WT SPORTS BRIEFS: Softball drops two spots in South Central Regional rankings
West Texas A&M dropped two spots in the second edition of the South Central Regional rankings on Wednesday afternoon released by the NCAA Division II softball committee.
The Lady Buffs are one of eight teams from the Lone Star Conference represented in the standings.
The top-ranked Patriots of UT Tyler sit atop the poll followed by Lubbock Christian, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Oklahoma Christian, Angelo State, Texas A&M-Commerce, Colorado Mesa, St. Mary's, WT and Colorado Christian.
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The 64-team field for the 2022 NCAA Division II Softball Championship will be announced via an online selection show taking place on NCAA.com at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 9 with eight selections coming from the South Central Region. Winners of the LSC and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament will receive an automatic bid into the regional with the final six spots being determined by the NCAA selection committee as at-large selections.
WT (27-14, 16-12 LSC) will finish out the regular season on Saturday, April 30 with a conference matchup against Eastern New Mexico (17-29, 8-20 LSC). First pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT in Portales, N.M.
TRACK AND FIELD
The Buffaloes of West Texas A&M ranked atop the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division II national standings for the third consecutive week on Tuesday.
There was no movement in the top five of the rating index with WT registering 293.85 points followed by Grand Valley State, Texas A&M-Commerce, Pittsburg State, and Adams State. The Buffs improved four season-best Top 10 marks at the Ross Black Open last weekend including three in the 100-meter from Jalen Purcell, Desmond Aryee and Jeremiah Lauzon.
WT has 14 national Top 10 marks and leads in three with Benjamin Azamati in the 100 and 200 alongside the 4x400-meter relay of William Frobe, Ohdel James, Malick Diop and Quinton Sansing.
On the women's side, WT remained first for the fifth straight week in the same poll.
The Lady Buffs have 248.50 points to stand among the Top 25 rankings. Grand Valley State jumped ahead of Azusa Pacific to stand second followed by APU, Minnesota State Mankato and Fresno State.
Three Lady Buffs lead the nation in their respective events with Eleonora Curtabbi in the steeplechase, Taylor Nelloms in the triple jump and Zada Swoopes in the shot put. In all, WT has 13 national Top 10 marks including four improved marks from the Ross Black Open last weekend including Swoopes and Leah Belfield's recording-breaking performances in the 100 and hammer.
WT will compete in Lubbock this weekend, April 29-30, at the Corky/Crofoot Shootout for the final tune-up before the 2022 Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
West Texas A&M's Josh Prock has been named the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Women's Small College Coach of the Year announced on Monday afternoon by the association's offices.
Prock guided the Lady Buffs to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight during his first season in Maroon & White, finishing the campaign with an overall record of 26-11 as WT claimed the LSC Regular Season and Tournament Titles followed by a run to the South Central Regional Championship at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.
BASEBALL
West Texas A&M's Jack Eagan has been honored for his efforts on the diamond as the Lone Star Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week announced on Monday afternoon by the association's offices in Richardson, Texas.
Eagan was dominant for the Buffs in game three at Nolan Ryan Field in Kingsville, as #5 West Texas A&M claimed their first victory of the series in an 8-0 win over the Javelinas. The senior lefty from Wautoma, Wisconsin, tossed a no-hitter in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader, registering a career-high 14 strikeouts with three walks and two hit-by-pitches on 119 pitches.
The 14 strikeouts also marked the highest total by an LSC pitcher this season and the second time Eagan has fanned double-digit batters in a game. The senior transfer from Mississippi State finished off WT's first no-no since February of 2019 via the strikeout in the Buffs' eight-run win.
WOMEN'S GOLF
For the eighth consecutive season, the No. 11 Lady Buffs were selected to the NCAA Division II Women's Golf West Regional Tournament following the NCAA's announcement Monday afternoon.
Lone Star Conference tournament champion DBU was selected first in the region followed by WT, Cal State San Marcos, Texas A&M International and Biola rounding out the top five seeds. Cal State Monterey Bay was selected sixth followed by Texas A&M-Commerce, St. Mary's, UAFS, Cal State Easy Bay, Colorado Christian, and Western Washington. Six individuals were also selected to compete at the tournament.
The 12-team regional tournament is scheduled to take place on May 2-4 at the Brookside Country Club in Stockton, Calif. The top five teams and top two individuals not on those teams will advance to the NCAA DII Championships at Chattahoochee Golf Club in Gainesville, Ga., on May 10-14. The number of participants that qualify for the finals is 98.
WT is coming off a second-place finish at last weekend's Lone Star Conference Championships in Glen Rose, Texas. The Lady Buffs shot a 54-hole program record 855 (-9), breaking last season's record by 30 strokes. Alyssa Campbell earned All-Tournament honors after she tied second at 7-under 209 to break former Lady Buff All-American Loukyee Songprasert's three-round 210 record.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WT SPORTS BRIEFS: Softball drops two spots in South Central Regional rankings
