KINGSVILLE, Texas – It's been two years since the last Lone Star Conference Softball Tournament and that last conference competition ended with the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team taking home the title, but in the 2021 LSC Tournament, the Javelinas will have to take a difficult path to return to the top and the first stop on that road is the No. 12 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs, who will challenge TAMUK on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Tom Heath Field in Oklahoma City, Okla.
There are 10 players on the Javelina roster remaining from that 2019 championship squad, including that year's tournament MVP, senior Breanna Smith (San Antonio, Texas). In both 2018 and 2019, it was Smith who was handed the ball in her team's first LSC Tournament game and her longest outing of the year came against WT on March 21st, when she threw 6 2/3 innings, allowing only two earned runs.
The Javelinas will also enter their postseason opener with an opportunity to exact some revenge on a Lady Buff team that defeated them twice in Kingsville in a March doubleheader. WT came from behind in both games and the Javs were also hurt by five errors that let in five unearned runs. TAMUK was also limited to just three runs in each game.
In 37 regular season games, the Javelinas hit .328, a figure that put them third in the LSC and 28th in the nation. Four members of TAMUK's lineup were named to the all-conference roster, which was released on Wednesday. Included on that list was freshman Kayla Gonzales (San Antonio, Texas), whose 52 RBIs are still the LSC's best. She also sports a .411 batting average and is attempting to become just the fourth Javelina to ever hit over .400 in a full season.
The Lady Buffs have plenty of heavy hitters of their own, including the recently-name LSC Player of the Year, Shanna McBroom, who won the LSC batting title by swinging the bat at a .476 clip. Her stat line also includes 30 steals, tied for the sixth-most in the nation and she's scored 58 runs, nine more than anyone else in the conference.
Links to live coverage of every game the Javelinas play in the LSC Tournament can be found in Javelinaathletics.com and a recap of every postseason game the Javs play will be posted there as well. Stay current with Javelina softball by following @TAMUKSB and @JavelinaSports on both Twitter and Instagram, liking the Javelina Sports Facebook page, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
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