TAMUC – Sports

Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jason Burton Invited To NCAA Sleep And Wellness Conference

Jason Burton, the head women’s basketball coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce, was asked to attend NCAA’S special task force dealing with Sleep and Wellness. The event convenes representatives from scientific, higher education, and sports medicine organizations, along with representatives from various NCAA membership bodies.

At the task force, data and research related to the sleep and wellness of student-athletes will be discussed and reviewed, to develop recommendations that will inform future sleep-related practices and educational resources for college athletes.

The task force by the NCAA Division II director Maritza Jones recommended Coach Burton. Burton has been coach of the Texas A&M-Commerce women’s basketball team for the past three years and has led them to an unprecedented three-year streak. The 2016-2017 year, this current athletic year has been the program’s best run in over ten years, with an incredible 20-win season, the second in the program’s history.

Director Jones’s recommendation for Coach Burton to be on the task force is well-thought out for such a distinguished coach, especially one that helped the team overcome a pair of season-ending injuries that happened to two of the team’s starters. He has also spoken at previous NCAA events, including one at the Career in Sports Forum (where he has been invited back as a keynote speaker), and he was asked to represent the Lone Star Conference at the NCAA Division II Identity Workshop at the NCAA’s headquarters in Indianapolis.

Read more: http://sites.tamuc.edu/news/womens-basketball-coach-invited-to-ncaa-sleep-and-wellness-conference/#ixzz4fnjaiuo4

 

SOFTBALL

 

Lions win offensive battle 13-11 over TWU, punch ticket to LSC Tournament

The win was the 100th in program history. The Lions will face Cameron in the first round of the LSC Tournament on Friday.

COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team won a barn-burning 13-11 battle over Texas Woman’s University on Sunday. With the win, the Lions claimed the sixth and final seed in the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament that will begin Friday.

The Lions finish the regular season with a record of 34-19 and 16-14 in the Lone Star Conference. The Pioneers finish 32-18 overall and 18-11 in conference play, claiming the fourth seed in the LSC Tournament.

The Lions will face Cameron University in the first round of the LSC Tournament held at Angelo State University on Friday at 11 a.m. Should the Lions advance, they would face West Texas A&M later that day at 4 p.m. The championship game will be played Saturday at 2 p.m. All games are at Mayer Field in San Angelo.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– With the win, the Lions now have 100 wins in program history.
– The Lions tied the single-game school record for home runs and set a new record for most triples in a game.
– Each batter for the Lions reached base at least twice in the match, and all recorded at least one hit. The Lions had 19 total hits, one shy of tying a single-game record.

– Mariah Jameyson went 3-for-4 with two home runs, two runs scored and five RBIs. She became the first Lion to reach 20 home runs in a single season and is currently tied for the lead in all of Division II in home runs and leads the nation in RBIs.
– Ciera Nunez hit a base-clearing triple in the second inning. She finished the day with two hits, three RBIs, and two runs scored.
– Baylea Higgs went 3-for-5 with a triple and a run scored.
– Chealsea Slider hit a solo home run in the fourth inning. Jordyn Sharp also homered in the fourth inning, driving in two runs.
– Kinsie Hebler went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. She also pitched the seventh inning and recorded her second save of the season.
– Vanessa Avina, Tyler Oppenheim, and Precious Thompson all had two hits. Oppenheim scored twice and had a stolen base. Thompson scored twice and had two steals.
– Courtnee Jones pitched two innings in relief and recorded the win. Katie Dean started the game and pitched four innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pioneers took the lead in the top of the first inning. A single and a hit batter put two runners on. After a groundout had put both runners in scoring position, a double into center field scored both runners.

The Lions threatened in the bottom of the first inning. Avina and Nunez both had singles to lead off. After two outs in a row, Slider came to the plate and singled to load the bases. However, the next batter struck out to end the inning.

The Pioneers added to their lead in the top of the second. The leadoff batter hit a single and advanced to third on two groundouts. An illegal pitch brought her across the plate.

The Lions responded with five runs in the bottom of the second inning. A walk and two infield singles loaded the bases. Nunez came up and hit the ball into the gap in right, sliding into third with a bases-clearing triple. After a fly out, Jameyson came to the plate and hit a home run to center field. The Lions led 5-3 after two innings.

The Pioneers tied the game in the top of the third inning. A pitch hit the leadoff batter, and the next batter doubled. A groundout scored one, and a triple scored another run, and the game tied at five.

After both teams went scoreless, the Lions again had a big inning in the bottom of the fourth. Hebler had an infield single and was driven home on another home run from Jameyson. Slider then came up and swung at the first pitch and also homered. After a pitching change, Higgs hit a triple and was driven home on a home run by Sharp. The Lions led 10-5 after four innings.

The Pioneers scored three runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to retake the lead. Two Pioneers homered in the fifth inning. A walk and three singles scored three runs in the sixth, and the Pioneers took the lead at 11-10.

The Lion bats continued to find the ball in the bottom of the sixth. Oppenheim led off with a single. She stole second and advanced to third on a bunt hit from Thompson. Thompson stole second base and Nunez drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Hebler then singled to center field and drove in two runs to give the Lions back the lead. Jameyson then singled to bring in an insurance run. The Lions led 13-11 after six.

Hebler moved from first base to pitcher to close the game for the Lions. Hebler struck out the first batter she faced. After a lineout and a walk, Hebler delivered a pitch blooped toward shallow right field. Oppenheim showed speed and range as she made a diving catch over her shoulder to seal the win and punch the Lions’ ticket into the conference tournament.