Shreveport – The Centenary softball program reached new heights last season and aims to turn that achievement into continued success in 2022.
The Ladies advanced to the championship round of the 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time in program history in the division III era before falling 2-1 to perennial conference power Texas Lutheran 2-1 in Kerrville, Texas. Centenary finished the season with an 18-20 record and went 8-11 in SCAC play, and were the No. 5 seed in the conference championship.
This season's journey begins on Saturday, Feb. 5 with a non-conference doubleheader against Millsaps College set for 1 and 3 p.m. in Jackson, Miss. The Ladies will spend the first month of their season on the road before opening their home schedule on Tuesday, March 1 for a DH versus Arlington Baptist University at the Centenary Softball Complex. The teams will then take a day off and face off again for another DH on March 3.
"I am excited for this season as we aim to build off the success we had last season," said interim head coach Whitney Patterson." "We return a solid group of upperclassmen and some great young players and I am eager to see what our talented group of freshmen can do this season. Our schedule, as always, is challenging and we are ready to get started this weekend"
The Ladies are scheduled to play 36 regular-season games, 15 at home and 21 road/neutral contests. Centenary will play in the Hendrix College Spring Fling Tournament Feb. 19-20 in Conway, Ark. and will open Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play at home versus Trinity on March 5. The Ladies' first conference road series is at Austin College March 12-13.
Centenary will play 21 conference games and 15 non-conference contests. The Ladies will face host Hendrix and Westminster (Mo.) in the Hendrix College Spring Fling Tournament and then face Texas A&M-Texarkana on Feb. 22 in a road doubleheader. Trinity, Dallas, and Schreiner are the Ladies' home opponents in conference play while the road opponents are Austin College, Texas Lutheran, Southwestern, and St. Thomas. The final home series of the season will be against the Mountaineers of Schreiner April 15-16 when the Ladies will honor their three seniors.
Patterson enters her first season at the helm as she was named Interim Head Softball Coach for the 2022 season last July. Patterson, who just completed her seventh season as assistant coach for the Ladies, takes over for former head coach Mark Suire. Patterson, a 2014 Centenary graduate with a degree in psychology, played for the Ladies for two seasons (2013 and 2014) as an infielder. Patterson has primarily worked with the outfielders and with the slap hitters, as well as the off-season weight and conditioning programs during her time as assistant coach.
Patterson started all 76 games she appeared in still ranks in the top-10 (Division III record book) for a season in at-bats (2013), doubles (2014), sacrifice hits (2014), and sacrifice flies (2014). She also is in the career top-10 for career doubles and sacrifice hits and flies. Patterson also appeared eight times in the circle with two starts during her senior season.
Alicia Owens begins her first season as assistant coach for the Ladies. Owens, a Santa Fe, Texas, native is a 2018 graduate of LSUA (LSU at Alexandria) and played two seasons for the Generals after transferring from Alvin Community College in Alvin, Texas where she played from 2014-16.
She was a Second-Team all-conference selection as a catcher her senior season at LSUA and made the Dean's List. Owens graduated with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a minor in psychology. She was a First-team all-conference selection as a freshman at Alvin. Owens attended Santa Fe High School and was named Offensive Player of the Year as a senior and a first-team all-district infielder as a freshman.
Six Centenary Ladies were named All-SCAC in 2021, highlighted by sophomore right fielder Mackenzie Cox (Alexandria, La.) who was a First Team All-SCAC selection. Cox turned in one of the best rookie seasons in the division III era (2012-present) as she ranked in the top 10 in the conference in eight individual statistical categories. She hit a team-high .373 which was the 10th-best average in the conference and played in 36 games.
Cox ranked first on the team and sixth in the league in OBP (.444), slugged .466 (second on team) and collected a team-high 44 hits (tied for sixth in SCAC) and scored a team-high 24 runs. She had seven extra-base hits (four triples and three doubles), drove in eight runs and walked 13 times (tied for eighth in league) while only striking out 16 times. She led team and ranked third in the SCAC with 21 stolen bases and was only caught four times and had 11 multi-hit games during the season which included a single-game, season-best four hits against Schreiner on April 24. Cox went 7-8 at the plate in a doubleheader that day against the Mountaineers with two doubles, two runs scored, and five stolen bases
Senior INF Jaymee Wilkinson (Brazoria, Texas) finished the season on an offensive tear as she hit 15-27 (.555) over the final eight games of the season. She had a fantastic SCAC Tournament as she went 9-15 at the plate (.600) with three RBI, four runs scored, a double, and a pair of stolen bases to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Wilkinson went 4-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and a double in the Ladies' 8-3 win over Trinity on day two of the championship, setting a career single-game record.
Senior P Ashley Hunter (Benton, La.) returns to anchor the Ladies' pitching staff. She was one of Centenary's top pitchers in 2021 as she finished the season with a 6-5 record and 3.70 ERA and was named Honorable Mention All-SCAC. Hunter made 19 appearances and 14 starts, both second on the team, and ranked second on the team in wins and complete games, with three and recorded one save. She was ranked ninth in the SCAC in ERA and eighth in innings pitched and strikeouts and ranked eighth in the conference in appearances and tied for ninth in the conference in wins. Hunter was named SCAC Pitcher of the Week on March 2 as she earned the honor for the first time in her career.
Senior C Erin Lewis (Leesville, La.) played in 37 games last season and was one of the Ladies' top offensive players and one of the top offensive performers in the entire conference as she was named Honorable-Mention All-SCAC. Lewis batted .250 with a .308 OBP and slugged .413 (third on team). She led the team and tied for fifth in the SCAC in home runs with four, tied for fifth in league in sacrifice flies with three and collected 26 hits, scored 13 runs, and led the team in RBI with 19. Lewis tied for the team lead in extra-base hits (nine) with the four homers and five doubles. She recorded six multi-hit games and had a big finish to her season as she went 7-14 (.500) in the SCAC Championship with seven RBI, three runs scored, two doubles, and a home run to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Lewis was named SCAC Softball Hitter of the Week on March 30 as she led the Ladies to a conference sweep of Dallas, posting multi-hit performances in all three games.
Three other players return from last season who made significant contributions - junior UT Mallory Stout (Trinity, Texas), junior SS/OF Kaylea Patridge (Las Vegas, Nev.), and sophomore OF/IF Isabelle Dominguez (Newark, Calif.). Seven promising freshmen also join the roster this season as the Ladies will feature a good mix of experience and potential.
The seven rookies are P/IF Katelyn Moss (Olive Branch, Miss.), OF Viviana Rivero (Redondo beach, Calif.), UT Alyssa Akers (Maurice, La.), P Anna Scarbock (Alexandria, La.), UT Maggie Jenkins (La Mesa, Calif.), IF Kaitlyn Dickey (Church Point, La.), and IF Brooke Sandefur (Baton Rouge, La.).
The Ladies are predicted to finish sixth in the SCAC this season, receiving 24 total points, ahead of both Dallas and Austin College. The 2022 SCAC Softball Tournament will be held April 29-May 1 on the campus of the University of Dallas and is a double-elimination tournament format.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/sball/2021-22/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests but be advised of current COVID-19 protocols for fans. Updated COVID-19 information is now available via www.GoCentenary.com.
Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests. Please note that all dates and times are subject to change.
#GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
