Hardy Takes Southland Conference Individual Crown
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Shelby Hardy shot the best 54-hole total in Sam Houston women’s golf history to take home the Southland individual championship at Frisco Lakes Golf Club in Frisco, Texas.
The senior from San Saba capped off her record-setting career with a Southland and school record three-round score of 212.
Hardy was the only golfer in the field to break par both of the first two days.
Hardy’s first round 68 tied the Bearkat record for low round at the conference tournament.
This is her third tournament win this season which ties a school record and upped her career total to six tournament titles, also a Bearkat record.
“I’m just really proud to say I finished my career with this win. These four years have gone by so fast and it feels great to go out with the win,” said Bearkat senior Shelby Hardy. “I was just trying to stick with every shot like it was my last and focus on the task ahead of me. I was pumped after my first round 68 but tried to remain focused throughout. It was tough but I got it done and I’m so happy and exhausted.”
Hardy is the Kats third individual medalist in the program’s history after Raman Saran took home the title in 2004 and Stefani Page won it in 2007.
Sam Houston finished tied with Oral Roberts for second place in the overall standings with a three round total of 898.
Lamar won the event by seven strokes (891). Central Arkansas had a four stroke lead heading into the final round and finished fourth.
“I’m so proud of our four seniors that gave it their all for their final tournament of their careers,” said Bearkat head coach Brandt Kieschnick. “I told Shelby that this is one of one of my proudest days as a Bearkat. She played like a professional and every shot was like her last. She had her head down for 54 holes and played one of the best tournaments I’ve ever seen from a college player.”
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was fifth (905), McNeese State was sixth (909) and Stephen F. Austin finished seventh (941).
Senior Meghan Musk rallied from a first round 82 to finish 12th (82-74-70-226).
Musk shot the low round on the final day of the tournament and was the only golfer to break par. Freshman Nicole Budnik was tied for 20th (76-76-68-230), Jessica Borth was tied for 25th (79-80-77-236), and Jenna Stene was 34th (76-83-81-240).
Hardy won by six strokes over A&M-Corpus Christi’s Vanessa Johnson and and McNeese State’s Lina Lagergren.
Lamar’s Katelyn McDougal was fourth (221).
Bearkats Takes Series From Islanders
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
The Sam Houston softball team jumped out to a 5-0 lead then had to fight off a determined A&M-Corpus Christi rally to earn an 8-5 victory in extra innings Sunday afternoon.
The win gave the Bearkats a Southland series victory over the Islanders after a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon. Sam Houston now stands 25-19 for the year and 11-7 in Southland play.
A&M-Corpus Christi dropped to 8-31 for the year and 3-15 in league action.
A three-run double by Hillary Adams and RBI singles by Shelbi Tucker and Alyssa Coggins gave Sam Houston a five-run cushion in the top of the first inning.
The Islanders bounced back to score one run in the bottom of the first inning and four in the third to tie the contest 5-5.
In the top of the first extra inning, Jessica Slater provided the winning run with an RBI ground ball and Tori Benavidez put across two insurance runs with a single.
Haley Baros (8-7) was the winning pitcher for the Bearkats, spreading seven hits over eight innings and striking out seven of the 34 batters she faced.
Sam Houston will play host to Nicholls State in a three game Southland series this weekend. The pair will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday April 20 and a 1 p.m. single game on Sunday April 21.
A First Time For Everything
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
For the first time in Sam Houston’s 97 years of football, the Bearkats will play a 12-game regular season schedule in 2013.
Sam Houston and Houston Baptist have announced that the Bearkats and Huskies will open the 2013 football season with a 6 p.m. contest Saturday August 31 at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.
The game gives Sam Houston seven home contests at Bowers plus the 88th “Battle of the Piney Woods” rivalry game with Stephen F. Austin at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
The contest will give HBU a seven game schedule for the Huskies’ inaugural season.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to play our season opener in front of our home fans,” Bearkat head football coach Willie Fritz said. “The support our team receives from our students and the Huntsville community has been a big factor in the program’s success. Houston Baptist will be joining the Southland in football next year and we’re looking forward to getting the rivalry started.”
Season tickets for 2013 Bearkat football home games (including both the seven contests at Bowers and the “Piney Woods” battle at Reliant) have been on sale for a month.
The opener with HBU will be added to the season ticket package as a “bonus game.”
Bleacher reserved packages are available for $110 per season ticket.
Fans interested in getting their names on the waiting list for Bearkat Champion chair back packages ($290 each) should contact the Sam Houston athletic ticket office at (936) 294-1729.
The ticket office is located in the Ron Mafrige Field House in the south end zone of Bowers Stadium.
“With seven Saturdays at Bowers, the SFA battle at Reliant and the Texas A&M game at College Station, nine of our 12 regular season games are right here in the Greater Houston and Huntsville area,” Sam Houston director of athletics Bobby Williams said. “This is a tremendous opportunity for fans to get behind the Bearkats and proudly wear their orange in the stands. We’re thrilled to have such a great schedule this year.”
The two-time Southland Conference champion Bearkats return 40 lettermen including 12 starters from last year’s 11-4 squad that reached the NCAA national championship game in Frisco for the second year in a row.
Sam Houston’s 25-5 record in 2011 and 2012 and consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision No. 2 final national rankings represent the most successful consecutive seasons in the university’s history.
Houston Baptist is fielding its inaugural football team in 2013.
“We are looking forward to opening our inaugural season against Sam Houston State, a future Southland Conference opponent,” HBU director of athletics Steve Moniaci said. “This is not only an opportunity for our student-athletes and coaches to compete against one of the top FCS programs in the country, but also gives our students, alumni and fans an early glimpse of what we hope will become a tremendous rivalry in the future.”
“This gives our team the chance to compete against one of the very top FCS programs in the country and will be a great event for football in the greater Houston area,” HBU head coach Vic Shealy said. “We appreciate the opportunity to play against a team that is highly-respected nationally, with the success Willie Fritz and his program have had in recent years.”
The complete Sam Houston State 2013 football schedule:
August 31 (Sat.) — 6 p.m. — Houston Baptist
Sept. 7 (Sat.) – TBA – at Texas A&M
Sept. 14 (Sat.) – 6 p.m. – Texas Southern
Sept. 21 (Sat.) – 6 p.m. – Incarnate Word
Sept. 28 (Sat.) – 3 p.m. – Eastern Washington (Parents’ Weekend)
Oct. 12 (Sat.) – 2 p.m. – Lamar (Homecoming)
Oct. 19 (Sat.) – TBA – at McNeese State
Oct. 26 (Sat.) – 2 p.m. – Northwestern State
Nov. 2 (Sat.) – 3 p.m. – Stephen F. Austin at Reliant Stadium
Nov. 9 (Sat.) – 2 p.m. – Nicholls State
Nov. 16 (Sat.) – TBA – at Southeastern Louisiana
Nov. 23 (Sat.) – TBA – at Central Arkansas
Bearkats Run At NCAA’s Elite Eight Came To A Screaching Halt
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
CANTON, Mich — After a strong first day at the NCAA Bowling Championship, Sam Houston State couldn’t duplicate the same success on Friday afternoon.
They dropped a pair of matches to Arkansas State and Fairleigh Dickinson, eliminating them from the championship.
“It was a tough day for us,” said head coach Brad Hagen. “I thought we played pretty well, we just couldn’t come up with the big shots when we needed them. We had hoped to improve on our showing two years ago on Friday, but unfortunately it didn’t happen for us.”
The Kats entered the day as the No. 3 qualifier, following a 5-2 day during Thursday’s qualifying round.
Sam Houston defeated five of the eight seeded teams Thursday including wins over Central Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas State, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin-Whitewater to earn the No. 3 seed in Friday’s best-of-seven baker bracket play.
But the Kats got off to a slow start in the opening match against No. 6 Arkansas State.
Arkansas State came out hot and never slowed down, sweeping the Kats 4-0 in the opening round of the best-of-7 baker matches.
In the opening game, the Red Wolves started with three straight strikes while the Kats left the first two frames open.
A late charge by the Kats was not enough as they fell 210-192.
Game 2 was more of the same in a 210-192 loss for the Kats.
In Game 3 SHSU started strong, but an open frame in the fourth for the Kats, followed by four straight strikes by ASU lifted the Red Wolves to a 215-193 victory.
In the final game of the match, open frames once again cost the Bearkats, failing to pick up the spare in three of the first five frames and they couldn’t recover in a 193-172 loss.
“It is really difficult to try and come out of the losers bracket to get to the finals,” Hagen said. “We knew the importance of the first match, but just never could get anything going for us.”
In the final match of the day, the Kats fell 4-2 to Fairleigh Dickinson.
FDU built an early lead taking the first two games.
The Knights were hot in Game 1, hitting strikes in seven of the first nine frames, cruising to a 227-166 win.
In game 2 the Kats couldn’t hit consecutive strikes and FDU closed with six straight for a 205-178 win.
Sam Houston bounced back for a win in game 3, winning 201-195.
FDU left the sixth frame open and the Kats answered with three straight from the 5th-7th.
Erin Brown hit a strike in the 9th to lift the Kats.
In game four, the SHSU didn’t roll a strike until the ninth frame.
Michelle Secours closed with three strikes in the 10th, but it wasn’t enough in a 214-193 loss.
The Kats stayed in the match in the fifth, escaping with a 181-179 win.
They left the 10th frame open, but FDU came right back and did the same thing to give the Bearkats the win.
Needing a win to force a seventh game, the Kats had no answer for and FDU team that rolled their best game of the match.
The Knights closed with six consecutive strikes to win the game 247-197 and close out the match.
“They gave us an opportunity there in the fifth to get back in the match, but we couldn’t take advantage,” Hagen said. “Give credit to FDU, they finished strong.”
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