ABILENE – The Abilene Christian softball team will play six games in three days as part of the St. Mary's Tournament taking place this weekend (Thursday through Saturday) in San Antonio. The Wildcats won't face the Rattlers on this trip, but instead will face teams from East Central, St. Edward's, Texas A&M-International, Rollins, Eastern New Mexico and Texas-Permian Basin.
The Wildcats finished 2011 with an overall record of 28-27 and an 11-10 mark against the Lone Star Conference, which unfortunately kept them out of the postseason despite tying for fourth with Texas Woman's. Last year's team hit a respectable .319 and scored 315 runs, but also allowed more than four runs per game and nearly walked (142) as many batters as it struck out (157). The defense also struggled in committing 79 errors through 55 games.
This year's team returns two-thirds of its pitching staff in the form of sophomore
Peyton Mosley and junior
Shelby Hall. Mosley, used primarily as a reliever, was one of the Wildcats' top pitchers over the second half of the season and finished second in the conference with 21 games finished and tied for third with 22 games in relief,
From April 1 to 8, Mosley totaled 14.0 straight innings in which she did not surrender an earned run, and during an April 2 game at Cameron she whiffed five Aggies through 2.1 innings pitched.
Hall appeared in 34 games a year ago with 21 starts and delivered an 8-12 record with a 4.84 ERA and 49 strikeouts through 137.1 innings of work. The Ovilla, Texas, native went the distance on six occasions as a starter, which included a season high 9.0 innings vs. Midwestern State.
Missing from the ACU rotation, however, is
Brittany Rexroat, who in her final season with the Wildcats went 14-9 with a team leading 3.89 ERA. To help fill her void, second-year head coach
Bobby Reeves counts on seeing improvements from Mosley and Hall, in addition solid outings from freshman
Jenna Betcher and Odessa College transfer
Caitlyn Crain.
Crain graduated from Saginaw (Texas) High School in 2009, leaving as its career record holder in wins (63), ERA (0.68), innings pitched (583.0) and strikeouts (969).
The Wildcats have to overcome the absence of some major players on offense, including last year's leading hitter-turned assistant coach
Melissa Mendoza (.409-3-30) and slugger Valentina Nabayan (.348-9-30). Regular contributors
Candice Miller (.342-1-28) and
Tiana Tuinei (.329-0-17) are also gone from this year's roster.
Senior infielder
Megan Brigance and catcher
Erin Gilliland are ACU's top returning hitters from 2011. Brigance batted .360 with seven home runs and 24 RBI and will enter 2012 on a four-game hitting streak after pummeling Tarleton State pitching during the final series of 2011. Brigance scored a season high four runs and drove in three in the fourth and final game vs. the TexAnns.
Gilliland was named Lone Star Conference South Division Honorable Mention after hitting .322 in her first year at ACU with three home runs and 28 RBI, and while on defense, she threw out seven base stealers and tied for second in the LSC with three pick offs. And like Brigance, Gilliland also killed Tarleton pitching, batting .625 vs. the TexAnns with five runs, six RBI and four extra-base hits.
Additional returning veterans of note include infielder
Sarah Martinez, ranked as one of the toughest players to strikeout in all of DII; sophomore
Lyndi Smith, who clubbed seven home runs and drove in 23 as a freshman;
Ashley Nolan, who batted .273 in her first year through 39 games; and corner infielder
Brianna Fowlkes, rated as the Wildcats' top hitter with runners in scoring position (. 429).
Among the top newcomers on offense are junior college transfers Kimberley Briggs,
Sara Vaughn and
Keanna Winkfield. Briggs brings a big bat all the way from Sacramento City College where she was named CCCAA All-State and First Team All-Big 8 Conference following a 2011 season in which she batted .400 with eight home runs and 33 RBI.
Vaughn comes to ACU from Blinn College after earning the title of Louisville Slugger/NFCA NJCAA All-America third team and Midwest Region first team last season. Vaughn finished her sophomore year with a .376 batting average, five home runs, 15 doubles, and a team best 25 stolen basess.
Winkfield was the everyday centerfielder at Trinity Valley and made first team all conference as a freshman following a season in which she batted .350 with nine RBI and 25 stolen bases. The following year she hit .307 with 25 stolen bases, 30 runs and 15 RBI.
