ERA for a No. 1 UT Tyler squad that allowed just 10 earned runs in 31.0 innings of work at the Arkansas Tech Invitational this weekend. The 2022 LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year started off her season with a complete game win over Harding, allowing just a single earned run while scattering six hits in the outing. The Lufkin, Texas native then came on in relief for her third appearance in the Patriot win over Arkansas Tech, tossing 5.0 innings of shutout work while striking out six. UT Tyler finished the weekend 5-0 with a pair of wins over No. 20 Central Oklahoma and #25 Central Missouri and ended two of their five wins in just five innings.
Catalina Cavazos, St. Mary's, Cavazos appeared in three of the Rattlers five games over the weekend, earning the win in the extra-inning upset of No. 20 Central Oklahoma and the save in a 3-0 shutout of Southern Nazarene. In her first game against Arkansas Tech, she threw four innings in a no decision. Cavazos walked two and struck out a team-high 12 - including six Ks with no walks in four innings against the Broncos.