McMurry announcement

Breaking News 

According to Big Country Homepage Sports 

McMurry University is withdrawing its bid move to Division II. MCM said they will continue to honor athletic aid covering tuition at the level currently being received by the affected student athletes for two years as long as they are participating in their sport. It is currently unknown which conference they will join.

Complete Statement from the university

ABILENE, Texas – Abilene, TX – The McMurry University Board of Trustees has voted to withdraw the school’s provisional NCAA Division II membership bid and remain in NCAA Division III for all of its athletic programs.

     “After reviewing the information available from the last two years and carefully considering all our options, the board has decided that NCAA Division III is a more appropriate fit for the University moving forward,” Board Chairman Chuck Fallon said. “We understand this will be a difficult adjustment for our student athletes, their families and for our athletic coaches. The McMurry administration will work closely with all those affected to provide assistance in making this transition.”   

    The University said it will continue to honor athletic aid covering tuition at the level currently being received by the affected student athletes for two years as long as they are participating in their sport.

“This decision is one part of an overall wide-ranging plan which will be implemented by new President Dr. Sandra Harper to continue McMurry’s academic excellence and achieve financial stability,” said Fallon.

    “The Board believes remaining in NCAA Division III better reflects the mission, educational philosophy and financial structure of smaller liberal arts programs such as McMurry’s. We look forward to working with Dr. Harper to achieve this vision.”

McMurry will be reviewing possible NCAA Division III conference affiliations but has not yet determined a timeline for making those decisions.

     McMurry has had a long and successful history of competing as a non-athletic scholarship school in both the NAIA and NCAA Division III as a founding member of both the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NAIA) and the American Southwest Conference (NCAA III).  

Lone Star Conference Commissioner Stan Wagnon has issued the following statement in regard to conference membership:

      "The Lone Star Conference has been notified by McMurry University of its decision to no longer pursue membership in NCAA Division II. At this time, we have had limited communication with officials at McMurry, and some questions remain about how today's announcement might affect McMurry's commitment to the Lone Star Conference as an affiliate member in the sports of Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field for Winter 2014, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field for Spring 2014, and Football for Fall 2014.
      As Commissioner, I will work alongside the leadership at our LSC member campuses in the hours and days ahead to determine a prudent course of action. Further, I have assurance from McMurry president Sandra Harper of her desire to minimize disruption to our schedules during this transition. It will be our goal to reach conclusions on these matters with McMurry as quickly as possible."

TAMUK favored in 2014 LSC Baseball Preseason Poll

(Courtesy www.lonestarconference.org)

(From the LSC Office)

Texas A&M-Kingsville is favored to win the Lone Star Conference baseball title after claiming the tournament crown last season according to the preseason poll was announced by league officials on Thursday.

      TAMUK obtained 10 of the 18 first-place votes on the ballots cast by LSC coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives for 95 total points.  The Javelinas, who hosted the NCAA South Central Regional, are coming off a record-setting season with 42 wins that ended in the regional finals.

      In addition to the team recognition, TAMUK standouts Taylor Taska and Dallas Ponder were tabbed LSC Preseason Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively.

      Taska, a senior pitcher/first baseman from Kingwood, Texas, hit .341 and led the league in hits (77), home runs (7), RBI (52), and total bases (126), and ranked third in runs scored (51), doubles (18), and triples (5).
 On the mound, the right-hander went 9-3 with a 3.32 ERA en route to earning Player of the Year acclaim.

      Ponder, a senior pitcher from Flatonia, Texas, topped the league in wins (10), starts (15), innings pitched (88.1), and shutouts (3), while ranking second in strikeouts with 88 to receive Pitcher of the Year honors.

      Angelo State totaled 83 points with four first-place nods to finish second in the voting, just in front of Tarleton State (81 with three first-place votes).

      West Texas A&M ranked fourth with 63 points and the remaining top vote, followed by Cameron and Eastern New Mexico, who finished tied for fifth (28).

      The 2014 season starts in early February with LSC teams playing a 10-week schedule with a four-game series and three-game series against every other team.  Each four-game series shall consist of a 9-inning game Friday, a 7x7 doubleheader Saturday and 9-inning contest Sunday, and each three-game series shall consist of a 9-inning game Friday and a 7x9 doubleheader Saturday.

      The overall LSC Champion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference games, while the winner of the postseason championship will be recognized as LSC Tournament Champion and receive the league's automatic qualification into NCAA postseason.  The championship will be played May 8-10, at the No. 1 seed.

      Here's a closer look at the voting breakdown for the conference:

Rank	LSC Baseball	1st	TOTAL
1	Texas A&M-Kingsville	10	95
2	Angelo State	4	83
3	Tarleton State	3	81
4	West Texas A&M	1	63
T5	Cameron		28
T5	Eastern New Mexico		28

2014 NCBWA South Central Region Preseason Rankings and All-Region Team

TWU selected to repeat in 2014 LSC Softball Preseason Poll

Courtesy LSC Office

Official Release from the LSC Office

                

Texas Woman's was selected to repeat as Lone Star Conference softball champions as the 2014 preseason poll was revealed by league officials on Friday.

        TWU collected 13 of the 24 first-place votes for a total of 166 points in the poll decided by LSC coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives.  The Pioneers are coming off the most successful season in school history with a record 51 wins to claim both the LSC championship and tournament titles.  TWU made its first NCAA Division II Softball National Championship appearance after prevailing in both the regional and super regional.

        Furthermore, the Pioneers Katie Hines and Brandie Lander earned LSC Preseason Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year acclaim, respectively.

        Hines, a senior utility player from Beaumont, Texas, notched her name in both the LSC and TWU record book with 25 home runs and 85 RBI in 2013.  She finished the season with a .393 batting average, .845 slugging percentage, .484 on base percentage, 18 doubles, 48 runs and 174 total bases. She also appeared in the circle in 24 games for the Pioneers and posted an 11-3 record, 3.12 ERA, 56 strikeouts and .272 opponent's batting average.

        Lander, a senior pitcher from Gun Barrel City, Texas, paced the LSC with a 1.94 ERA en route to 22 wins with 160 strikeouts.  She tossed 17 complete games and held opponents to .233 batting average.

        West Texas A&M was a close second in the poll with eight first-place mentions for 159 points.  Midwestern State was third with 146 points and one first-place nod to edge Angelo State, who was tabbed fourth with 145 points and the remaining two first-place tallies.

        Tarleton State was fifth with 95 points, while Cameron (76), Eastern New Mexico (40), and Texas A&M-Kingsville (37) rounded out the poll.

        The 2014 season starts February 1 with LSC teams playing a single round-robin schedule with a four games against each league opponent.  Teams will face schedule partners in doubleheaders at split sites, and all other opponents in a 3-game series (doubleheader one day and single 7-inning game the other day) plus one game at the LSC Showcase, which will be hosted by MSU in Wichita Falls, March 13-16.

        The overall LSC Champion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference games, while the winner of the postseason championship will be recognized as LSC Tournament Champion and receive the league's automatic qualification into NCAA postseason.  The single-elimination championship will be played May 2-3, at the No. 1 seed.

        Here is a closer look at the voting breakdown:

Rank	LSC Softball	1st	TOTAL
1	Texas Woman's	13	166
2	West Texas A&M	8	159
3	Midwestern State	1	146
4	Angelo State	2	145
5	Tarleton State		95
6	Cameron		76
7	Eastern New Mexico		40
8	Texas A&M-Kingsville		37