LCU Chaps Softball

Winter Camps Continue Jan. 14

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:56:00 -0600

LUBBOCK, Texas (January 7, 2011) - Lubbock Christian University softball head coach Daren Hays announced there will not be a softball camp held for Sunday, January 8th, but the camps for Jan. 14 and 15 are still scheduled. The day camps will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the fee of $80 per session. Individuals may attend both the Jan. 14 and 15^th dates for $150. Each camp will focus on instruction in hitting, fielding, pitching and player evaluations. Individuals can register by visiting www.lcusportscamps.com. Head coach Daren Hays can be contacted directly by calling 806-720-7274 for additional information.

Lady Chaps Ranked 7th

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:49:00 -0600

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Defending national champion Oregon Tech has claimed the top spot in the 2011 NAIA Softball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The Owls, who defeated California Baptist 1-0 on May 25 to capture the 2011 National Championship, received 17 of 20 first-place votes and earned 555 points. Oregon Tech, who went 42-13 during the 2011 season, jumps up 17 spots from last season’s final poll.

The Owls are led by reigning NAIA Coach of the Year Greg Stewart. He enters his eighth season at the helm for Oregon Tech with a record of 226-107-2. Stewart will lean on top junior pitcher Taylor Schmidt, who went 17-4 with a 2.02 ERA, and sophomore infielder Shauna Collins, who led the team with a .358 batting average.

Cal State San Marcos climbs two spots to No. 2 with 535 points and one first-place nod on the strength of a 47-11 record and fourth-place National Championship. No. 3 Oklahoma City creeps up six spots with 511 points and two first-place votes after concluding last season at No. 9 in the polls. No. 4 Central Baptist (Ark.) and No.5 Brenau (Ga.) complete the top five with 493 and 488 points, respectively. Cal State San Marcos and Central Baptist are the only holdovers from last season’s final top five.

No. 13 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) makes the biggest jump of teams that landed outside of last season’s final poll. The Lady Senators return three-time NAIA All-America outfielder Brandi Richards and lose just two starters from a team that went 34-20. Similarly, Union (Tenn.) went from unranked to No. 17. The Lady Bulldogs bring back their top two pitchers in Brooke Thomas and Keaton Kirk after finishing last season as TranSouth Athletic Conference Tournament and regular-season runner-up.

In total, 20 squads retained Top-25 rankings from the previous poll with No. 6 Belhaven (Miss.), No. 7 Lubbock Christian (Texas) and No. 14 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) remaining in the exact same positions. New to the poll are Auburn Montgomery, Union (Tenn.), No. 20 Central Methodist (Mo.), No. 23 Corban (Ore.) and No. 25 Oklahoma Christian.

Thirteen conferences/independent/unaffiliated groupings are represented in the poll. The Southern States Athletic Conference boasts the most ranked clubs with six: Brenau, Belhaven, No. 9 Shorter (Ga.), Auburn Montgomery, No. 16 William Carey (Miss.) and No. 22 Mobile (Ala.). The Sooner Athletic Conference claims three teams: Oklahoma City, Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma Christian. Five conferences are represented by two members.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences /independent /unaffiliated groupings. The first regular-season poll will be released on March 19, 2012. For more information about NAIA softball, click here.

Notes (all information dating back to 2000): Oregon Tech’s highest-ever previous ranking was 10th, occurring on March 19, 2002 … Oregon Tech joins former NAIA member California Baptist, Lubbock Christian (Texas), Mobile (Ala.), Oklahoma Baptist, Oklahoma City, former NAIA member Simon Fraser (B.C.) and Thomas (Ga.) as the only schools to appear at No. 1 … California Baptist leads the way with 46 all-time No. 1 appearances, followed by Oklahoma City with 20, Simon Fraser with 18, Thomas with 13, Mobile with five, Lubbock Christian with three and Oklahoma Baptist with two … No. 2 Cal State San Marcos has been ranked in 22-straight polls as it ties its highest-ever ranking this week … No. 3 Oklahoma City has appeared in 71-straight polls, falling no lower than 18th during that stretch … No. 20 Central Methodist (Mo.) checks into the Top 25 for the first time since being ranked No. 24 in the 2009 preseason poll … No. 24 Corban (Ore.) is making its first-ever appearance in the rankings … No. 25 Oklahoma Christian last appeared in the Top 25 on Feb. 3, 2004.

RANK	PREVIOUS	SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)	2011 RECORD	TOTAL POINTS
1	18	Oregon Tech (17)	42-13	555
2	4	Cal State San Marcos (1)	47-11	535
3	9	Oklahoma City (2)	48-14	511
4	5	Central Baptist (Ark.)	57-7	493
5	10	Brenau (Ga.)	41-9	488
6	6	Belhaven (Miss.)	50-12	483
7	7	Lubbock Christian (Texas)	52-12	457
8	12	Concordia (Calif.)	47-13	429
9	15	Shorter (Ga.)	46-15	407
10	11	Houston-Victoria (Texas)	37-18	382
11	8	Azusa Pacific (Calif.)	33-23	365
12	16	Bethel (Ind.)	38-8	347
13	RV	Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)	34-20	320
14	14	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	47-8	311
15	17	Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)	50-12	294
16	3	William Carey (Miss.)	54-8	284
17	RV	Union (Tenn.)	41-15	242
18	20	Williams Baptist (Ark.)	31-12	240
19	13	Reinhardt (Ga.)	40-11	239
20	RV	Central Methodist (Mo.)	41-15	171
21	22	Columbia (Mo.)	29-16	163
22	21	Mobile (Ala.)	36-18	153
23	RV	Corban (Ore.)	25-17	130
24	24	Saint Xavier (Ill.)	34-16	123
25	RV	Oklahoma Christian	40-14	106

Others receiving votes: Friends (Kan.) 85; Dickinson State (N.D.) 67; Morningside (Iowa) 56; Marian (Ind.) 56; Indiana Southeast 51; Davenport (Mich.) 47; Concordia (Ore.) 32; William Penn (Iowa) 31; St. Thomas (Fla.) 31; Biola (Calif.) 22; Evangel (Mo.) 22; Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 13; Lee (Tenn.) 13; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 11; William Woods (Mo.) 11; Simpson (Calif.) 9; College of Idaho 6; Georgetown (Ky.) 5; Bellevue (Neb.) 3; Nebraska Wesleyan 1; Asbury (Ky.) 1; William Jessup (Calif.) 1; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 1; Warner (Fla.) 1; Indiana Tech 1; Ottawa (Kan.) 1; Oklahoma Baptist 1; Madonna (Mich.) 1; Northwood (Texas) 1; Huntington (Ind.) 1.

LCU Inks Katera Eltsosie

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:01:00 -0600

LUBBOCK, Texas (November 9, 2011) - Lubbock Christian University softball head coach Daren Hays announced that Katera Eltsosie has signed a letter of intent to join the Lady Chaparrals softball program as a student-athlete for the 2012-2013 school term. Katera is the younger sister of Lady Chaps junior Latainna Eltsosie. She recently led Volcano Vista High School to a New Mexico 5A state championship title last season as a junior. Katera hit .465 with four home runs and 42 runs-batted-in. She also pitched in the circle for the Hawks and went 12-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched. Katera also played for Fastpitch Preparatory Academy and hit .430 with five home runs in 45 games and also went 12-7 in the circle with 105 strikeouts in 92 innings. The Albuquerque Journal named her All-Metro and she was also honored with All-State honors in 5A.

Lady Chaps Picked Second

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:31:00 -0500

OKLAHOMA CITY (October 27, 2011) - Oklahoma City University is the preseason favorite to win the Sooner Athletic Conference softball title in 2012, according to the preseason conference coaches’ poll. Lubbock Christian University received a pair of first place votes and finished second on the poll. The Stars received eight of 10 first-place votes and finished with 80 points. Lubbock Christian garnered the remaining two first-place votes and finished second with 74 points. Oklahoma Christian finished third in the balloting with 58 points, followed by Southern Nazarene at 57, Oklahoma Baptist at 50 and St. Gregory's with 37. Rogers State and Science and Arts of Oklahoma finished in a tie for seventh at 34, followed by Northwestern Oklahoma State with 17 and Mid-America Christian with nine. The Stars and Lubbock Christian shared the regular season title last season 22-4, reflecting the accuracy of last season’s poll, which resulted in the two schools tied for first. OCU won the conference tournament. They were 48-14 last season and LCU was 52-12. Both teams qualified for the National Championships, with LCU making it to the elite eight tournament.

Coronado's Reed Signs With LCU

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:08:00 -0500

LUBBOCK, Texas (October 10, 2011) - Lubbock Christian University head softball coach Daren Hays has announced Katlin Reed of Lubbock's Coronado High School has committed to attend LCU and join the Lady Chaparrals softball team beginning the 2012-2013 school term. Reed celebrated her signing last week at a signing party hosted by Coronado. She played shortstop and hit third in the lineup for the Lady Mustangs last season. Reed appeared in 40 games and hit .412 with seven homers and 10 doubles. Her offensive production led to 45 runs-batted-in. She claimed District 2-5A All-District First Team honors and claimed All-City Shortstop accolades by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal last season. Reed is also a member of the CHS volleyball team.

Parsons Heads Across The Pond

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:38:00 -0500

LUBBOCK, Texas (July 8, 2011) – The only four-year letterwinner in Lubbock Christian University softball history may be hanging up the cleats in a Lady Chaparrals jersey, but Amanda Parsons is not done swinging the bat in her softball career.

Parsons, a Lubbock native who recently completed her senior season, is leaving Monday to compete internationally in exhibition softball play. She is joining several other players with college softball backgrounds to compete for USA Athletes International, as they head to The Netherlands. USAAI is a non-profit organization that allows amateur athletes to compete in Olympic-style tournament competition. They are expected to compete against club and national level teams. They are slated to compete against the Belgium or Dutch national team. Parsons was the first player to sign with the Lady Chaps softball program when they made their debut four seasons ago and was a vital part of their inaugural program, which marched to a 2008 NAIA National Championship. She appeared in 249 games over four seasons with LCU and hit a career .365 with 30 home runs and 185 RBI.

Four Honored as All-Americans

Sat, 28 May 2011 06:05:00 -0500

LUBBOCK, Texas (May 28, 2011) - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced the 2011 Softball All-America teams, selected by the NAIA All-America committee, and Lubbock Christian University was represented with four members receiving All-America honors. The NAIA recognized Kim Frazier (First Team), Kayla Van Dieren (First Team), Priscilla FaGaines (Second Team) and Meagan Navarrette (Honorable Mention).

Frazier, a junior from Buena Park, Calif., receives the honor for a second consecutive season. The 2010 NAIA National Player of the Year hit 23 home runs this season to rank third in the NAIA and she ended the season with 58 career home runs to place her as the NAIA’s career co-leader with Bethel College’s Katie Boocher, who completed her senior season this season. Frazier finished fifth in the NAIA this season in RBI (72) and total bases (168), sixth in slugging (.944) and ninth in runs scored (63), while hitting .438 on the season.

Van Dieren, an outfielder from Placentia, Calif., completed her senior season batting .459 (18^th in the NAIA). The two-time First Team All-American ranked second in the NAIA in hits (96), triples (8) and fifth in runs scored (74). She also ranked sixth in total bases (167) and tenth in RBI with 67.

FaGaines, a 2010 First Team member, claims Second Team honors this season after leading the team with 28 stolen bases (23^rd in the NAIA). The Covina, Calif. native hit .391 with seven home runs and 58 RBI. The senior ranked sixth in the NAIA in runs scored (68) and 11^th in hits (79). She also displayed one of the best outfield arms in the NAIA.

Navarrette, a freshman pitcher from Lubbock, Texas, went 18-1 in the circle on the season and her only loss came in her last appearance of the season, which was a loss to eventual NAIA champion Oregon Tech at the NAIA championship tournament. She co-led LCU with 22 starts and had a 2.37 ERA with 10 complete games and a team-high 127 innings pitched. Navarrette also led LCU with 98 strikeouts.

LCU completed the season with a 52-12 record and finished their fourth year in program history at the NAIA National Championship tournament for a fourth consecutive season, and qualifying for the eight-team double elimination tournament for a third season. LCU led the NAIA in stolen bases with 168, which is the fourth highest single-season total in NAIA history. They also ranked second in hits (648) and third in runs (498), RBI (453), doubles (112) and triples (20).

LCU Eliminated In Bracket Play

Mon, 23 May 2011 17:23:00 -0500

GULF SHORES, Ala. (May 23, 2011) – No.7 Lubbock Christian University had their 2011 season come to end in bracket play of the NAIA National Championship Monday at Gulf Shores Sportsplex, falling 7-1 to Oregon Institute of Technology and 8-4 to William Carey University.

The opening game started out as a pitchers duel, with OIT’s Jackie Imhof battling LCU’s Meagan Navarrette, and the game was scoreless until Andrea Wheatley singled to left field in the third inning to score Danielle Sayres, who slid into home plate just ahead of the tag. Ashleigh Larson followed with a two-out single to centerfield to extend the lead to 2-0. OIT pushed the lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning with Wheatley hitting her first career home run and it was a two-run shot over the right field fence.

LCU finally got on the board in the sixth inning with Latainna Eltsosie hitting a double into left field to score Andrea Argee from first base to cut the deficit to 4-1. It was the first run OIT has allowed in the tournament. LCU had two on base with one out, but Imhof forced Stephanie Rendon to ground out and then struck out Amanda Parsons to end the threat. The Owls put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh inning with a three-run home run to centerfield by Sara Coates off relief pitcher Carollin Hall.

Navarrette suffered her first loss of the season and fell to 17-1 on the season. LCU struggled advancing runners on base, going 2-for-18 with runners on base and 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. In their contest against William Carey University, the Crusaders jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning with Judy Barber following a pair of bunt singles and a dropped foul ball with a three-run home run over the centerfield fence. LCU answered in the bottom of the inning with Kim Frazier hitting her fourth home run of the season. The homer for Frazier was also her 23rd of the season and 58th of her career, matching her for the NAIA career lead with Katie Boocher of Bethel College (Ind.), who ended her college career Saturday.

WCU added to their lead with a solo homer by Missy Paulina in the second inning and Barber connected with her second home run in the third inning for a 5-2 advantage. The Lady Chaps cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fourth inning with a single to left-centerfield to score Eltsosie and the Lady Chaps trailed 5-3.

Things turned zany in the top of the seventh inning. Eltsosie, LCU’s third baseman, appeared to tag the lead runner while chasing the runner back to second base, with the trail runner also occupying the base. LCU thought they had the double play needed to end the inning with a pair of runners occupying the base, but the trail runner ran back to first base and the lead runner scrambled to third base and no one was called out. WCU took advantage of the break with three runs during the inning, as Jeana Erickson scored a pair of runs with a two-run single up the middle.

LCU trailed 8-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but they could only rally with an RBI-single by Andrea Argee to score their lone run of the inning. Rendon had the only multi-hit performance for the Lady Chaps, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Casey Alexander went 4-for-4 and Barber went 2-for-3 with four runs-batted-in in the winning cause for WCU. Alyssa Freight, who pitched four innings before handing the ball over the Amanda Longorio, suffered the loss allowing two earned runs in three innings and finishes the season with a 13-5 record.

The Lady Chaps end their season with a 52-12 season and their season ends at the NAIA National Championship for a fourth consecutive year. The game brought a close to the playing careers of seniors Kayla Van Dieren, Cori Enriquez, Priscilla FaGaines and Amanda Parsons, who was the lone player to play all four seasons for the Lady Chaps and was the final member remaining from the 2008 NAIA title winning program.

Lady Chaps Advance To Bracket Play

Sat, 21 May 2011 23:50:00 -0500

GULF SHORES, Ala. (May 21, 2011) – Saturday, No.7 Lubbock Christian University needed a series of events to take place to advance out of pool play of the NAIA National Championship at Gulf Shores Sportsplex... and those events took place. Simpson University upset No.23 Simon Fraser University with a 4-3 walk-off victory, and LCU, needing to win by at least two runs with Simpson’s win, defeated No.13 Reinhardt University 8-0. The win places Lubbock Christian University into the eight-team double elimination bracket, where they will play Oregon Tech University at 10 a.m.

Flourishing in the shadows of LCU’s offense in the game was a one-hit pitching performance from Alyssa Freight. She improved to 13-4 on the season and collected her team-leading seventh complete game shutout of the season.

The Lady Chaparrals jumped on the scoreboard early with a two-run single to left field by Kim Frazier for a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Sally Blackwell started for Cori Enriquez at shortstop, as Enriquez broke her hand Friday against Simon Fraser, and Blackwell stepped up with a big performance. She went 2-for-2 with two runs and a run-batted-in. The RBI came in the second inning on a single to shallow left field, which scored Kenzi Carnell. LCU extended the lead to 4-0 later in the inning with Priscilla FaGaines hitting the left-centerfield fence for an RBI-double. Blackwell’s second hit of the game set up a sacrifice fly by Kayla Van Dieren, which allowed Amanda Parsons to tag-up and score from third base for a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. Frazier was at the plate with two on base and catcher Ashley Kennedy attempted to pick-off Blackwell at third base, but the throw ended up in left field and a pair of runs scored. Frazier completed the at-bat with a solo home run for her third home run at the championships and her 22nd home run of the season.

FaGaines, Frazier and Blackwell each had a pair of hits each for the Lady Chaps, and they combined for six of the team’s seven hits.

LCU improved to 52-10 on the season and Reinhardt had their season end at 40-11. The Lady Chaps, Simon Fraser and Simpson all finished 2-1 in pool play, but LCU held the runs-for / runs-allowed differential tiebreaker. Simon Fraser becomes the first defending champion to not advance out of pool play since Oklahoma City University failed to advance in 2008. Monday’s game will air on Sports Radio 1340 AM “The Fan,” and it can be viewed online at www.lcuchaps.com

LCU Falls to Defending Champions

Fri, 20 May 2011 15:05:00 -0500

GULF SHORES, Ala. (May 20, 2011) – A three-run two-out rally in the sixth inning for No.23 Simon Fraser University helped upset No.7 Lubbock Christian University 4-3 Friday afternoon in pool play of the NAIA Softball National Championship at Gulf Shores Sportsplex.

All three LCU runs were driven in by Kayla Van Dieren, who went 4-for-4 at the plate. Her single to left-centerfield in the bottom of the third inning allowed LCU to take a 1-0 lead, as it scored Priscilla FaGaines from second base.

LCU led 1-0 with two outs in the top of the sixth inning and the Clan was down to their final four outs with no one on base when they started their rally. Brittany Mayers, Megan Durrant and Lauren Mew hit consecutive singles, and Rosie Murphy followed with a blooper behind the right side of the infield down the rightfield line for a two run double and SFU led 3-1. The Lady Chaps committed a trio of errors in the seventh inning and Kelsey Haberl’s ground ball to Andrea Argee at second base took a big hop past Argee and it resulted in a key run scoring.

In the bottom of the seventh inning Van Dieren hit a two-run home run over the left-centerfield fence and LCU cut the deficit to 4-3. Kim Frazier came up with two outs and singled to left field, but she would be stranded at first base, as Latainna Eltsosie lined out to left field.

SFU pitcher Cara Lukawesky (16-8) allowed seven hits in seven innings, and Van Dieren, Argee and Frazier were the only Lady Chaps to record at least one hit in the game. Alyssa Freight pitched 6.1 innings and allowed three earned runs off eight hits.

LCU fell to 51-10, while defending champion SFU improved to 18-24. The Clan are in their final season of NAIA softball, as they are in a transition season as a member of the NCAA Div. II’s Great Northwest Athletic Conference. SFU is 2-0 in pool play and LCU is 1-1. For LCU to advance, they would need to defeat Rinehardt University Saturday at 2:30 p.m., and for Simpson University to defeat Rinehardt University Friday evening and Simon Fraser Saturday. Saturday’s LCU game will air locally as a “join in progress” on KFYO 790 AM.