PORTALES, NM – Eastern New Mexico softball is headed to Tucson, Ariz. for the Cactus Classic Tournament and will compete against schools from six different states from across the country in the three day, six game, tournament.
LAST WEEK
The Greyhounds competed in the Lubbock Tournament last weekend where they posted a 1-1 record on their lone day of competition to move their season record to 2-1 overall. The Hounds took a tough loss to Nebraska-Kearney in the first of two games, falling by a final score of 8-4. Eastern New Mexico was unable to capitalize on a 4-2 lead of the Lopers heading into the fifth inning in which Nebraska-Kearney was able to total three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to complete the comeback over the Hounds.
The Hounds turned right around to face CSU-Pueblo for their next contest and were able to push the game into extra innings thanks to a three-run frame in the top half of the sixth inning and secured the 10-7 win over the ThunderWolves. The Hounds made quick work of CSU-Pueblo in the top half of the eighth inning, scoring three runs thanks to consecutive singles from freshman Jokaira Paredes and junior Andrea Cline.
The Paredes single scored sophomore Iliana Mendoza to give the Hounds the 8-7 advantage, followed by the Cline single that allowed senior Elysa Rodriguez to double the Eastern lead after scoring on the throw by CSU-Pueblo. The Hounds would strike for one more run in the frame thanks to an RBI groundout by freshman Azalea Martinez that scored Paredes from third and closed out the win with a scoreless bottom half of the frame.
A PAIR OF .500 PERFORMERS
Senior Elysa Rodriguez and freshman Jokaira Paredes are tied for the top spot among the Hounds with a batting average of .500 through the first three games of the 2020 season. Both Hounds have appeared and started in all three games so far this year and have led the Hound offense to a team batting average of .322 for the season.
Rodriguez has posted a hit in 6 of her 12 at bats this season and has come around to score on four different occasions. Paredes has gone 4-for-8 on the year and has scored three times herself.
HOUND NEWCOMERS
A key component of the early season success for the Hound's has been the continued impact of the newcomers that head coach Kira Zeiter brought in during the offseason to address key needs for Eastern New Mexico. Transfer Andrea Cline has added power to the Hound lineup, recording the lone home run for the Hounds this season and leads the team with five RBI's. Cline was instrumental in the Hounds 10-7 win against CSU-Pueblo, recording four of her five RBI's and hitting the aforementioned homerun.
A fresh crop of new pitching talent has also been a vital contributing factor to the early season success for Eastern New Mexico as Brook Leger has proven her ability to compete at the collegiate level as a freshman. Leger has pitched 12.0 innings in three games, posting an ERA of 3.50 and has picked up both wins for the year.
Leger has been joined by fellow freshman Tava Boone and Jordan Bowman to provide the majority of innings of work for Eastern New Mexico so far this year. That staff has worked together to produce a team ERA of 4.45 so far this year, a drastic improvement over the 2019 pitching staff that had an ERA of 8.54.
A LOOK AHEAD
Eastern New Mexico will have a chance to continue to gain valuable experience against a variety of competition over the next two weeks as they wrap up two more weekend tournaments before beginning conference play. The Hounds will take on six non-conference opponents this weekend in Tuscon, Ariz. before getting a sneak peek at four Lone Star Conference teams the following weekend in Lubbock, Texas in games designated as non-conference competition.
Eastern will take on LSC foes Tarleton State, Lubbock Christian, West Texas A&M and UT Permian Basin on Feb. 22nd and Feb. 23rd in Lubbock, Texas before opening up LSC play on March 6th at the Greyhound Softball Field with a doubleheader against UT Permian Basin.
Friday, Feb. 14th
vs Simon Fraser University (BC)
First time in conference history, the Hounds will match up against Simon Fraser University from British Columbia. SFU is a member of the GNAC conference and the only Canadian University affiliated with the NCAA. For the 2019 season, the Clan went 9-30 overall after starting out their season on a five game winning streak. This year, SFU started out their season at the Desert Stinger tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada where they won three out of five games including a 15-7 win over Min Minot State University to start out the tournament play. SFU brings in a new head coach, Tina Andreana, who is a former pitcher for the Canadian national team who also played for Oregon State.
vs Colorado Mesa University
The Hounds and CMU are 3-3 in conference history, and have not played against each other since 2014. The Mavs are currently 4-1 after an impressive start to their 2020 season at the Dixie State Courtyard Classic. In their second to last game, CMU took a 15-0 win over the St. Mary's Rattlers, scoring ten runs in the six inning alone. Returning senior Bailey Kleespies led the Mavs recording six RBI's and two home runs. Pitcher Shea Mauser has won three out of the five games this year for CMU recording a 2.47 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
Saturday, Feb. 15th
vs University of Hawaii at Hilo
The Vulcans started out the 2020 season on a rough note after four straight losses during the Dixie State Courtyard Classic. UH Hilo pulled out a win against Central Washington University to start off tournament play but fell to Dixie State and were unable to recover. Member of the PACWEST conference, the Vulcans ended the 2019 campaign going 24-11 in conference, 31-17 overall. Markie Okamoto has recorded seven home runs and six RBI's this season while posting a batting average of .438. UH Hilo's starting pitcher is senior Valerie Alvarado who pitched the Vulcan's single win this season.
vs Lindenwood
The Greyhounds will face the Lindenwood Lions for the first time in conference history. The Lions will start their 2020 season at the Cactus Classic and will play only play against Lone Star Conference teams. A member of the MIAA, Lindenwood posted a 29-17 overall, 14-12 conference 2019 season. Qualifying for the MIAA tournament, the Lions lost out to Northeastern State University ending their 2019 season. Senior pitcher Stormee Galka took 17 wins and seven losses last season with a 3.06 ERA. The Arizona native only allowed four home runs and seven opponents to touch third base in 148 hits.
Sunday, Feb. 16th
vs California University of Pennsylvania
Ranking third in the PSAC preseason poll, the Vulcans will be starting their 2020 season this weekend at the Cactus Classic. Ending the 2019 campaign, Cal U went 14-22 overall, 10-10 in conference, making it the first time since 2008 the program did not reach PSAC Tournament play. The Vulcans are in a similar situation to the Hounds, after only returning one pitcher from the previous season. Cal U brings in a transfer sophomore and two freshman who will look to take the circle this weekend in Arizona.
vs Southern Nazarene University
The Thunder Cats started out the 2020 season at the Lubbock Tournament were SNU went 4-2 after losses to Fort Hays State and UT Permian Basin. Senior pitcher Brooklyn Sparkman took the circle for 11.2 innings and finished the tournament with 15 hits, seven runs and an ERA of 4.20. Peyton Robinson, a sophomore out-fielder is leading the Thunder Cats with a batting average of .545 recording seven runs and six hits.
