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Emily Otto named top 25 finalists for 2019 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player of the Year.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.– Texas A&M University-Commerce pitcher Emily Otto has been named a top 25 finalist for the 2019 Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II National Player and National Pitcher of the Year awards. The list of finalists was released by the NFCA on Thursday, with Otto among seven pitchers on the list.
“Emily has been a great player for us all year in the circle and is certainly deserving of this recognition,” said A&M-Commerce head coach Richie Bruister. “We look forward to seeing her continue her great play as we finish the regular season this week and enter postseason play.”
Otto– a sophomore from Richmond (Lamar Consolidated)– becomes the third player in program history to be named a top 25 finalist for National Player of the Year, and the first pitcher in program history to earn the distinction. Otto has been an ace in the circle for the Lions all season, ranking third in the nation with 23 wins, while also saving two games. Otto is a three-time Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Week and was also named NFCA and Fastpitch News National Pitcher of the Week. Otto ranks sixth in the nation in shutouts and in the top 30 in hits allowed per seven innings. She leads the LSC in wins, complete games, shutouts, and innings pitched and ranks in the top three in the league in ERA and opponent batting average. Otto has a record of 23-6 on the year with two saves and has an ERA of 1.99 while holding hitters to a .194 average and has better than a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The top 10 finalists for the awards will be announced on May 14. The National Player of the Year and the National Pitcher of the Year awards will be announced on May 30 following the conclusion of the Division II Championship tournament.
Otto and the No. 8 Lions are tied for first place in the LSC standings headed into the final week of the regular season. The Lions will host Cameron in a three-game series. A single game played on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. Tickets to the series against Cameron are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House or by purchase at the gates of the John Cain Family Softball Field.
2019 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division II Player & Pitcher of the Year Top 25 (Alphabetical Order)
Emily Benson, Western Washington, Sr., 1B
Shelby Booker, Alabama-Huntsville, So., 3B
Rosa’Lynn Burton, Wilmington, Jr., OF
Georgia Capell, Tarleton, So., OF
Jordan Davis, Rollins College, Sr., OF
Makaleigh Dooley, Tampa, Sr., P
JoBi Heath, Central Oklahoma, Sr., 3B
Teala Howard, West Florida, Fr., UT
Sara Keeny, Kutztown, Sr., OF
Jordyn Kleman, Winona State, Jr., P
Jennifer Leonhardt, Southern Indiana, Jr., P
Allison Lipovsky, Grand Valley State, Sr., P
Peyton Mills, Harding, Sr., OF
Kylee Moore, West Texas A&M, Sr., 1B
Callie Nunes, Concordia-Irvine, So., P
MaKray Odom, Trevecca Nazarene, Jr., SS
Emily Otto, Texas A&M-Commerce, So., P
Christa Reisinger, Truman State, Sr., OF
Rhiannon Sassman, West Florida, Sr., 3B
Julia Seader, LIU-Post, Sr., C
Kylee Smith, North Georgia, Jr., P
AnnMarie Torres, Colorado Mesa, Jr., 1B
Brylynn Vallejos, San Francisco State, Fr., OF
Lani Van Zyl, Winona State, Sr., SS
Natalie Willis, Newberry College, Sr., SS
Coby repeats as LSC Track Athlete of the Week.
RICHARDSON – Texas A&M University-Commerce senior sprinter Eboni Coby has been named the Lone Star Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week, as announced by the LSC office Wednesday.
Coby – a senior from Lancaster – set the A&M-Commerce school record in the 200-meter dash for the second consecutive week, winning her section at the LSU Alumni Gold with a time of 23.78 seconds. Her time is the fastest in the LSC this year and fifth-fastest in the nation. She also ran the 100-meter dash in 11.79 seconds.
Coby has seven event wins in the outdoor season for the Lions, including all three meets where she has run the 200-meter dash. Coby and the Lions close out the regular season on Thursday at the Abilene Christian Oliver Jackson Twilight. The Lone Star Conference Championships will be held at Eastern New Mexico on May 2-4.
LSC WEEKLY AWARDS
Men’s Track
M-20 Demontravous Jones, Angelo State
M-27 4×100 Relay (Quinton Sansing, Tyrin Lewis, Jordan Atkinson, Nathan Stotts), West Texas A&M
A-3 Quinton Sansing, West Texas A&M
A-10 Valentin Charles, Texas A&M-Kingsville
A-17 Rashard Clark, Texas A&M-Commerce
A-24 Quinton Sansing, West Texas A&M (2)
Men’s Field
M-20 Decio Andrade, Angelo State
M-27 Josh Boateng, Texas A&M-Commerce
Abraham Seaneke, West Texas A&M
A-3 Harry Maslen, Angelo State
Josh Boateng, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)
Abraham Seaneke, West Texas A&M (2)
A-10 Decio Andrade, Angelo State (2)
Josh Boateng, Texas A&M-Commerce (3)
A-17 Josh Boateng, Texas A&M-Commerce (4)
A-24 Abraham Seaneke, West Texas A&M (3)
Women’s Track
M-20 Karlea Duhon, Angelo State
M-27 Danee Bustos, Eastern New Mexico
A-3 Minna Svaerd, Texas A&M-Commerce
A-10 4×100 relay (Kaitlyn Mathews, Hannah Porter, Sarah Porter, and Tare’ Ward), Angelo State
A-17 Eboni Coby, Texas A&M-Commerce
A-24 Eboni Coby, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)
Women’s Field
M-20 Daisy Osakue, Angelo State
M-27 Racheal Somoye, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Zada Swoopes, West Texas A&M
A-3 Daisy Osakue, Angelo State (2)
Fatim Affessi, West Texas A&M
A-10 Fatim Affessi, West Texas A&M (2)
A-17 Jasmine McQuirter, Tarleton State
A-24 Fatim Affessi, West Texas A&M (3)
Lions hold as the second-ranked team in South Central Regional rankings.
INDIANAPOLIS– The No. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team is the second-ranked team in the second edition of the NCAA South Central Regional rankings, released Wednesday.
A&M-Commerce held its position from last week’s rankings, and the Lions have been ranked in every regular season regional poll since the program’s inception.
A&M-Commerce is one of six teams from the Lone Star Conference in the rankings and all of the teams in the top five come from the LSC. Texas A&M-Kingsville is in the first spot, followed by A&M-Commerce in second. West Texas A&M is ranked third, Tarleton is ranked fourth, Cameron is ranked fifth, and Angelo State is ranked seventh.
The tournament champions of the Lone Star, Heartland, and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conferences, as well as five at-large teams, will advance to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament, set to begin May 9. The top two seeds in the region host a four-team double elimination tournament each, with the two winners meeting in the Super Regional Tournament the following week.
A&M-Commerce has a record of 35-10 and 21-6 in the LSC. The Lions have an 8-6 against teams ranked in the South Central Region, sweeping Angelo State and St. Mary’s, taking two games from Tarleton and winning one game against West Texas A&M.
The No. 8 Lions will return to action on Friday for their final series of the regular season, hosting Cameron for a three-game series. The teams will play a single game on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. All games will be played at the John Cain Family Softball Field.
Tickets to the series against Cameron are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House or by purchase at the gates of the field.
NCAA DII South Central Region Rankings
as of April 24, 2019
| Pl. | School | DII Record | In-Region |
| 1. | Texas A&M-Kingsville | 36-8 | 34-8 |
| 2. | A&M-COMMERCE | 35-10 | 35-10 |
| 3. | West Texas A&M | 30-10 | 29-10 |
| 4. | Tarleton | 34-11 | 33-11 |
| 5. | Cameron | 32-12 | 32-12 |
| 6. | Colorado Mesa | 38-7 | 38-7 |
| 7. | Angelo State | 31-17 | 27-16 |
| 8. | St. Mary’s | 28-20 | 26-19 |
| 9. | Colorado School of Mines | 24-17 | 24-17 |
| 10. | Dixie State | 33-10 | 33-10 |
Lions remain at No. 8 in national rankings headed into final regular-season series.·
LOUISVILLE, Ky.– The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team is the eighth-ranked team in the nation in this week’s National Fastpitch Coaches Association coaches poll, as released Wednesday. The Lions held their spot for the third consecutive week. A&M-Commerce has been nationally ranked in 24-consecutive polls dating back to last season.
Rainstorms kept the Lions from playing last week. A&M-Commerce is 35-10 on the season and has a record of 21-6 in the Lone Star Conference. The Lions lead the nation in fielding percentage and rank second in home runs per game, and are also in the top 10 in the country in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and scoring.
A&M-Commerce is one of four teams from the LSC in this week’s top 25-poll, and one of three teams in the top 10. A&M-Kingsville is ranked third, followed by West Texas A&M at sixth, A&M-Commerce at eighth and Tarleton at 19th.
The No. 8 Lions will return to action on Friday for their final series of the regular season. A&M-Commerce will host Cameron in a three-game series. The teams will play a single game on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. All games will be played at the John Cain Family Softball Field.
Tickets to the series against Cameron are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House or by purchase at the gates of the field.
2019 NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll – April 24 (Week 10)
| Rk. | School | Totals | 2019 Record | Previous Week |
| 1 | Central Oklahoma (7) | 384 | 38-4 | 2 |
| 2 | West Florida (7) | 383 | 39-7 | 1 |
| 3 | Texas A&M Kingsville (2) | 376 | 36-8 | 3 |
| 4 | North Georgia | 357 | 36-10 | 4 |
| 5 | Florida Tech | 335 | 36-10 | 5 |
| 6 | West Texas A&M | 317 | 30-10 | 6 |
| 7 | Winona State | 304 | 39-5 | 7 |
| 8 | A&M-COMMERCE | 285 | 35-10 | 8 |
| 9 | UC San Diego | 261 | 29-10 | 10 |
| 10 | Grand Valley State | 246 | 36-8 | 15 |
| 11 | Colorado Mesa | 218 | 38-7 | 12 |
| 12 | Concordia Irvine | 217 | 40-6 | 14 |
| 13 | Indianapolis | 199 | 39-11 | 9 |
| 14 | Augustana | 191 | 42-7 | 17 |
| 15 | Valdosta State | 172 | 30-12 | 16 |
| 16 | UAH | 156 | 35-12 | 18 |
| 17 | Southern New Hampshire | 147 | 33-9 | 13 |
| 18 | Arkansas Tech | 122 | 37-13 | 24 |
| 19 | Tarleton | 102 | 36-11 | 22 |
| 19 | Southern Arkansas | 102 | 41-10 | 11 |
| 21 | Georgian Court | 83 | 39-6 | 19 |
| 22 | Southern Indiana | 70 | 31-15 | 21 |
| 23 | Chico State | 49 | 29-13 | 25 |
| 24 | Lincoln Memorial | 44 | 32-12 | RV |
| t25 | Shepherd | 19 | 32-10 | 20 |
| t25 | Mississippi College | 19 | 34-11 | RV |
Josh Manck
Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Committed to a “Best In Class” student-athlete experience.
Office: 903.886.5131 | Mobile: 817.487.5136 |
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3011 | Commerce, TX 75429
Physical Address: 2600 Neal Street | Commerce, TX 75429
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Marcus Jensen
Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Office: 903.468.3027 | Mobile: 801.624.8529
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Committed to a “Best in Class” student-athlete experience.