Midwestern State took home the Lone Star Conference Softball Crossover Tournament title with a 5-1 run during the three-day, 40-game event in San Angelo, Texas. The Mustangs were one of three North Division teams to go 5-1 as the North prevailed in 29 of the games. East Central and Central Oklahoma went 5-1 in the tournament as well. MSU earned its second consecutive tournament trophy by virtue of allowing the least runs, with five compared to ECU’s nine and UCO’s 10, in the tournament. After the 2011 tournament, the South Division is now 120-105 all-time against the North.
2011 Lone Star Conference Softball Crossover All-Tournament Team
P Katie Raines, SWOSU
P Brittney Tanner, MSU
P Audra Rhudy, SE
P Amanda McClelland, UCO
P Randee Crockett, ECU
C Jennifer Morales, SE
1B Megan Whitmire, UCO
2B Alix Dean, ASU
SS Shelby Simmons, ECU
3B Mallory Mooney, MSU
OF Cassandra Nordie, ECU
OF Jeana Keyes, SE
OF Rachel Powers, NSU
OF Kaycee Raines, UCO
OF Megan Chartier, MSU
DP Kaycee Taylor, ASU
UT Brittany Geter, UCO
UT Rachel Turner, NSU
MSU continues to hold the top spot in the North Division standings at 5-1, with Southeastern Oklahoma and Cameron sharing second place (5-4). ASU has taken the lead in the South at 7-2, with Abilene Christian behind them at 6-3.
LSC softball teams are 323-226-2 overall, with a 168-134-1 record in the South and 155-92-1 in the North this season. The squads are currently 82-35 combined versus Heartland Conference squads and 38-35 against the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, which are the other two conferences in the NCAA South Central Region.
FIRST PITCH
- Cameron set a new single season school record for strikeouts with 259, to top the previous record of 236 from 2009.
- West Texas A&M’s Kasey Henderson broke the school mark for stolen bases in a season with 35 this year.
- Angelo State was No. 2, Midwestern State No. 3 and West Texas A&M No. 15 in last week’s NFCA Division II Top 25 (March 30).
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
NORTH HITTER
Mallory Mooney, Midwestern State University, JR, 3B, Mesquite, Texas, Horn HS
Mooney hit .438 with five doubles and drove in five runs while helping No. 3 Midwestern State to its second straight Lone Star Conference Crossover title last weekend in San Angelo. The junior third baseman connected on a two-run double in MSU’s 2-0 win over No. 2 Angelo State Friday before driving in her 100th career run later in the afternoon with a sacrifice fly during a 9-2 victory over Abilene Christian. Mooney delivered a pair of run scoring doubles against Texas Woman’s on Sunday before closing the weekend with two more doubles against Tarleton State. She handled each of her 15 chances at the third base flawlessly and hasn’t committed a miscue in her last 11 games at the hot corner.
NORTH PITCHER
Brittney Tanner, Midwestern State University, SR, P, Burkburnett, Texas, Burkburnett HS
Tanner delivered a pair of two-hit shutouts of No. 2 Angelo State and No. 15 West Texas A&M while leading No. 3 Midwestern State to a Lone Star Conference Crossover title last weekend in San Angelo. The senior from Burkburnett has allowed just two runs in her last eight starts for a 0.28 ERA over 50 innings with 67 strikeouts and 12 walks. Tanner posted a 3-1 mark allowing one earned run on six hits in 18 innings with 27 strikeouts and four walks for a 0.39 ERA. She bettered her league leading ERA to 0.93 while improving 21-3 on the season.
SOUTH HITTER
Paige Colburn , Eastern New Mexico University, JR, SS/3B, Prairie Village, Kan., Shawnee Mission East HS
Colburn hit .385 at the LSC Crossover and registered multiple-hit games against Southwestern Oklahoma and Northeastern State. Against NSU, she was 2-for-3 with a double. Colburn singled against Cameron, scored a run and stole two bases.
SOUTH PITCHER
Cassandra Hernandez, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, SR, P, Harlingen, Texas, Harlingen South HS
Hernandez was in the circle for the Javelinas 4-2 victory over Southwestern Oklahoma. She allowed just one earned run in a complete-game effort against the Bulldogs to remain unbeaten this season at 3-0.