Softball Lions at home Tuesday

SAGU tangles with winless TC

Doyle, Poovey lead the team in power

WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- The inaugural women’s fast-pitch softball campaign has seen Southwestern Assemblies of God University establish a foundation of ‘firsts’ this spring. Their first win was a 5-2 triumph over Hillsdale College in Oklahoma.

Two weeks ago Chelsey Doyle (Seattle, Wa / Shorecrest HS) crushed the team’s first-ever home run, a two-run blast to right-centerfield against Langston University.

Tuesday, April 10, SAGU will entertain Texas College (0-20) in a two-game series on the SAGU campus ballpark adjacent to the Sheaffer Center. The twinbill will start at 3:00pm (CST), with the second game following the first twenty minutes later, at approximately 5pm.

Both teams will be seeking to end long losing skids and to move out of the cellar. The Lions have dropped 18 in a row while the Lady Steers have endured 37 consecutive defeats, dating back to February 26, 2011, when they edged Langston in Tyler, 7-6.

Their most recent win on the road was also against Langston, on March 26, 2010. The Steers have lost their last 24 away from the City of Roses while going 6-68 over the past three seasons.

The Lady Lions and Lady Steers are winless against teams in the Red River Athletic Conference, so the series winner will likely finish eighth of the nine teams in the league. Doyle joked that the teams are "...playing for second to last." She added, "We're both young and we'll probably have fun playing each other."

SAGU is 1-19 overall while TC seeks their initial win after coming up short in twenty games.

Today's game postponed

The teams had planned a 4pm game today (April 9) to begin the series, but it was postponed due to field conditions following steady rains on Easter Sunday. Its make-up date (will be the team's last home game) has not been announced. It could be next week and will serve as SAGU's "Senior Day."

SAGU’s remaining 2012 schedule includes a three-game series in Muskogee, Oklahoma against Bacone College (16-19 record) during April 13-14.

They are also slated to meet Oklahoma Baptist University (29-25) in a doubleheader in Shawnee, Ok on April 21.

Head Coach Tim Grant utilizes three right-handed pitchers regularly.

Freshman Lauren Johnson (Waxahachie, Tx / Waxahachie HS) and Shannen Davis (Kremlin, Ok / Kremlin-Hillsdale HS) are the starters with senior Tabitha Ray (Lake Jackson, Tx / Homeschool) spelling both.

SAGU's lone win was earned by Kelsea Svochak (Ft. Worth, Tx / Bethesda Christian HS) at Hillsdale. She has been unavailable to pitch the past month due to a back injury.

Leaders of the 'Cat Pack

The Purple Pride, who will don both a grey and purple jerseys on Tuesday, is led in batting by freshman third baseman, Chelsey Doyle. She swings a .317 bat, topping the team in both hits and runs batted in. Her batting average and her .415 slugging percentage each rank #24 in the RRAC.

Jessica Smith (Houston, Tx / La Porte HS) has a .333 BA, though she has been limited to 12 at bats. The sophomore has been out with an injury.

Davis hits .286 while first-baseman Kasey Poovey (Nevada, Tx / Community HS) totes a .282 stick and her three extra-base hits leads the team along with shortstop Loni Jimenez (Crystal City, Tx / Crystal City HS).

The addition of leftfielder Gabby Bruner (Peaster, Tx / Peaster HS) has been a pleasant boost. She played forward for the SAGU women's basketball team for four seasons.  

Bruner (BREW-nuhr) bats .263 and her competitive spirit and knowledge of the game have helped minimize the loss of injured junior centerfielder Cassy Mata (Crystal City, Tx / Crystal City HS).

The most difficult players on the team for opposing pitchers to strike out are centerfielder Bree Lawrence (Waxahachie, Tx / Waxahachie HS) and Doyle. Lawrence has fanned just twice in 35 at bats, while Doyle has only six in 41.

The team leaders in walks are second baseman Theresa Ballard (Austin, Tx / Homeschool) and Poovey, both with five. Kyla Burke (Red Oak, Tx / Red Oak HS), Doyle and Lawrence each have four free passes. Ballard’s eight runs are best among the Lady Lion scorers.

Accessing Numbers

Team and player statistics are posted on the RRAC website at www.redriverconference.com.

Click in the left column under softball. Then, click on SW Assemblies in the standings, which will bring up the team's schedule, scores and roster. At the top, click on statistics, which will take you to the NAIA national site.

Women’s softball, which saw Southwestern begin the season with no prior collegiate experience among its players, has also paved the way for the Lions baseball team to play their games at 1200 Sycamore Street.

Both playing sites will continue developing so that each will be fully operational by next January.

Contact: Mark “Link” Warde, SAGU Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.