Photo by: Abby Bellow
The Lady Eagles softball team continues a 10-game winning streak – something senior Martha Thomas attributed the recent success to a balanced team working in sync to put games together.
“We are doing great right now because the team chemistry is so great right now,” Thomas said. “We hit a few rough spots early on because we had six freshmen come in and we had to figure out how to play together, and now we are making that happen.”
March 25 the Lady Eagles played a doubleheader against Southern Nazarene University (11-22) and walked away with two victories.
Oklahoma Christian University fought back from an 8-1 deficit to overcome the Crimson Storm with a final score of 9-8. The Lady Eagles kept the momentum to roll past SNU in the second game by a wide 12-1 margin.
The first game did not bode well until the bottom of the third inning, sparked with RBI doubles from freshman Niki Davidson and junior Courtney Starr. The game was tied by the fourth, following singles from junior Monique Elliot and senior Kala Ratliff.
Freshman Haley Squier took the mound as a relief for Shea Coats and sent 11 straight SNU batters back to the dugout.
“Haley has done an outstanding job for so far,” Head Coach of Softball Tom Heath said. “As a freshman coming in we knew she was a good pitcher, but she has always served as a starting pitcher. We need most of our pitchers to be successful in the relief role as well as starting. She is not accustomed to it, but she is able to pull strikes and get batters out. That is what we need done.”
Thomas wrapped up the series against SNU 4-4 and got on base in each at bat.
The Lady Eagles went on to sweep Rogers State March 28 and 29 with consecutive shutouts from freshman Shea Coats and junior Taylor Mosher.
“You can see the other pitcher’s rising tension when [Thomas] goes up,” Coats said. “We have a team of good hitters, but we can count on Niki and [Thomas]to give us nice, timely hits consistently.”
Strong plate appearances by Davidson, Thomas and seniors Lauren Pittman and Lauren Chatigny put runs on the board to secure final scores of 4-0, 3-0 and 5-0.
Coats topped the Hillcats’ pitcher Yolanda Rios with a three-hitter, combined with 10 strikeouts and one walk in Friday’s opening game.
Davidson brought in early runs with an RBI infield single for a 2-0 lead.
Thomas and Davidson brought in two more – an RBI single in the fifth inning from Thomas, followed shortly by a home run from Davidson to bring the score to 4-0.
Mosher threw a complete-game three-hitter with no strikeouts.
Junior Monique Elliott drew the first run of the second game, followed by a hit from Thomas to bring two more in and clinch the 3-0 victory.
Saturday the Lady Eagles recorded their third-straight shutout of Rogers State and officially held a grand opening for the new Tom Heath Field at Lawson Plaza.
Heath and the rest of the team and coaching staff also celebrated the 600th win for Oklahoma Christian softball.
Four people were honored with a first pitch on Saturday as recognition for dedication to the formation and success of the softball program.
Professor Stafford North, who approved the creation of the softball program in the 1990s, alongside Athletic Director Curtis Janz and Ricky and Kelly Lawson, threw a first pitch on Saturday before the game against Rogers State.
North served Oklahoma Christian as executive vice president, working with Heath to bring a softball program to campus.
Ricky Lawson – a former Oklahoma Christian student – and his wife Kelly took a personal interest in the softball program, donating the funds to make the building possible.
“It is great to go from not having a field at all to having everything that we have now,” Thomas said. “The Lawsons and Stafford North did a lot for us, and we are excited about it.”
The complex boasts a locker room, complete with individual wooden lockers for the players and couches with a flat screen television, as well as a visitors’ locker room. There are four coaches’ offices within the complex, a training room, laundry facilities, as well as a room for umpires, restrooms and a press box. The stadium has seating for 300 spectators.
The complex also provides a separate indoor training building and a new parking lot outfitted to hold 34 vehicles.
The new complex should also help the Lady Eagles in future recruiting, Coats said.
Coats came to the mound after the ceremony to pitch a complete-game six-hitter, recording the second shutout of the Hillcats.
“I had a bad game against SNU, and I needed to battle through that last weekend,” Coats said. “In a way, I am glad for that bad experience to battle through and focus for Rogers State. I take each game one pitch at a time. Every out and every pitch is different, and I know Taylor does the same. We use it to stay focused and keep doing well because we have the players and the talent.”
Mosher finished a shutout against the Hillcats Saturday as well.
Davidson and Starr brought the first runs in Saturday against Rios, soon followed by Ratliff to carry a 3-0 lead until the fifth inning.
Thomas sent a ball over the right field wall, bringing in two more runs for the Lady Eagles.
“I am pleased right now with the team chemistry,” Heath said. “We have six freshmen, six seniors, and a mix of juniors and sophomores. The group we have brings different personalities together to work together as one on the field because each player accepts their role and what needs to be done for Oklahoma Christian softball. I am proud of this team and our fantastic coaches. Gault and Ruckman work hard and those wins were not just mine; it was all of us working together.”
The Lady Eagles split a hometown doubleheader against the University of Central Oklahoma on Tuesday. Coats threw a three-hitter in game one, but UCO capitalized on a productive inning to seal a win in game two. The final score for game one was 3-1, and the Bronchos topped the Lady Eagles in game two with a final of 8-3.
The first victory was the third instance when Lady Eagles defeated a team ranked in the Division II top 25 or a team that is currently receiving votes in the national poll.
The Lady Eagles will host St. Edward’s at home on Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at noon.
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