Lady Chaps Ranked #1 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

3/26/08

Lady Chaps Ranked #1

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It was a day of national recognition for the Lady Chaparrals softball team at Lubbock Christian University Wednesday, as pitcher Marissa Gonzalez was selected as the NAIA Softball Pitcher of the Week and the team has been ranked #1 in the nation in the NAIA's latest ratings with eight of a possible 13 first-place votes.

The #1 ranking is the first time a team sport at LCU has claimed an in-season number-one ranking since the sixth poll released during the 1984 baseball season.  The softball program has made huge strides in their first season in program history and the storylines have progressively grown stronger.  The 29-2 season began with a Marissa Gonzalez no-hitter against College of the Southwest in the first game played in program history.  LCU collected a run-rule victory over defending NAIA champion and then-#1 ranked Oklahoma City University in their first Sooner Athletic Conference game, and they head into this week's play on a 24-game winning streak.  Last week, the Lady Chaps left the Farmers Branch Invitational after five consecutive shutout wins and rolled into the Tucson Invitational, which featured then-#1 California Baptist.  The Lady Chaps went 8-0 in Tucson, out-scoring opponents 94-15, and ended the tournament with a 5-3 win over Cal Baptist. 

Gonzalez, a senior from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., pitched her third no-hitter of the season and first perfect game in a 10-0 win over Dordt College in Tucson.  The performance was part of a week, in which she went 5-0 with a 0.84 earned-run-average and 54 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched.  She surrendered just eight hits in the week and claimed the win against Cal Baptist.  On the season, Gonzalez is 17-1 with a 1.40 earned-run-average and 157 strikeouts.

The Lady Chaps return to action Thursday with a contest at Oklahoma Christian University before completing road series against Rogers State and Southern Nazarene during the weekend.

2008 NAIA Softball Preseason Top 25 Poll - March 26

RANK

LAST WEEK

                    SCHOOL

1ST PLACE VOTES

RECORD

TOTAL POINTS

1

3

Lubbock Christian University (Texas) (VI)

8

28-2

318

2

1

California Baptist University (II)

4

33-3

315

3

2

Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.) (II)

 

21-5

298

4

6

University of Mobile (Ala.) (XIII)

1

17-3

286

5

5

Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) (XIV)

 

22-3

274

6

4

Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.) (XI)

 

16-2

255

7

7

Saint Gregory's University (Okla.) (VI)

 

17-5

242

8

9

Vanguard University (Calif.) (II)

 

28-8

232

9

11

Dickinson State University (N.D.) (III)

 

14-2

217

10

10

Rogers State University (Okla.) (VI)

 

19-3

207

11

12

Simon Fraser University (B.C.) (I)

 

8-4

187

12

13

William Carey University (Miss.) (XIII)

 

21-4

183

13

14

Bethel College (Ind.) (VIII)

 

17-1

169

14

16

Columbia College (Mo.) (V)

 

15-3

137

15

15

University of Houston - Victoria (TX) (VI)

 

19-12

130

16

8

Shorter College (Ga.) (XIII)

 

23-7

129

17

21

Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) (VII)

 

16-3

109

18

17

Oklahoma City University (VI)

 

12-7

107

19

18

Concordia University (Calif.) (II)

 

27-10

104

20

18

The College of Idaho (Idaho) (I)

 

12-5

84

T21

23

Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) (XI)

 

19-4

63

T21

20

Georgetown College (Ky.) (XI)

 

18-6

63

23

RV

Morningside College (Iowa) (III)

 

11-2

22

24

NR

Faulkner University (Ala.) (XIII)

 

16-15

20

25

24

Bellevue University (Neb.) (IV)

 

8-5

18

Others receiving votes: Warner Southern (Fla.) (XIV) 14; Lee (Tenn.) (XIII) 11; McKendree (Ill.) (V) 9; Indiana Southeast (XII) 8; Ohio Dominican (IX) 5; Concordia (Ore.) (I) 4; Robert Morris (Ill. (VII) 2; Shawnee State (Ohio) (IX) 1; Evangel (Mo.) (V) 1; Milligan (Tenn.) (XII) 1.