Greetings from Oxford, Ala-Danged-Bama. (Whose idea was it to put this state so far away from Texas? It’s been a long danged drive.)
I’m here with the Lady Roadrunner softball team and the NJCAA Division I Softball World Series. AC’s ladies earned their berth after roaring through the regional tournament with three straight wins.
They also experienced an impromptu graduation ceremony (since they missed AC’s Commencement exercises last Saturday because of the tournament), and on Sunday morning, the ladies received a special sendoff from family, friends, and fans on the AC campus.
Whew. It’s been busy up in here.
Here’s a quick recap of the week, along with upcoming events (camps) in the near future.
Lady Roadrunner Softball:
Theirs will be a story of overcoming adversity. From a less-than-stellar start to the season (a record of 12-19 in early April) to a depleted roster to a first-year head coach (Brette Kohring’s first job as a head coach at ANY level), the 2023 Lady Roadrunner softball team exceeded all expectations except for their own – and Kohring’s. AC capped their season on Monday at the Region XIV Conference Tournament with a thrilling 6-5 win over host team Bossier Parish Community College, sending the Lady ‘Runners to their third national tournament in the program’s history.
Because the ladies were busy with tournament play on the day of Angelina College’s regular Commencement exercises, the college held a ceremony on Wednesday for the seven graduation Lady Roadrunner sophomores – a ceremony held right on the Lady Roadrunners’ softball field. AC president Dr. Michael Simon and others addressed the graduates, and each player received her diploma right in the pitching circle.
The seven graduates are Madi Baker, Alyssa Collazo, Bailey Frenzel, Haley Primrose, Mia Gilmore, Morgan Louviere, and Lace Tangianau.
On Friday morning, the Lady ‘Runner softball team learned it would enter the national tournament as the No. 13 seed. AC will face No. 4 Walters State at 2 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday. The winner advances to the winner’s bracket against the winner of No. 5 Northwest Florida and No. 12 Eastern Arizona; the loser will face the loser of the same contest.
To cap the huge week, the team received a big sendoff on Sunday morning. Family, friends, and other fans gathered to cheer the team’s departure for Alabama, and the morning included a large crowd, a police escort, and a genuine, traditional “Haka” dance straight from New Zealand.
For the full bracket, click this link: https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/i/i/b44wxcbfdf10o0/2023_NJCAA_DI_Softball_Champ_Bracket_v3.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0TUek210d3koYkG1X535R5TTtHBJMC-rOpUGFjbCM0SL6N-X3M–LGz40
Finally, all the NJCAA National Tournament games will be live-streamed ONLY on the NJCAA Network. It’s a subscription service, so fans have the option of paying per game or for the entire tournament. Here’s the link: https://www.njcaa.org/network/championships/sb-di
I’ll be updating scores on both Twitter (@ACAthletics) and on the AC Athletics Facebook page. I have fat thumbs, so the updates may not come as quickly as everyone would like, but they’ll get there.
Summer Camps for Athletics:
Any youngster looking for something fun and productive to do this summer (and any parent looking to get the kids out of the house for a few hours) can look to Camp Roadrunner to come to the rescue. Camp Roadrunner and the athletics camps offer kids a full day of fun and instruction in numerous areas, guaranteeing no one is going to feel bored. (And parents, they’re going to come home tired. You win!)
The Athletics youth camps dates are as follows:
Baseball: June 5-7, Poland Field on the AC Campus
Softball: June 12-15, Lady Roadrunner Softball Field on the AC Campus
Basketball: June 12-15 and July 10-13, Shands Gymnasium on the AC Campus
Soccer: June 12-15 and July 24-27, the Angelina College Soccer Complex
Full registration and other information are located at https://www.angelina.edu/camproadrunner/.
