Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up: 26th Annual Bobcat Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony

Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:

Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:
26th Annual Bobcat Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony

Team Effort Leads Bobcats Past Trojans

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Down two key players, the Texas State baseball team (34-17, 18-9 Sun Belt) saw all nine batters record a hit and drive in a run in a 13-9 victory over Little Rock (24-26, 15-11 Sun Belt) Sunday afternoon at Gary Hogan Field to salvage the series.

Dalton Shuffield led off the game by doubling to right field. A walk to Will Hollis and a booted ball on a ground hit by John Wuthrich loaded the bases for the Bobcats. Two batters later, Skyler Valentine laced a single to left field that fell just in front of the outfielder to bring home a run.

Ryan Newman followed by singling to right field to plate two more runs. A perfectly executed hit and run by Riley King resulted in an RBI single. Another RBI single came off the bat of Cole Coffey to up TXST up 5-0 after its first time at the plate.

The Trojans answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. The first came after three straight singles while the second was plated on a sacrifice fly.

In the second, LR scored another run on a double play to make it a 5-3 Texas State advantage.

The next half inning began with Valentine hitting a slow chopper to third for an infield single. After King was walked, Coffey laced a single to right field for to bring home a run while the right fielder bobbled the ball to allow King advance to third.

Following a pitching change, Felipe Rodriguez put down a safety squeeze bunt that brought in King to increase the lead to 7-3.

Three consecutive doubles in the fifth allowed the Trojans to cut their deficit to two runs.

In the seventh, LR added another run when Ryan Benavidez singled back up the middle to cut TXST’s lead to 7-6.

Facing a full count in the top of the eighth, Hollis smashed the offering over the center field fence for his sixth home run of the season and add an insurance run to the Bobcats’ total. Wuthrich followed with a double to right center and would score on a single from Travon Benton to make it a 9-6 Texas State advantage.

The Trojans responded with a run in the bottom of the frame on an Edwin Figueroa single back up the middle.

On the second pitch of the top of the ninth, Newman blasted it over the right field fence for his second solo homer of the series. Two walks and a fielding error loaded the bases for the Bobcats with no one gone. Shuffield came through with a single back up the middle that brought home two runs. After a walk, Wuthrich reached on a fielder’s choice that plated the fourth run of the frame and give TXST a 13-7 lead.

The insurance runs were important as LR scored twice in the bottom of the inning for the final runs of the contest. A ground out to Newman ended the game in favor of Texas State.

Earning the win on the mound was Connor Reich, who improves to 8-1 on the season. His victory total is the most for a Bobcat hurler since Austen Williams won eight contests in 2014. On Sunday, Reich struck out three in five innings while allowing five runs on nine hits. Zachary Leigh earned his fourth save of the season after working the final two innings. Suffering the loss was Jose Torres (2-4) after he surrendered five runs on five hits and recording just one out in the first inning.

Leading TXST batters at the plate was Coffey with a 3-for-4 effort and driving in two runs. Newman finished with three RBIs and recorded two hits while Shuffield had two hits and two RBIS. Also finished with two base knocks was Valentine.

Next up for the Bobcats is the finale series of regular season series against rival UT Arlington. It begins on Friday at 6 p.m. at Bobcat Ballpark.

Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?path=baseball&id=5778

Big Inning Haunts Bobcats in Setback

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A four-run seventh inning was the difference Saturday evening as the Texas State baseball team (33-17, 17-9 Sun Belt) fell to Little Rock (24-25, 15-10 Sun Belt) 9-5 at Gary Hogan Field.

Dalton Shuffield sent the first pitch of the game to left field for a single. After advancing to second on a ground out, the sophomore came around to score when Will Hollis singled to right field to give the Bobcats an early lead.

The Trojans were able to score a run in the second on a Ramon Padilla single. They were able to load the bases in the frame but Shuffield made a snag on a hard-hit ball to end the inning and keep the game tied 1-1.

LR would go on to score in the next two innings as well with two coming in the third and one in the fourth to take a three-run lead.

In the top of the fifth, Riley King recorded his first career hits in a TXST uniform on an infield single to the shortstop. Shuffield followed with a bunt single and Travon Benton was walked to load the bases. On the first pitch he saw, Hollis smashed it to right field for a double that plated two runs.

A passed ball allowed Benton to score to tie the game and move Hollis to within 90-feet of the plate. John Wuthrich then laced an RBI single to left to put the Bobcats back in the lead 5-4.

The Trojans came back in the bottom of the frame and scored on a ground out to tie the contest again.

In the seventh, Chase Coker cleared the bases with a triple to center field and would score on a ground out to give LR a 9-5 advantage.

Suffering the loss was Brayden Theriot (1-1) as he gave up four runs on three hits in two innings while striking out two. Dillion Delgadillo (1-0) picked up the win as he tossed 2.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts.

Hunter McMahon pitched the first five innings where he allowed five runs on seven hits and struck out one. Dontae Woodard threw a scoreless eighth inning and posted a strikeout to end the frame.

Pacing the Bobcats at the plate was Hollis with a 3-for-5 performance, three RBIs and two doubles. Both Shuffield and Wuthrich recorded two hits apiece.

The three-game series concludes tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?path=baseball&id=5777

Bobcats Fall 4-3 in 10 Innings at Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – For the first time this season, the Texas State baseball team (33-16, 17-8 Sun Belt) was on the other end of a walk-off hit as it fell 4-3 in 10 innings to Little Rock (23-25, 14-10 Sun Belt) on Friday night at Gary Hogan Field.

The Trojans got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first when Riley Pittman sent a 2-2 offering over the right field fence for a solo home run.

Ryan Newman tied the game in the next half inning when he blasted the first pitch he saw over the right field wall for a solo shot. It was his fifth homer of the season and 24th of his career to sit along in eighth place in program history.

After two scoreless innings by both teams, LR retook the lead 2-1 with two outs in the fifth. Chase Coker hit a hanging pitch for a solo homer to right field.

The next half inning saw Jaylen Hubbard send a 2-2 pitch back up the middle. He hustled around to slide into second for his 45th career double to tie Paul Goldschmidt for third in program history. The very next pitch was sent right back up the middle off the bat of Jaxon Williams for an RBI single to tie the game.

John Wuthrich followed two batters later by lacing a double down the left field line. Following a meeting on the mound, Dalton Shuffield laced the first pitch he saw to center field for an RBI single to give the Bobcats their first lead of the game 3-2.

The first pitch of the bottom of the seventh was crushed over the right field wall by Troy Alexander to tie the contest.

After a lead off single by Felipe Rodriguez in the top of the 10th, Jacob Almendarez was brought on as a pinch runner. Hubbard drew his second walk of the game as the ball got away from the catcher. Almendarez was running on the pitch and attempted to advance to third but was thrown out. The Trojans were able to regroup and record the final two outs of the inning without giving up a run.

With one out in the bottom of the frame, Coker laid down a bunt and beat it out for hit. Eldrige Figueroa hit a chopper over the head of Newman into shallow right field as Coker took off on the offering. Coker was able to beat the throw home for winning run.

Suffering the loss was Brandon Lewis (0-2). The senior left-hander threw 1.2 innings of relief as he recorded all five outs via strikeout. Donavin Buck (4-4) earned the win after throwing a scoreless frame out of the bullpen with two strikeouts.

Nicholas Fraze started on the mound for TXST and went seven strong innings. The junior right-hander gave up three runs on six hits while striking out eight without walking a batter. Also seeing action on the hill was Anthony Pagano, who recorded the first two outs of the eighth inning.

Seven different Bobcat batters had a hit on the night. The only extra-base hits were doubles by Hubbard and Wuthrich in the two-run sixth. Hubbard did extend his reached base streak to a TXST season-high 22 contests.

The series with the Trojans continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. first pitch.

Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?path=baseball&id=5776

Bobcats prepared for 2019 Sun Belt Conference
Outdoor Championships with 52 top 10 league marks

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Championship week is here as the Texas State track and field teams get ready to compete in the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 10-12 at the Arkansas State Track and Field/Cross Country Complex in Jonesboro, Ark.

The Bobcats have 52 total top 10 Sun Belt Conference marks entering the championship meet with 26 on each side. Of those top 10 marks, 20 of them sit in the top three.

Follow the Action
Live stats will be done by Delta Timing and each day will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Drew Fellios (PxP) and Declan Murray (analyst) on the call. Day one and two of the championship meet is slated to begin with the decathlon at 9 AM and the heptathlon at 9:30 AM.

The first field event of day one will be the women’s hammer throw at 10 a.m. and the first track event will be the preliminary round of the 1500-meter run. Day two’s field events will start at 12:30 p.m. with the women’s long jump and the 100-meter hurdles will kick-off the remainder of the preliminary events at 5:30 PM. The men and women’s 3000-meter steeplechase will be the only final events on the track for day two.

The final day of the meet is scheduled to start with the women’s discus at 11:30 AM in the field and 4×100-meter relay at 4 PM on the track. For more information concerning the schedule or live results, you can access the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships Central page.

Top Talents
Senior hurler T’Mond Johnson has half of the Bobcats’ conference-leading marks as he sets the standard in the men’s shot put and discus throw. Johnson threw a 19.43m (63-9) mark in the shot put (No. 10 in the NCAA Division I West Qualifying List) and a 53.77m (176-5) mark in the discus, both at the Roadrunner Invitational on March 21 to open the outdoor season. Classmate Ben Collerton leads the Sun Belt with 7,218 points, a mark that is currently No. 15 in the NCAA Division I West Qualifying List.

Johnson is the reigning back-to-back conference champion in the shot put (2017-18) while Collerton won gold in the decathlon last year. Senior Tramesha Hardy holds one league-leading mark with a 22.72 time in the women’s 200-meter dash.

Hardy is the reigning back-to-back champion in the 200-meter dash (2017-18) and contributed in last year’s 3:38.55 championship time in the 4×400-meter relay.

The Houston, Texas native also won gold in the 100-meter dash in 2017. Hardy was named the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Most Outstanding Freshman and league’s most outstanding track athlete in 2017 and 2018 to highlight the outdoor championship notes.

Texas State Honors 112 Student-Athletes at the 26th Annual Bobcat Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State Athletics Department honored 112 Bobcat student-athletes Monday night at the 26th Annual Bobcat Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony presented by the Texas State University Athletic Academic Center Monday night.

Each student-athlete who participated in a varsity sport and maintained an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher during one or both semesters during the 2018 academic year received an academic excellence certificate. Student-athletes who earned a GPA of 4.0 during the spring and/or fall semesters during 2018 were presented a “Star of Excellence” award.

Scholar-Athletes of the Year Awards were presented to T’Mond Johnson and Kaylee Davis. The award is given to Bobcat student-athletes who excelled in academics, demonstrated leadership qualities and provided service to the University and community. In addition, postgraduate scholarships were given to one male and one female student-athlete.

Johnson won the shot put at both the Sun Belt Conference Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He was named an Honorable Mention All-American during the 2018 outdoor season, and earned First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors during the 2018 indoor and outdoor season. An Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Second Team award winner, T’Mond and his current teammates will compete in the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships this weekend.

Davis led the soccer team to a 2018 Sun Belt Conference championship before being named a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American Third-Team selection in 2018. She also was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region First-Team and the Sun Belt Conference Player and Offensive Player of the Year last season. Davis was named to the Sun Belt All-Tournament team and First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference.

The Outstanding Male Athlete Postgraduate Scholarship was awarded to Tyler Watts, who served as a team captain for the 2018 football team and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2017. He caught 55 passes for 485 yards during the past two seasons as a wide receiver, and was on the 2017-18 Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List.

The Jean Smith Female Athlete award was given to Kelly Barbalias after she helped the soccer team win the 2018 Sun Belt Championship and recorded two assists and four shots on goal. She was on the 2017-18 Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List and a 2018 Star of Excellence Award recipient.

The Emmett Shelton team academic awards were given to the men’s golf team and women’s soccer squad after they combined for the highest team GPA in the 2018 spring and 2018 fall semesters.

The Star of Excellence Award recipients were soccer players Kelly Barbalias, Kaylee Davis, Sarah Everett, Addison Gaetano, Kayla Geren, Elizabeth Havenhill, Kassie Hormuth, Gabrielle Jones, Allyana Kewish, Jordan Kondikoff, Heather Martin, Renny Moore, Mackenzie Smith, Hannah Solano, Holly Streber and Kayla Streber;  women’s basketball players Bailey Holle and Brooke Holle; women’s track and field athletes Allyson Godfrey, Sarah Godfrey, McKynzie King, Kaylee Krenek, and Kylah Smith; volleyball players Kayla Granado and Kaylie Koenen; women’s tennis player Sofia Murcia Rodriguez; softball players Arie Ann Bell, Molly Damiani Meagan King, Hailey MacKay, Kylie Matula, Tara Oltmann Natalia Reeves, and Caitlyn Rogers; baseball’s Cameron Bush; football players Alec Harris, A.J. Krawczyk, and Hunter White; along with men’s track and field athletes Brandon Busby Ben Collerton, Dereck Elkins, Samuel Hussey, and Cade Michael.

The student-athletes receiving academic excellence certificate included:

Baseball players Travon Benton, Broc Bosse, Cade Bullinger, Garrett Herrmann, Connor Reich, Felipe Rodriguez, Brayden Theriot, and Steven Valentine;

Football players Daniel Bolger, Ezekiel Coss, Ishmael Davis, Jacob Fryrear, Tate Heitmeier, Chris Kessler, Tanner King, Bryan London II, John Lilly, William McDaniel, Clayton Stewart, Anthony J. Taylor, and Tyler Vitt;

Men’s basketball’s Nathan McClure;

Men’s golfers Hugo Esposito, Logan Lockwood, Calvin Ross, and Evan White;

Men’s track and field athletes Chase Bracher, Kyle Denomme, T’Mond Johnson, Cody Miller, and Andrew Ureste;

Women’s basketball player Zandra Emanuel;

Women’s golfers Caitlyn Lindell, Anne-Charlotte Mora, and Sasikarn Somboons;

Soccer players Jamie Brown, Haley Groff, Cameron Hart, Sydney Kammer, Jessica Pikoff, Kalen Sanderfer, Genesis Turman;

Volleyball players Janell Fitzgerald, Booke Johnson, Amy Pflughaupt, Megan Porter, Tyeranee Scott, Lauren Teske and Konner Wood;

Softball players Bailee Carter, Mari Cranek, Catherine Crenek, Krista Jacobs, Kaylee Lind, Christiana McDowell, Jaclyn Molenaar, and Jordyn Smith;

Women’s track and field athletes Lauren Brogger, Kendra Long, Lauren Purdom, Melanie Rusch, Devina Schneider, Tina Sierra, and Katherine Stuckly;

Women’s tennis players Joy Chia Ming Ming, Andrea Fuchs, Julia Navajo Melendez, and Ana Perez.

Barrera, King combine for 2-hit shutout victory

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State softball team (29-23) waited out over three hours in delays to take down the ULM Warhawks (12-41) in the second round of the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championship late on Wednesday night at Bobcat Softball Stadium by the final tally of 3-0.

KEY MOMENTS

– Junior infielder Bailee Carter opened the game with a leadoff double to deep left field. She came around to score the first run of the game two batters later off an RBI from sophomore infielder Tara Oltmann.

– Sophomore pitcher Meagan King entered the game in a relief role in the top of the fourth inning with one out and one runner on. A hit and an error loaded the bases with still one away. She induced a foul out and a three-pitch strike out to end the threat and preserve the 1-0 TXST lead.

– Freshman designated player Samara Lagway doubled the Bobcat lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with an RBI single back up the middle. The liner scored sophomore infielder ArieAnn Bell from second base to put the Cats up 2-0.

– Junior infielder Hailey MacKay added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning with a little two-out magic. She laced an RBI single into right field to score junior outfielder Christiana McDowell with ease from third base.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Junior pitched Dalilah Barrera earned the nod in the circle to start the contest. She lasted 3.1 innings of hitless softball before being lifted in favor of King (18-11). Barrera fanned four batters and issued four walks.

– King pitched the remaining 3.2 innings of work in relief to earn the victory. She yielded two hits, did not allow a walk, and struck out a pair.

– TXST pitching held ULM batters to 2-for-22 (.091) in the batter’s box and 1-for-11 (0.91) with runners on base. Conversely, Texas State hit 3-for-12 (.250) with runners on.

– MacKay and Lagway each recorded one hit in three trips to the plate with an RBI. The RBI knock for Lagway marked the sixth-consecutive game in which she safely reached base via hit.

NOTABLES

– Barrera leads the Texas State pitching staff with 103 strikeouts this season. She has posted 13 games with four-plus strikeouts this season in 26 appearances.

– Oltmann, a second team all-league choice, leads the Bobcats with 41 RBI this season. She ranks eighth in program history in RBI and needs only five more to jump into the top-five in the category.

– Texas State improves to 9-7 in Sun Belt Conference tournament play and secures a victory over the Warhawks for the first time in two attempts in tournament games.

ON DECK
– Texas State will take on top-seeded Louisiana at 12:30 PM on May 9 in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.

Texas State Bobcats Exceed NCAA APR Benchmark in All 14 Sports

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Five Texas State Athletics teams enjoyed landmark classroom performances and all 14 teams surpassed the mandatory NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) multi-year benchmark.

According to the latest NCAA Division I APR scores released Wednesday afternoon, Texas State’s men’s basketball (967), men’s golf (993), women’s soccer (995) posted their highest scores ever, while women’s golf (1,000) and women’s tennis (1,000) equaled their best scores.

The women’s golf and tennis teams received NCAA Public Recognition Awards last week for ranking among the top 10 percent among the teams in each sport. This marks the 11 straight year that the women’s tennis team has posted a perfect APR score and the seventh consecutive year for the women’s golf team.

Six Bobcat teams exceeded or equaled the median national multi-year score in each of their sports. The men’s golf (993), women’s cross country (990), women’s golf (1,000), softball (990), women’s soccer (995) and women’s tennis (1,000) exceeded the national standard, while the men’s basketball team (967) equaled the national average.

To compete in the 2019-20 postseason, teams must achieve a 930 four-year APR. NCAA members chose the 930 standard because that score predicts, on average, a 50% graduation rate for teams at that APR level. Additionally, teams must earn at least a 930 four-year APR to avoid penalties.

Since the Division I membership created the Academic Performance Program 15 years ago, more than 17,500 former student-athletes have earned APR points for their prior teams by returning to college and earning a degree after their eligibility expired. Of those, more than half (9,174) competed in football, baseball or basketball. These students typically do not count in graduation rates because they earn degrees outside the six-year window allowed by both the federal graduation rate and the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate.

The Committee on Academics is conducting a holistic review of the Academic Performance Rate metric, including which student-athletes are included in the rate, how transfers are accounted for in the rate (before and after graduation), how the rate is calculated and how penalties are assigned.

The review, approved last year by the Division I Board of Directors, is intended to evaluate how well the APR is aligning with its purpose: monitoring and demonstrating academic performance and progress toward graduation. The review is expected to continue through 2019.

The APR, created to provide more of a real-time measurement of academic success than graduation rates offer, is a team-based metric where scholarship student-athletes earn one point each term for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Schools that don’t offer scholarships track their recruited student-athletes.

Every Division I sports team submits data to have its Academic Progress Rate calculated each academic year. The NCAA reports both single-year rates and four-year rates, on which penalties for poor academic performance are based.

Mora ends historic career at Auburn Regional

AUBURN, Ala. – Senior Anne-Charlotte Mora concluded her run at Texas State in the final round of the 2019 NCAA Auburn Regional at the Saugahatchee Country Club on Wednesday afternoon. She finished the tournament tied for 17th with a 54-hole score of 218 (72-71-75, +2).

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Saugahatchee Country Club | Auburn, Ala.
Par 72 | 6,371 yards

THOUGHTS FROM THE COURSE
“What a great effort all week long by Anne-Charlotte,” head coach Lisa Strom said. “A few holes today where momentum could have shifted would have made it a different story. We are so proud of all she has accomplished as a Bobcat.”

“Of course we wish she was moving on to the national championship, but it was not meant to be,” Strom said. “Par-5 scoring held her back all week, especially No. 15. Despite all of that, she never gave up. She matured tremendously and we look forward to following her after she graduates In August. She will be a Bobcat for life!”

“I felt good about my ball striking today,” Mora said. “Unfortunately, I could not get any putts to drop. I am proud of how I played this week. I gave my best effort and it just was not enough. Coach Strom taught me that everything is an opportunity to learn and grow and that is what this week became.”

“I have developed as a golfer,” Mora said. “But, more importantly, I have grown as a person during my time at Texas State. Once a Bobcat, always a Bobcat!”

ROUND ONE QUICK HITS
– Mora opened her second NCAA appearance on the back nine on the tee box at No. 10. She started the first round with five-straight par conversions before striking her first bogey on No. 15.
– She recovered quickly to tap in a three-foot birdie putt on the green at No. 17 before tallying a second bogey to shoot a 37 (1-over) on the back nine.
– On the third green, Mora saved par by two-putting from nearly 60 feet from the pin. The second putt preserved her round total at 1-over through the first 12 holes.
– Mora pulled back to even on No. 5 with her second birdie of the afternoon. She went on to make par on the final four holes of her round to cap her opening round at 72 (E).

ROUND TWO QUICK HITS
– Mora began day two on No. 1. She carded back-to-back pars to open her round before knocking in a short putt for birdie on No. 3.
– She went on to register even scores on the next four holes. Mora notched her second birdie of the second round on No. 8 with a well-paced putt from 15-feet out.
– Mora closed the front nine with a bogey on No. 9, her first of the day and third of the tournament.
– She quickly recovered to birdie the par-5 No. 10 on another mid-range putt. Unfortunately, she dropped the stroke with a bogey on No. 12.
– The senior tapped in her fourth birdie of the afternoon on the green at No. 14 to push her to 2-under for the day before running into trouble on No. 15. She carded a double on the hole. Mora overcame the hurdle and finished the round on No. 18 with a birdie. She tabbed a 71 (1-under) for the day.

ROUND THREE QUICK HITS
– Mora opened on the front nine with seven pars and a pair of bogeys for a score of 38 (2-over). The nine-hole run marked the only stretch of the tournament in which she did not card at least one birdie.
– She made the turn on No. 10 and immediately notched her first birdie of the round with a tap-in putt from 12-feet out. She went on to make par on each of the next four holes.
– Mora closed out her tournament with two bogeys in the final four holes to drop to 75 (3-over) in the final round of play.

MORA IN THE STANDINGS
t-17. Anne-Charlotte Mora (72+71+75=218, +2)

Bobcats complete 2019 signing class

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men’s basketball program completes its recruiting class by signing junior guard DeShawn Davidson, capping the class at five student-athletes.

Davidson joins Caleb Asberry (Ranger College transfer), Isiah Small (Seward County CC transfer), Drew Tennial (senior at Memorial High School in Edmond, Okla.), and Micah Thomas (senior at Putnam City North High School in Okla.) as a part of the 2019 signing class.

DeShawn Davidson – G – 6-3 – Waukegan, Ill. (Des Moines Area CC)
Davidson played two seasons at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) under head coach John Bowler. In his career with the Bears, Davidson started 30 games with 56 appearances and averaged 13.3 points per game behind a 41-percent clip from the floor.

Last season, Davidson ranked No. 4 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference, averaging 17.9 points per game. He was also second on the team with 5.5 rebounds and led the team with 3.3 assists per game (98 total).

The Waukegan, Ill. native dropped a season-high of 34 points in a victory over Metropolitan CC and logged two double-doubles, both on the road at Southeast (NE) and No. 7 Highland (KS). Davidson was selected to the 2018-19 All-Region Division II Second Team as he helped lead DMACC to a 22-10 record and a Region XI Semifinals appearance.

Coach Kaspar on Davidson: “We are pleased to have DeShawn [Davidson] join our program. He had a great year at Des Moines Area CC and is a well-rounded player that can score, pass and handle the basketball. He has a toughness quality to him that I really like. We will need him to help right away with the loss of Tre’Larenz Nottingham.”

Trio of Bobcats named to Sun Belt second team

NEW ORLEANS – The Texas State softball team had three players earn second-team nods the league announced along with the 2019 Sun Belt Conference postseason awards on Tuesday.

Sophomore pitcher Meagan King, junior outfielder Christiana McDowell, and sophomore infielder Tara Oltmann were all named to the 2019 Sun Belt Second Team. All three players earned postseason accolades from the league for the first time in their respective careers.

Texas State holds the No. 4 seed in the upcoming 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championship played at Bobcat Softball Stadium. TXST will play at 5:30 p.m. on May 8 in the first round of double elimination play.

MEAGAN KING
So. | RHP | Mont Belvieu, Texas
All-Sun Belt Second Team 
King became the 10th different pitcher in program history named to an all-conference team. She paced the Bobcats in innings pitched (161.2), appearances (35), games started (24), complete games (14), and victories (17) during the regular season. King was crowned Community Coffee Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week on March 26. She compiled a record of 17-11 during her sophomore campaign with 83 strikeouts.

She ended the regular season ranked fourth in wins, fifth in earned run average and opposing batting average, sixth in innings pitched, and 10th in strikeouts among Sun Belt Conference pitchers this season.

CHRISTIANA McDOWELL
Jr. | CF | Round Rock, Texas
All-Sun Belt Second Team 
McDowell enjoyed a career season in her third year patrolling the outfield at Bobcat Softball Stadium. She became the 16th outfielder in team history to earn an all-league nod. She finished second in the league in stolen bases (23), eighth among qualified hitters in batting average (.369) and walks drawn (28), and ninth in on-base percentage (.468) and hits (58).

McDowell led the Bobcat offense in batting average and hits. She is on pace to crack the top-10 in both categories as she currently ranks fifth in average and 11th in hits and is already inside the top-10 (seventh) with 23 stolen bases on the year. On the defensive side, McDowell posted a fielding percentage of .969 with three errors committed in 97 chances in center.

TARA OLTMANN
So. | SS | Giddings, Texas
All-Sun Belt Second Team 
Oltmann found success in her new role during her second season in the Maroon and Gold. She became the seventh shortstop in school history to earn postseason accolades. She tied for fourth in RBI (40), ranked fifth in sacrifice hits (12), and tied for seventh in doubles (11) among Sun Belt Conference leaders.

In the regular season finale, Oltmann became the eighth player, and second youngest player, in program history to secure 40-plus RBI in a single season. She hit .278 (44-for-158) with an on-base percentage of .350 and a slugging figure of .443. Oltmann clubbed five home runs and swiped 15 bags during the season.

2019 ALL-SUN BELT FIRST TEAM
Kenzie Longanecker, Appalachian State (Jr., P, Sanford, Fla.)
Summer Ellyson, Louisiana (Jr., P, Lafayette, La.)
Leanna Johnson, Troy (Fr., P, Brantley, Ala.)
Julie Rawls, Louisiana (Jr., C, Hallsville, Texas)
Katie Webb, Troy (Jr., 1B, Salem, Ala.)
Keeli Milligan, Louisiana (Sr., 2B, Vidor, Texas)
Hannah Farrell, Georgia Southern (Sr., 3B, Jesup, Ga.)
Alissa Dalton, Louisiana (Jr., SS, Cypress, Texas)
Whitney Walton, UTA (Jr., SS, Lake Jackson, Texas)
Sarah Hudek, Louisiana (Jr., OF, Sugar Land, Texas)
Sydney McKay, ULM (Sr., OF, Pearland, Texas)
Victoria Ortiz, South Alabama (Fr., OF, Mobile, Ala.)
Brittani Reid, South Alabama (Jr., OF, Kansas City, Mo.)
Laura Curry, UTA (Sr., OF, Temecula, Calif.)
Lexie Comeaux, Louisiana (Sr., DP, Tomball, Texas)

2019 ALL-SUN BELT SECOND TEAM
Kaitlin Beasley-Polko, Coastal Carolina (So., P, Leonardtown, Md.)
Randi Phillips, UTA (So., P, Jefferson, Texas)
Meagan King, Texas State (So., P, Mont Belvieu, Texas)
Reagan Wright, UTA (Jr., C, Mansfield, Texas)
Kourtney Gremillion, Louisiana (So., 1B, Gonzales, La.)
Aileen Garcia, UTA (Jr., 1B, Houston, Texas)
Taylor Sweigart, Coastal Carolina (So., 2B, Mertztown, Pa.)
Kara Gremillion, Louisiana (Sr., 3B, Gonzales, La.)
Keri White, Appalachian State (Jr., 3B, Hampstead, N.C.)
Tara Oltmann, Texas State (So., SS, Giddings, Texas)
Courtney Dean, Coastal Carolina (So., OF, Indian Trail, N.C.)
Raina O’Neal, Louisiana (So., OF, Richmond, Texas)
Krista Rude, UTA (Sr., OF, Arlington, Texas)
Christiana McDowell, Texas State (Jr., OF, Round Rock, Texas)
Bailey Taylor, Troy (So., DP, Winnsboro, S.C.)

2019 SUN BELT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Alissa Dalton, Louisiana (Jr., SS, Cypress, Texas)

2019 SUN BELT PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Summer Ellyson, Louisiana (Jr., P, Lafayette, La.)

2019 SUN BELT FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Leanna Johnson, Troy (Fr., P, Brantley, Ala.)

2019 SUN BELT NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Sarah Hudek, Louisiana (Jr., OF, Sugar Land, Texas)

2019 SUN BELT COACH OF THE YEAR
Gerry Glasco, Louisiana

Lobelo inks with Women’s Golf