Lady Chap Softball Swept by OC, Hoping for Strong Finish in WJCAC

By Forrest Allen
Midland College Athletic Director

The 2012 softball season has been a study in extremes. The team opened the season with a loss to Coastal Bend College in the first game of 2012 and followed that game with a stunning 21-game win streak which ended in a 3-2 loss to Angelina College on March 3rd. Since the loss to Angelina College the Lady Chaps have gone 11-12, including 5-7 in the WJCAC (3rd place).

Midland College currently stands eight games behind conference leader Odessa College and six games behind second place Howard College. MC is a combined 1-7 versus the Lady Wranglers and Hawks. Recent performances leave the Lady Chaparrals searching for a way to make up ground in the race for a post-season berth.

Midland College 32-14 this season and 5-7 in the WJCAC in the 2012 campaign showed improvement in the OC series as compared to their four-game set against HC. Odessa outscored Midland 34-23 in the series as compared to 36-21 versus Howard.

[Last] Thursday the Midland and Odessa played a double-header at Lady Chap field with OC winning by scores of 9-4 and 9-7. The games moved to Odessa on Friday with MC making every effort to put Thursday's games in the past. The Lady Chaps had their chances in the two games in Odessa. In both losses in Odessa, the Lady Wranglers were trailing going into the bottom of the seventh. In both games the Lady Wranglers won on homeruns to rip victory from the jaws of defeat by scores of 6-5 and 10-7.

With 12 games left in conference play, Coaches Ramos and Henry hope to instill confidence in the team, especially their pitching staff which has taken a few body blows of late. Optimism lies in the fact that Midland College is not a full strength after sustaining several injuries to key players, including the loss of freshman leftfielder Kelcey Gomez (fractured ankle) for the remainder of the regular season. Most, if not all, injured Lady Chaps (minus Gomez) should be in the line-up versus the EPCC Tejanas [this] weekend.

While pitching has been inconsistent of late, the Lady Chaps have been strong offensively and solid in the field on defense. Once the team recalibrates they will likely be a contender for the 2012 NJCAA Region V West Tournament title (May 3-5) in Lubbock, TX on the campus of Lubbock Christian University. The Lady Chaps rank No. 6 in the NJCAA in team hitting with a .395 BA.

Coach Ramos can always rely on his strong group of sophomores to right the ship. MC's Debra Lovell (.528 BA, 1.106 SLG%, 20 HR, 75 H, 49 RBI), Gee Estrada (.469 BA, .982 SLG%, 15 HR, 53 H, 51 RBI), Diana de la Paz (.518 BA, .799 SLG%, 6 HR, 72 H, 27 RBI), Yolanda Rios (15-5, 2.78 ERA, 32 BB, 118 SO, 136.0 IP) and Megan Macias (.382 BA, .598 SLG%, 5 HR, 39 H, 26 RBI) will be counted on for their leadership as the Lady Chaps move towards the second half of conference and into the post-season. Lovell ranks 16th nationally in hitting percentage (.528), 2nd in total HRs (20), 16th in RBI (52); Estrada ranks 8th in the NJCAA in HRs (15), 15th in RBI (53), 40th in OBP (.535).

The Lady Chaparrals mid-season turn around could start this weekend (April 13-14) as MC plays host to El Paso Community College in a four game series in Midland. EPCC is currently 12-37 this season and 2-10 in conference (last place in the WJCAC).

Season Standings (as of 04-08-12):
www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Conference/


Individual Stats (as of 04-08-12):
www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Team/IndividualStats