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The Lamar State College-Port Arthur women’s softball team will play conference doubleheaders at home this weekend against Texarkana College on Saturday and Bossier Parish Community College on Sunday. Lamar State, currently 1-12 overall and 0-4 in Region XIV play, lost two non-conference games, 9-1 and 9-8, at Louisiana State University-Eunice on Wednesday. The Lady Bengals broke a 14-game losing streak that began Feb. 9 against Galveston College. The Seahawks played error-less ball against LSU-E, but still came up on the short end of the scores. Lamar State head coach Vance Edwards said, “We allowed too many hits in the first game, but we were ahead in the second game until our pitcher, Shauna Kelly, took a hard line drive on her ankle and couldn’t push off very well after that.†Edwards is looking forward to this weekend’s games. “Our defense is strong and our hitting is coming round,†Edwards said. “In the second game, shortstop Christina Jaques went 3-for-4, scored two runs and stole a base. Left fielder Sadie Dykes was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs, while first baseman Kristen Botello had three RBIs. I think we’re ready for conference competition.†Saturday will be the Region XIV opener for Texarkana, which is 10-9 after being picked No. 21 in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s 2008 pre-season poll. The Lady Bulldogs went 3-4 at last weekend’s McClennan Community College Tournament, defeating Eastern Arizona College and then losing to McClennan, Temple College and Miami-Dade College. Bossier Parish, 17-6-1 this season, opened conference play Wednesday with a doubleheader sweep at Northeast Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant. The Lady Cavaliers finished fifth in Region XIV last year and were ranked just outside the Top 20 in the nation at the end of the season. Saturday’s games against Texarkana begin at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday’s games against Bossier Parish begin at 10 a.m. and noon.

THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-PORT ARTHUR JOB POSTING. This posting is soley for the information of setxsports.com forum readers. The Lamar State College-Port Arthur head basketball coach job posting is not on-line yet, but it should be in the next few days. When it is, it will be available at: www.lamarpa.edu/dept/hr/job-postings.html I'm not going to post the language of the "Job Responsibilities" part of the job listing. It will be included when the job is posted on-line. The salary range is $45,000 to $48,000 (12-month appointment). Here are the "Qualifications." 1. Experience in recruiting college basketball student/athletes. 2. Experience in coaching men's basketball, preferably at the college level. 3. Administrative experience in handling budgets, personnel and office management. 4. Reasonable level of computer skills. 5. Proven competency in written and verbal communication. 6. Master's degree in Kinesiology and college playing experience preferred. A downloadable employment application is located on the Human Resources page of the college website (www.lamarpa.edu). If you have any questions, you can call LSC-PA athletic director Bill Worsham after March 17. The college is on Spring Break this week, and Mr. Worsham will not be in his office.

Lamar State College-Port Arthur and Louisiana State University-Eunice both will be looking to break long losing streaks when their women’s softball teams meet Wednesday in Eunice for a non-conference doubleheader. Lamar State, currently 1-11 overall and 0-4 in Region XIV play, did not play their scheduled home doubleheader last Friday against conference leader Galveston College because Martin Field was too wet. The Seahawks have lost their last nine games. LSU-E is 3-18 overall and 0-4 in Louisiana-Mississippi Conference play. The Lady Bengals will be trying to break a 14-game losing streak that began Feb. 9 against Galveston College. Lamar State will play home doubleheaders this weekend against Texarkana College on Saturday and Bossier Parish Community College on Sunday. Saturday's games begin at 11 a.m., while Sunday's games start at 10 a.m.

Friday's doubleheader with Galveston College was canceled because of the wind, the cold and the soggy condition of the field. The games will be rescheduled near the end of the season in April. The Seahawks travel to Eunice, La., on Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader with Louisiana State University-Eunice. Lamar State travels to Texarkana College for a Region XIV doubleheader on Saturday, then return home Sunday for a conference doubleheader with Bossier Parish Community College, starting at 10 a.m.

Metro Athletic Conference coaches voted Tuesday in Dallas to award all-conference honors to five members of the Lamar State College-Port Arthur men’s basketball team. Sam Stelly, a freshman forward from West Brook High School in Beaumont, was selected for the All-Metro Conference second team after leading the Seahawks in scoring (16.8 points per game) during the 12-game MAC schedule. Lamar State head coach Don Bryson said Stelly was one of the reasons the Seahawks were able to finish fourth in the seven-team conference. “Sam was very consistent. He scored 16.8 points-per game during the conference schedule,†Bryson said. “He always took good shots and got a lot of offensive rebounds.†Stelly scored in double figures in 10 conference games, was the leading scorer in five games, the leading rebounder in six games and had five double-double games. Sophomore forward George Williamson from Vidor, who led the team in scoring for the season (14.9 ppg) and set several records including single-game scoring (34 points) and total season points (404 points), received third team honors. Sophomore guard Noah Cole from Vidor also was named to the all-conference third team. Cole received honorable mention after the 2006-07 season. Sophomore forward Cody Guidry from Hamshire-Fannett High School, the Seahawks’ leading rebounder this year, received honorable mention along with freshman guard Jason Williamson, George’s brother. “We had a great year, but we’re disappointed that George and Noah didn’t make a higher team because they were an important part of our success,†Bryson said. “But the numbers during the conference schedule favored the kids from the Dallas schools.â€

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur women’s softball team returns home Friday still looking for their first conference win in a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Region XIV leader Galveston College. Lamar State is 1-11 overall and 0-4 in conference play after dropping both games of a doubleheader, 9-1 and 10-2, at Blinn College in Brenham this past Sunday. The Seahawks opened their conference schedule Feb. 19, with 14-0 and 10-2 losses to Galveston, the No. 11 team in the nation in 2007. The Whitecaps currently are 15-3 overall and 2-0 in Region XIV competition. Freshman shortstop Christina Jaques from Bridge City leads the Seahawks in hitting so far this season with a .455 batting average in 33 plate appearances. Jaques also collected 12 stolen bases and scored 10 runs. Freshman pitcher/third baseman Alison Heidbredder from Houston Waltrip High School is hitting .414 with eight RBIs and 12 runs. Freshman outfielder Casey Nance from Evadale has a .409 batting average, including two doubles and a home run. Sophomore first baseman Brooke Collins from Vidor is hitting .292. Lamar State travels to LSU-Eunice on March 12 for a non-conference doubleheader, then goes to Texarkana on March 15 for a conference matchup with Texarkana College. The Seahawks return home March 16 for conference games with Bossier Parish Community College.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur women’s softball team returns to conference play Sunday in a noon doubleheader at Blinn College in Brenham. Lamar State is 1-8 overall and 0-2 in Region XIV after opening the season at home with a split with Temple College, the North Texas Junior College Athletic Association champion for the past four years. Since then, the Seahawks lost single games to LSU-Eunice, Cisco Junior College, Seminole State College, UH-Victoria and McClennan Community College. Lamar State opened its conference schedule Feb. 19, with 14-0 and 10-2 losses at Galveston College, the No. 11 team in the nation in 2007. Blinn (10-3) opens its Region XIV schedule Saturday with a home doubleheader against Alvin Community College (9-13). The Lady Buccaneers are on a five-game winning streak. Blinn went 22-34 overall and 22-15 in Region XIV last year, finishing seventh in the 11-team conference. Lamar State’s first home conference date is March 7 against Galveston College.

The next eight months will be a busy time for the men’s basketball program at Lamar State College-Port Arthur. During that time, the college will hire a new head basketball coach and an assistant.. The Seahawks’ next season will be played in a new conference. Lamar State is moving from the Division III Metro Athletic Conference, where they played the last two seasons, to Division I – Region XIV. The move to Division I also means that for the first time in the program’s history, the coaching staff will have scholarships available to recruit athletes. The Lamar State women’s softball team, now in its second year in a Div Region XIV, also awards scholarships to recruits. The 14-team Region XIV basketball conference has been realigned into a North Zone and a South Zone. Lamar State will be in the South along with San Jacinto College from Pasadena, Lee College (Baytown), Angelina College (Lufkin), Blinn College (Brenham) and two schools from Jacksonville – Lon Morris College and Jacksonville College. North Zone teams are Trinity Valley Community College (Athens), Navarro College (Coriscana), Panola College (Carthage), Tyler Junior College, Kilgore College, Paris Junior College and Bossier Parish Community College (Bossier City, La.). Lamar State’s 2007-08 season ended Wednesday night in Dallas, when the Richland Thunderducks eliminated the Seahawks, 75-70, in the first round of the Metro Conference Tournament. That game also ended the tenure of 65-year-old head coach Don Bryson, who led the basketball program for the first four years, and now will return to retirement. Bryson, a long-time area high school coach and Lamar University’s first All-American, was lured out of retirement by LSC-PA athletic director Bill Worsham in 2004, when the college added intercollegiate men’s basketball and women’s softball. Bryson initially agreed to a three-year contract and signed a one-year extension last year because he was impressed with the progress the program was making. “This program has come a long way since that first season, when we had about three months to recruit players, two months to work out and then we played 14 games on the road and one home game in about seven weeks against Division I teams from the toughest junior college conference in the nation,†Bryson said. “Every year since then, the team improved. This year, we had the most talent, man for man, of any team I’ve coached here.†Just because Bryson is retiring doesn’t mean he won’t be following the team’s progress. “I may be retiring, but I’ll still be a Seahawk,†Bryson said. “I look forward to watching the program continue to improve in the years to come.†Worsham, who also worked with Bryson at Port Neches-Groves, expressed his deep appreciation for the coach’s contribution over the four seasons. “It’s been a remarkable run,†Worsham said. “Coach Bryson and the Seahawks players laid the foundation for us to be an outstanding Division I program in the future.â€

Well..............bad news! The Seahawks' season ended tonight with a 75-70 loss to Richland College in the first round of the Division III Metro Athletic Conference. I didn't get all the details, but Lamar State had the lead with about two minutes to go and didn't score another point. Eastfield and Brookhaven also advanced in the tournament, while Cedar Valley and Mountain View were eliminated. The 2008-09 season starts tomorrow as Lamar State looks for a big man to play the post and a quick guard to guide the offense and fill the gap left after sophomores Cody Guidry, Andre Boutte Jr. and Noah Cole completed their junior college eligibility. Athletes interested in playing for the Seahawks next fall should call Lamar State athletic director Bill Worsham at 984-6292, or go on-line to the college website (www.lamarpa.edu) and click on "Athletics."

The college will be posting two basketball jobs - a head coach and an assistant -- sometime in the near future. But I'm not sure how quickly that will happen. The Lamar State student body voted in the fall to add an athletic fee (not as big as Lamar University's, but that's where LU got the idea). So, the Athletic Department now has the budget for the positions. I don't think the college has anybody in mind for head coach. They most probably will wait to see who is interested. When the college advertised last year for an assistant coach, there were replies from all over the country. Several candidates interviewed for the job including Oliver Simmons. Simmons was a good fit because he knew the high school programs in the area. But the housing market in Florida sucks (my sister lives there and says they couldn't sell their house if they had to). So, Oliver went back to Florida after about six months of making a house payment there and a rent payment here. We've announced this before, but for the record, Lamar State is going to join the Division I Region XIV conference next year, which includes San Jacinto College and is one of the toughest Juco conferences in the nation. The Seahawks softball team is starting their second season in Region XIV. There now will be scholarships available for both softball and basketball. I'm waiting for a cell phone call that hopefully will bring good news from the Seahawks' first round Metro Athletic Conference game against Richland tonight in Dallas.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur men’s basketball team will go into the Metro Athletic Conference tournament as the No. 4 seed after closing the regular season Saturday with a 112-77 win over Mountain View College. Lamar State compiled a record of 13-14 overall and 6-6 in conference play. Richland College had the same conference record, but the Seahawaks won the tie-breaker to finish fourth. The first round of the MAC tournament will be played Wednesday on the home court of conference co-champion, Brookhaven College. Brookhaven and North Lake College finished with identical 8-4 records and were even in all other tie-breakers. So, the coaches flipped a coin and North Lake won a bye in the first round of the tournament. Brookhaven had the option to select the time they play in the first round. The Bears will open at 4 p.m. against the No. 6 seed, Mountain View College (10-17, 3-9). Lamar State will play at 8 p.m. against Richland (16-13, 6-6). The other game will be at 4 p.m. and will feature Eastfield College (7-5) and Cedar Valley (4-8). Brookhaven College is located at 3939 Valley View Drive in Farmers Branch. The school is just north of the LBJ Freeway (Interstate 635), between Midway Road and Marsh Lane. Admission to the games is free.

Lamar State College-Port Arthur head basketball coach Don Bryson had plenty of reasons to smile Saturday as his team put on the best offensive performance in the program’s history while closing out the Seahawks’ best-ever season with a resounding 112-77 victory over Metro Athletic Conference rival Mountain View College. It hasn’t always been that way for Bryson, who will retire again after his team completes their playoff run, which begins Wednesday in Dallas. Bryson, a long-time high school coach and Lamar University’s first All-American, was lured out of retirement in May 2004 by LSC-PA athletic director Bill Worsham to take over the new program. With only a short time to recruit players and schedule games, Bryson could find only 15 games – one home game and 14 road games in the first seven weeks of the season. Bryson knew his new team was going to take some losses. And they certainly did. All of the first-year games were with full-scholarship Division I teams, and the Seahawks finished 0-15. Bryson had more talent to work with each season since then. The 2005-06 team went 4-20, and the 2006-07 group had a 5-15 year, including a 3-9 record in the Seahawks’ first year in the Metro Conference. When he took the job, Bryson planned to lead the program for three years and then go back to retirement. At the end of last season, he agreed to a one-year contract extension. “It will be a lot easier to retire now after seeing the continuing progress this program has made,†Bryson said. “This team has the most talent, man for man, of any team I’ve coached here. When they play hard, they are capable of beating anyone in this conference. If they perform like this in the MAC tournament, our season could be a lot longer than other people expect from us.†Bryson’s team broke three school records in Saturday’s game – most points in a game, highest margin of victory (35 points) and a new single-game scoring record of 34 points by sophomore forward George Williamson from Vidor. This was the third time this season that record was broken. On January 7, Williamson hit for 31 points against Southern University-Shreveport to break Kevin Charles’ previous record of 28 points. Two days later, sophomore forward Sam Stelly broke that record with a 31-point game against Cedar Valley College. Two other Seahawks scored in double figures Saturday. Sophomore guard Noah Cole and sophomore forward Andre Boutte Jr., both playing in their final home game as Seahawks, hit for 27 points and 14 points, respectively. Sophomore forward Cody Guidry, also playing in his last game in the Carl Parker Center, collected nine rebounds for Lamar State. Lamar State ends the regular season at 14-15 overall and 6-6 in conference play. The Metro Conference tournament begins Wednesday at the home court of the regular season runner-up. Brookhaven and North Lake ended up as conference co-champions. After a coin-flip, North Lake got the No. 1 seeding for the tournament and a bye in the first round, which will be played at Brookhaven College, 3939 Valley View Drive in Farmers Branch (Greater Dallas area). The school is located just north of the LBJ Freeway (Interstate 635), between Midway Road and Marsh Lane. Take I-35 north, exit to I-635 east. Exit I-635 at Marsh Lane. Make a left turn on Marsh. Go north to Valley View Lane. Turn right at Valley View. Turn left into the campus at the first traffic signal which is just past the water tower. Here are the first round matchups for Wednesday: 4 p.m. - Lamar State (6-6) vs. Richland College (6-6) 6 p.m. - Eastfield (7-5) vs. Cedar Valley (4-8) 8 p.m. - Brookhaven (8-4) vs. Mountain View (3-9)

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur men’s basketball will play their final game of the 2008 regular season at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Carl Parker Center against Metro Athletic Conference rival Mountain View College. Lamar State is 12-14 overall and 5-6 in conference play. The Seahawks defeated North Lake College, 68-63, Wednesday. The Blazers came into the game in a three-way tie with Eastfield College and Brookhaven College for the conference championship and remained in that position after the weekend. Mountain View (10-16, 3-8), currently last in the conference, fell 82-74 to Cedar Valley on Wednesday. The Lions’ three victories, however, came against the three teams contending for the season championship. Saturday’s game will be the final home appearance of three Lamar State sophomores – forward Andre “P-Nut†Boutte Jr. from Beaumont Ozen High School, forward Cody Guidry from Hamshire-Fannett and guard Noah Cole from Vidor. Boutte, who played at Lee College in Baytown for one year before transferring to Lamar State, is scoring 7.8 points-per-game year and has been a force on the backboards when games were on the line. Guidry and Cole played on last year’s Seahawk team and are team captains this year. Cole earned All-Metro Conference Honorable Mention last year and currently holds the Seahawks’ records for most three-point baskets in a game (7) and season free-throw percentage (78 percent). Cole and Guidry were part of a balanced scoring attack that saw five players averaging double figures for the season. Cole averaged 13.3 ppg, while Guidry had 10 ppg and seven rebounds per game. Guidry also recorded five double-doubles. The Metro Conference tournament begins February 27 in the Dallas area on the home court of the regular season runner-up. The season champion gets a bye from the first round and the second round is played at the champion’s home court. No matter how Saturday’s game comes out, Richland College and Lamar State will be seeded No. 4 and No. 5, and will play at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Information and directions to the game will be posted Monday on the Lamar State website: www.lamarpa.edu.

Tom Halliburton must have misunderstood what Coach Bryson told him about the Metro Conference tournament. No matter what the outcome of last night's game and Saturday's up-coming game, Lamar State College-Port Arthur will not be hosting any tournament games. The conference champion (not yet determined) gets a bye in the first round (Wednesday), while No. 2 plays No. 7, No. 3 plays No. 6, and No. 4 plays No. 5 at the home court of the No. 2 seed. The second round (Thursday) is played on the home court of the conference champion, which has to loose twice to be eliminated from competition. Because all of the other MAC schools are in Dallas, the conference made special plans for a scenario where Lamar State might win the conference. If that had happened, the second round games would have been played at "a pre-determined site," whatever that means. But it would have been in Dallas. North Lake could have staked a claim to the championship if they won last night and went to 8-3. But they now are 7-4 and stuck in a possible three-way tie with Eastfield (7-3, no results available yet for last night's game against Richland) and Brookhaven (7-4), which was off last night. The tie-breaker scenario will make your eyes glaze over. We'll leave that to MAC officials to sort out. Regardless of the outcome of Saturday's game against Mountain View, Lamar State will play Richland at 4 p.m. Wednesday somewhere in Dallas. The Seahawks edged the Lions, 80-76, in Port Arthur early in the season, but dropped the game in Dallas, 83-60.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur men’s basketball will be back home in the Carl Parker Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. rematch against Metro Athletic Conference rival North Lake College, which defeated the Seahawks, 66-52, on Jan. 23 in Irving. Lamar State is 11-14 overall and 4-6 in conference play after losing Saturday, 83-60, to Richland College in Dallas. Sophmore forward Sam Stelly from Beaumont West Brook High School continues to lead the Seahawks in conference play with 18.4 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore forward George Williamson is contributing 12 ppg in conference play, while sophomore guard Noah Cole is adding 10.1 ppg. Richland (5-5, 15-12) moves ahead of Lamar State in the MAC standings after winning three conference games in a row. North Lake (7-3, 13-14), last year’s conference representative in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III championship tournament, moved into a tie with Eastfield for the conference lead after defeating Cedar Valley last Saturday. Eastfield (7-3, 20-7) lost to Brookhaven (7-4, 22-5) on Saturday to tighten the race, which could be tied three ways after Wednesday, when Brookhaven has a bye. The Seahawks will close out the regular season Saturday with a 2 p.m. home conference game against Mountain View College. The MAC tournament begins February 27 on the home court of the conference season runnerup. If the standings remain the same, Lamar State will play Richland in the first round of the tournament.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur women’s softball team will play open conference play Tuesday with a doubleheader at Galveston College. Both teams were scheduled to play in last weekend’s Cowtown Invitational Tournament, which was canceled before it started because of heavy storms expected in the area. Lamar State (1-6) opened the spring with a split at home against Temple College, the North Texas Junior College Athletic Association championship for the past four years. The Seahawks had less luck at the Feb. 8-9 Galveston College Invitational Tournament, where they dropped single games to LSU-Eunice, Cisco Junior College, Seminole State College, UH-Victoria and McClennan Community College. Galveston, currently 6-3, finished first in Region XIV in 2007 with a record of 44-10 overall and 24-3 in conference play. The Whitecaps were ranked No. 11 in the nation at the end of the season. The Seahawks open Region XIV competition March 2 at Blinn College. Lamar State’s first home conference date is March 7 against Galveston College.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur women’s softball team will have a weekend off, rather than being in Fort Worth to play in the annual Cowtown Classic Tournament, which draws college teams from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Tournament officials decided today to cancel the event because of heavy storms expected in the area on Friday and Saturday. The Lamar State College-Port Arthur men’s basketball team travels to Dallas on Saturday for a 2 p.m. rematch against Metro Athletic Conference rival Richland College. The Seahawks defeated Richland, 80-76, on Jan. 23 in Port Arthur. Lamar State is 11-13 overall and 4-5 in conference play after posting an 85-72 win Wednesday at home over Brookhaven College, the No. 5 Division III team in the nation.. Sophomore forward Sam Stelly from Beaumont West Brook led the Seahawks with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman guard Jason Williamson and his brother, George, a sophomore forward, had 17 and 16 points respectively. Sophomore guard Noah Cole added 12 points. Sophomore forward/post Andre Boutte Jr. grabbed 11 boards, including several that kept Brookhaven from making a last minute run. Richland (4-5, 14-12) is coming off back-to-back conference wins over Mountain View College and Cedar Valley College. The Seahawks will close out the season with home conference games against North Lake College (Feb. 20) and Mountain View College (Feb. 23). The MAC tournament begins February 27 on the home court of the conference season runnerup. The Lamar State softball team now is 1-6 and will be back in action February 19 with a doubleheader at Galveston College. The Seahawks’ first Region XIV competition will be March 2 at Blinn College. Lamar State opened the spring with a split at home against Temple College, the North Texas Junior College Athletic Association championship for the past four years. The Seahawks had less luck during last weekend’s Galveston College Invitational Tournament, where they dropped single games to LSU-Eunice, Cisco Junior College, Seminole State College, UH-Victoria and McClennan Community College. Lamar State’s first conference home games will be March 7 against Galveston College.

Lamar State 85 Brookhaven 72 Four Seahawks scored in double figures, led by sophomore forward Sam Stelly with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman guard Jason Williamson hit for 17 points, while his brother George, a sophomore forward, had 16 points. Sophomore guard Noah Cole added 12 points. Brookhaven was ranked No. 5 in the nation coming into the game. Lamar State moves to 4-5 in Metro Conference play and 11-13 overall. The Seahawks travel to Dallas this Saturday for a conference rematch with Richland College (4-5, 14-12). The Seahawks won the first meeting, 80-76, in Port Arthur.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur men’s basketball team returns to the Carl Parker Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. rematch against Metro Athletic Conference rival Brookhaven College. Lamar State is 10-13 overall and 3-5 in conference play after losing 88-77 this past Saturday to Eastfield College in Mesquite. The victory gave Eastfield (19-6, 7-2) first place in the conference with a one-game lead over Brookhaven (21-4, 6-3). Brookhaven defeated Lamar State, 87-76, in Dallas on Jan. 19. The Bears started strong this season, going 16-1 during their non-conference schedule. Brookhaven was ranked No. 2 in the nation in mid-January, but dropped to third and now fourth after losing back-to-back conference games to North Lake and Mountain View. Brookhaven topped Cedar Valley, 88-70, Saturday at home. Lamar State travels to Dallas this Saturday for a rematch with Richland College. The Seahawks will close out the season with home conference games against North Lake College (Feb. 20) and Mountain View College (Feb. 23). The MAC tournament begins February 27 on the home court of the conference champion.

Here are a few statistical highlights from yesterday's Lamar State - Temple games: Pitching stats: 1st game: Shauna Kelly - 7 innings, 6 runs, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 3.86 ERA 2nd game: Alison Heidbreder - 7 innings, 5 runs, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, 3.86 ERA Batting highlights (2 games combined): Kristen Botello and Alison Heidbreder both went 3-for-7 at the plate. Both had a double and a walk and hit .429 to lead the team. Christina Jaques went 3-for-8 including a triple for a .375 day. Jaques, the team leader in steals during the fall exhibition schedule, stole two bases against Temple. Brooke Collins, Casey Nance and Ashley Lapeyrolerie each hit .333 for the Seahawks. Kristen Botello and Jerrica Stephenson each had 3 RBIs to lead their team. Casey Nance had 2 RBIs. Overall, the Seahawks hit .304 and had 17 hits. On the defensive side, Lamar State committed only two errors in the two games.

The Seahawks were impressive in their opening spring appearance, splitting a doubleheader against a Temple softball program that won the North Texas Junior College Athletic Association championship for at least the past four years. (That's as far back as I researched them.) The Leopards were ranked No. 14 in the nation at the end of the 2007 season. They were ranked No. 1 at the end of the 2006 season, a year in which they lost only five games and one of those was to the Seahawks. I'll post some stats tomorrow. Nederland-ex Shauna Kelly took the mound for Lamar State in the first game and held the Leopards' high-powered offense to just six runs. The Seahawks had plenty of base runners, but couldn't get hits when they needed them. Freshman pitcher Alison Heidbreder from Houston Waltrip went the distance in the nightcap. The Seahawks broke open a 5-5 tie in the sixth inning with four runs, then held on for a 9-5 victory. Both teams will be playing this weekend's Galveston College Invitational Tournament, but they won't face each other. The Nederland High School softball team was on hand to cheer their former teammates -- pitcher Shauna Kelly playing for Lamar State and infielder Lindsey Matt playing for Temple.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur women’s softball team kicks off their 2008 season at home Thursday against Temple College, the No. 14 in the nation at the end of the 2007 season. The non-conference doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. on Martin Field, 1000 Lakeshore Drive on the Lamar State campus. Lamar State head coach Vance Edwards has four veterans returning from last year’s team – catcher Kristen Botello from Nederland, infielder Ashley Lapeyrolerie from Bridge City and pitchers Sadie Dykes from Van Vleck and Brooke Collins from Vidor. “We had a good scrimmage schedule in the fall. Everyone got lots of playing time. We’re looking forward to a successful season,†Edwards said. Edwards also will have a much better conditioned team this spring. “Everyone has been working hard since our trainer, Jamie Moore, joined the athletics staff,†Edwards said. “The workouts are improving our speed, strength and endurance. That will make a big difference when we start tournament play this weekend and have to play lots of games in a short time.†Edwards’ mound staff is bolstered by the return of Shauna Kelly, an all-district pitcher from Nederland who went to Alvin Community College on a softball scholarship in the 2006 fall semester, then transferred to Lamar State last spring but had to sit out the season. The Seahawks also have several freshmen who earned all-district honors in high school, including pitcher/third baseman Alison Heidbreder from Houston Waltrip and utility player Casey Nance from Evadale, who were the MVPs of their respective districts, and shortstop Christina Jaques from Bridge City, the District 21-3A offensive player of the year. Temple is 4-0 this spring with doubleheader wins over Western Texas College and the Lubbock Christian University junior varsity squad. The Leopards are the defending champions of the North Texas Junior College Athletic Association after going 45-13 overall and 20-4 in conference play in 2007. Lamar State will compete Friday and Saturday in the Galveston College Invitational Tournament, facing Louisiana State University-Eunice and Cisco Junior College on Friday and Seminole College, UH-Victoria and McClennan Community College on Saturday.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur men's basketball team has a bye from Metro Athletic Conference play this Wednesday and will return to action Saturday at Eastfield College in Mesquite. The Seahawks will use the extra practice time to put last Saturday's controversial 65-64 loss to Cedar Valley behind them. The Seahawks man-handled Cedar Valley, 96-78, in their first meeting, the Jan. 9 conference opener in Lancaster. But last Saturday's game didn't go the same way. As LSC-PA coach Don Bryson saw it, Cedar Valley's winning field goal came after the buzzer ending the game. Lamar State led by one point with eight seconds left. During a time-out, one of the referees came to Lamar State's bench and asked Bryson if he knew the foul situation. Bryson told the referee his team had one foul to give and they were going to give it as soon as the Thunderducks took the ball out of bounds. Cedar Valley inbounded the ball at half court, and two Seahawks attempted to foul the player with the ball, but the referee didn't call a foul. That player threw the ball to a teammate, who fired an air ball just before the buzzer sounded. A Cedar Valley player under the basket grabbed the miss and put it in the basket. The referee signaled the shot counted and the game was over with Lamar State on the short end of the score. If the Seahawks had made a couple of the free throws they missed near the end of Saturday's game, the final scenario never would have happened. "It's still a loss no matter how you look at it," Bryson said. "We just have to go on and prepare for Eastfield. which is tied for the conference lead with Brookhaven and Northlake. They're all 5-2. We would have been 4-3, just one game back, if we had won last Saturday. But we're still in a position to get a good seed in the conference tournament, rather than having to play the No. 1 or No. 2 teams like we had to last year." Eastfield (18-6 overall, 5-2 conference) is coming off two straight conference wins against Mountain View and Northlake. The Harvesters also have a 109-106 win over Brookhaven (20-3, 5-2) this season. Eastfield defeated Lamar State, 81-75, in Port Arthur on Jan. 16. The Seahawks will be back at home Wednesday, Feb. 13, against Brookhaven.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur men’s basketball team will be back in the Carl Parker Center this Saturday for a 2 p.m. conference game against Cedar Valley College. Lamar State is 10-11 overall and 3-3 in Metro Athletic Conference play after Wednesday, when the Seahawks staged a come-back 93-84 overtime win over Mountain View College in Dallas. After shooting only 28 percent from the field in losing to North Lake College this past Saturday, the Seahawks recovered their shooting touch with a respectable 47 percent performance against Mountain View. Four players scored in double figures, led by Port Neches-Groves freshman guard Jemel Douriso with 23 points, including 11 of 12 free throws. West Brook sophomore forward Sam Stelly continued his 10-game double-digit run with 20 points and a team-leading 17 rebounds. Stelly averaged 18 points per game during that period and is hitting 20.6 ppg in six conference games. Vidor sophmores Noah Cole and George Williamson added 17 and 13 points respectively for Lamar State. Cedar Valley (10-11, 2-4) has been off since Jan. 26, when the Thunderducks posted a 94-85 road win over Mountain View. Lamar State opened conference Jan. 12 at Cedar Valley with a 96-78 victory. “We have to be very careful against a team like Cedar Valley, even though we beat them by 18 in our first meeting,†said Lamar State head coach Don Bryson. “Their overall record is the same as ours, and they’ve scored more than 100 points several times this year. We have to take care of the ball and make them play our game.†The Seahawks will have a week off after this game before returning to conference action Saturday, Feb. 9, at Eastfield College in Irving. Lamar State’s next home game will be Wednesday, Feb. 13 against MAC leader Brookhaven College.

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur men’s basketball team travels to Dallas on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. conference game at Mountain View College. The Seahawks are 9-11 overall and 2-3 in Metro Athletic Association play after losing, 66-53, this past Saturday at North Lake College in Irving. “We have to be ready to play because this is a conference in which any team can beat any other team on a given night,†said Lamar State head coach Don Bryson. “Eastfield, which is 4-1 in conference play, previously beat Brookhaven, the No. 2 team in the country. But they lost this past Saturday to Cedar Valley, which is 2-4. Mountain View has one conference win, and that was over Eastfield. Anything can happen. We just need to take care of the ball and play our game.†Lamar State couldn’t come up with much offense against North Lake. The Seahawks shot an anemic 15-of-56 (27 percent) from the field, including five-of-24 from beyond the three-point line. The Seahawks trailed by only five points at the two-minute mark of the first half, but allowed the Blazers to score 12 unanswered points and surge to a 16-point lead at half-time. Lamar State’s season scoring leaders, Noah Cole and George Williamson, couldn’t get the ball to drop Saturday. Cole went 0-for-9 from the field, while Williamson hit one of 11. Sophomore forward Sam Stelly from Beaumont West Brook High School continues to be a bright spot in the Seahawks’ lineup as he recorded his ninth straight double-figure game with 20 points and a team-leading 13 rebounds. Stelly averaged 17.8 points per game in the last nine games and scored 20.8 ppg in five conference games. Mountain View (8-12, 1-4) is coming off four straight losses, the latest a 94-85 defeat at home Saturday against conference rival Cedar Valley College (10-11, 2-4). The Seahawks return home Saturday, Feb. 2, for a 2 p.m. conference rematch with Cedar Valley.