ENMU teams picked for last in LSC polls

RICHARDSON, Texas — Angelo State is favored to repeat Lone Star Conference championships this spring in baseball and softball. Meantime, there's only one way to go for Eastern New Mexico University's squads.

ASU was a near-unanimous selection to take the baseball title, earning 20 of 21 first-place votes in poll results released on Thursday by the conference office. The Rams notched 167 points to 113 for Texas A&M-Kingsville, which got the other first-place vote and edged out Tarleton State (112) and Incarnate Word (110) for second place in the eight-team league.

ENMU finished with 25 points, 19 behind seventh-place Cameron. The Greyhounds, under second-year coach Chris Terry, went 14-32 last season, including 4-23 in the LSC.

Angelo senior outfielder Lee Neumann was named the LSC's preseason player of the year, while senior right-hander Pete Perez of Tarleton State was the preseason pitcher of the year. Neumann batted .389 last season and led the league in hits, triples, slugging percentage and total bases, while Perez posted an 8-3 record with a 2.06 earned run average.

In the 10-team softball circuit, ASU received 19 of 26 first-place votes and finished with 251 points to 220 for Texas Woman's, which had five first-place tallies. Other first-place votes went to Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word.

ENMU had 45 points, trailing ninth-place Texas A&M-Kingsville by 10 points. The Zias, under fourth-year coach Lauren Sigwing, were 15-34 last season and 7-20 in the LSC.

Junior shortstop Bailey Vrazel of Texas Woman's was the preseason player of the year and senior right-hander Briana Sanchez of Incarnate Word earned preseason pitcher of the year honors. Vrazel hit .414 with 61 runs scored and an NCAA Division II-leading 75 stolen bases last season, while Sanchez went 17-11 with a 3.43 ERA and 196 strikeouts over 201 1/3 innings.

The baseball schedule begins next weekend with teams playing a four-game weekend series against each of the other seven conference members, consisting of two single nine-inning games and a doubleheader with two seven-inning tilts.

The softball schedule also begins next weekend with teams playing a three-game weekend series against each of the other nine conference members, consisting of a single seven-inning contest and a doubleheader (two sevens).

In both baseball and softball, the overall LSC champion will be the team with the best regular-season conference winning percentage, while winners of the conference tournaments receive the league's automatic NCAA Division II tournament berths. Conference meets are scheduled for May 3-5 in softball and May 3-6 in baseball, both at Canyon, Texas.

LSC polls

Baseball

Team (1st-place votes) Pts

1. Angelo State (20) 167

2. Texas A&M-Kingsville (1) 113

3. Tarleton State 112

4. Incarnate Word 110

5. West Texas A&M 98

6. Abilene Christian 87

7. Cameron 44

8. Eastern New Mexico 25

Preseason player of the year — Lee Newman, Sr., OF, Angelo State.

Preseason pitcher of the year — Pete Perez, Sr., RHP, Tarleton State.

Softball

Team (1st-place votes) Pts

1. Angelo State (19) 251

2. Texas Woman's (5) 220

3. West Texas A&M 181

4. Abilene Christian (1) 176

5. Incarnate Word (1) 151

tie. Midwestern State 151

7. Tarleton State 134

8. Cameron 66

9. Texas A&M-Kingsville 55

10. Eastern New Mexico 45

Preseason player of the year — Bailey Vrazel, Jr., SS, Texas Woman's.

Preseason pitcher of the year — Briana Sanchez, Sr., RHP, Incarnate Word.