LAWTON – After a 6-0 start to the 2022 season, the Aggie softball team will look to stay hot as they compete in the tough Edmond Classic this weekend.
Cameron got off to their best start in record history by winning all six of their games at the Ronnie Hawkins/Mike McGhee Memorial Tournament in Arkadelphia, Ark. last weekend. The competition does not get any easier as they face Southwestern Oklahoma State, Fort Hays State, Missouri Southern, Rogers State, and Central Oklahoma in Edmond over the three-day span.
The Aggie pitching staff led the way during the opening weekend, posting a 1.83 ERA with 39 strikeouts and a .248 opponents' batting average over the six-game span. Transfer
Josie Swafford led the way, posting a 0.53 ERA with 12 strikeouts while earning three wins in 13.1 innings of work.
Jocelyn Bright and
Breley Webb each also had 12 K's across their first three appearances of the season.
Cameron's bats were held to a .265 average but scored 44 runs thanks to some timely hits, the long-ball, and stolen bases.
Karis Clark provided two of the team's six homers over the weekend, including a two-run pinch-hit home run against Emporia State to tie the game. In addition to their work on the mound, Webb and Swafford led the offense, hitting .450 and .438 respectively.
Khmari Edwards scored a team-high six runs and stole five bases, while
Haley Castle drove in six runs with
Kylie French and Clark each totaling five RBI.
Southwestern Oklahoma, picked 11th in the GAC Preseason Poll, has yet to play a game this spring. SWOSU went 9-29 last season and are in their sixth season under head coach Kim Maher. Hannah Franklin, an All-GAC performer in 2021, returns after hitting .366 with 22 runs scored, 11 homers, and 24 RBI last season. Brianna Cryer and Alisa Friesen combined for four wins and 61 strikeouts in 2021.
Fort Hays State went 1-3 during their opening weekend, getting swept in a doubleheader by MSU Denver while splitting with Regis. They hit just .154 as a team with 18 runs scored. Sara Breckbill hit .250 with a homer and three RBI and Jessica Espinoza scored four runs and hit .250. The FHSU staff combined for a 6.55 ERA led by Savanah Egger, who struck out seven in 12.2 innings of work.
Missouri Southern, also yet to play this spring, is coming off a 30-15-1 record and were picked fourth in the MIAA Preseason Poll. They return 13 players headlined by Josie Tofpi, who hit .386 with 36 runs, 56 hits, and 13 doubles while being named All-MIAA and All-Central Region. Kara Amos is a true two-way threat for MSSU, hitting .351 with 26 RBI and going 10-5 with a 2.69 ERA in over 83 innings in the circle last season.
Rogers State, who was receiving votes in the NFCA Preseason Poll, went 5-1 during their opening weekend in Conroe, Texas, splitting with No. 18 Angelo State and beating Colorado School of Mines, Texas A&M International, and St. Mary's. They are hitting .301 with 42 runs scored led by Elexis Watson, hitting .571 with five RBI, and Chelsea Spain, hitting .462 with five RBI. The Hillcats posted a 2.28 ERA as a team with Andrea Morales going 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 18 innings in the circle.
The Central Oklahoma Bronchos went 3-2 during that same tournament in Conroe, beating Texas Woman's, TAMIU, and No. 16 Southern Arkansas. They hit .303 with 34 runs scored with Shayleigh Odom leading the way with a .538 average, one homer, and 10 RBI. UCO had a hard time limiting runs, posting a 5.47 ERA and a .338 opponents' batting average. Kylee Lynch had the most success, going 2-0 with 10 K's in 15.1 innings of work.
Cameron's weekend begins against SWOSU on Friday at 11 p.m. On Saturday they face FHSU at 10:30 a.m. and then MSSU at 2 p.m. The Aggies wrap up the second week of the season against RSU at 12:45 p.m. and UCO at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
