After claiming the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship last season, West Texas A&M is the top choice to repeat as Lone Star Conference softball champions as the 2015 preseason poll was revealed by league officials on Wednesday.
WT received 21 of the 23 first-place votes for a total of 205 points in the poll decided by LSC coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives. The Lady Buffs finished the 2014 season with a 23-4 league mark and an overall record of 60-7 to become just the fourth team in NCAA Division II history to win 60 games in a season while also claiming the national title.
In addition, WT’s Renee Erwin and Rita Hokianga claimed LSC Preseason Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year acclaim, respectively.
Erwin, a senior outfielder from Anna, Texas, paced the Lady Buffs memorable season by hitting .459 with 20 doubles, six triples, 18 homeruns and 75 RBI for an astonishing slugging percentage of .902 while walking 42 times to register an on-base percentage of .574 while tallying 57 putouts and seven assists from right field for a fielding percentage of .970. She broke the LSC single season record for total runs scored (81) and total bases (175).
An All-LSC first team selection, Erwin was also selected to the league's Golden Glove and All-Tournament Team. She earned Daktronics All-South Central Region first team and Player of the Year accolades along with National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) second-team recognition. Erwin was named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team as well.
Hokianga, a senior pitcher from Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, led WT’s national title run as she went 29-3 in the circle with a 2.11 ERA to go along with 21 complete games in 39 appearances with 33 starts. Hokianga registered eight shutouts with two saves in her 212.1 innings of work, giving up 151 hits while striking out an incredible 283 batters for an opponent batting average of .195. She was the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 NCAA Division II Championship with a perfect 4-0 mark and 1.09 ERA, including three complete games and 21 strikeouts in 25.2 innings of work. Hokianga was named the LSC Newcomer and Pitcher of the Year while also picking up All-LSC first team honors. She was named the Daktronics South Central Region Pitcher of the Year while being honored as an All-American by Daktronics (third team) and the NFCA (first team).
Angelo State, the reigning LSC tournament champions, was second in the poll with one first-place nod for 174 points. Midwestern State was third with 146 points in front of Texas Woman’s, who was tabbed fourth with 135 points.
Cameron was fifth with 117 points, while Tarleton State (89), first-year program Texas A&M-Commerce (64 and one first-place vote), Texas A&M-Kingsville (58), and Eastern New Mexico (47) rounded out the poll.
The 2015 season starts January 31 with nine LSC teams playing a single round-robin schedule with a four games against each league opponent. The four-game series shall consist of a doubleheader Friday and a doubleheader Saturday.
The overall LSC Champion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference games, while the winner of the postseason championship will be recognized as LSC Tournament Champion and receive the league’s automatic qualification into NCAA postseason. The single-elimination championship will be played May 1-2, at the No. 1 seed.
Here is a closer look at the voting breakdown:
|
Rank |
LSC Softball |
1st |
TOTAL |
|
1 |
West Texas A&M |
21 |
205 |
|
2 |
Angelo State |
1 |
174 |
|
3 |
Midwestern State |
|
146 |
|
4 |
Texas Woman's |
|
135 |
|
5 |
Cameron |
|
117 |
|
6 |
Tarleton State |
|
89 |
|
7 |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
1 |
64 |
|
8 |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
|
58 |
|
9 |
Eastern New Mexico |
|
47 |