ENMU Athletics News

By Adam Pitterman

Women’s Basketball

This past March, the Eastern New Mexico University women’s basketball team entered the Lone Star Conference tournament for the fourth time in five seasons, and did so in dramatic fashion. For the first time since the 2006-07 season, the squad reached double figures in victories, and showed a knack for erasing deficits in doing so. Three times, Eastern trailed by double figures and rallied to claim victory. The most dramatic came after facing a 19-point deficit to Midwestern State. Eastern posted a 76-72 win in that game. The Hounds faced a 15-point deficit at Cameron, but rallied to tie it. After the Aggies seized yet another 15-point lead in the second half, ENMU came back again, and took its first lead on a jumper from Sarah Stinnett with just 10 seconds left.

Junior, Kassandra Harris, who received Lone Star Conference honors this past March, rebounds against Angelo State.

The last time the ENMU women’s basketball team reached double figures in victories came in the 2006-07 season. That year’s roster included recent Hall of Honors inductees Elizabeth Richards and Heather Brown.

Men’s Basketball

The men’s basketball team made great strides in 2015-16 and played top seeded Midwestern State in the Lone Star Conference tournament this past March. The squad picked up early wins over Colorado-Mesa, Nova Southeastern, and ST. Mary’s, before upsetting a tough Wayland Baptist team on New Year’s Eve.

Senior, Lawrence Domingo goes up for a shot against Angelo State.

The Hounds nearly upset LSC powerhouses Angelo State and Cameron, before they earned their first LSC victory, a 72-60 decision over Texas A&M-Commerce. Eastern used a 25-point effort from Javaan Mumtaz to pick up another league victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Lawrence Domingo registered a superlative final season for Eastern and posted six double doubles. Among those games was a 15-point, 12-rebound performance against conference champion Midwestern State. Ladarius Stewart and Chaunce Hill also had strong years with three and two double doubles, respectively.

Softball

The Greyhound softball team is off to a strong start under first-year head coach Katie Welborn. Eastern split its first 14 games, and picked up a resounding 11-6 win over 12th-ranked St. Mary’s University. Key to the team’s success has been sophomore pitcher Aja Secheslingloff. Last season Aja became the first hurler in ENMU history to open a season at 5-0.

Sophomore softball pitcher, Aja Secheslingloff.

In February, the squad dominated a doubleheader against Oklahoma Panhandle State, and became the first team in the 20-year history of the program to sweep a doubleheader on opening day. The Hounds beat the Aggies by 11-6 and 13-2.

Later the Greyhounds opened conference play against Midwestern State. Although the Mustangs won three of the four games, ENMU posted its first win over MSU since the 2008 season. The victory also marked the first time Eastern defeated Midwestern State at home. Over that series, Susannah Chandler and Audrey Velasquez both hit .533, and combined for 10 runs batted in. With a pair of doubles and homers, Chandler posted a 1.067 slugging percentage.

Baseball

The Greyhound baseball team got off to a great start, and has series wins over Oklahoma Panhandle and Adams State. The team was already well-traveled as it headed into Lone Star Conference play in March. In three games in Atlanta, Eastern defeated Clark Atlanta, Lane, and Selma by a combined score of 46-4.

James Thomas pitching vs Texas A&M Kingsville.

After playing on the East Coast, the Hounds traveled to San Diego to take on a tough Point Loma team. Although ENMU was unable to pick up a win, the contests should help prepare the team for conference play After a stop in Arizona, the team made their season debut at Greyhound Field at the end of February.

The home opener saw Adams State charge to a 7-1 lead after 2.5 innings of play. Daniel Ward singled in a run in the ENMU third inning, followed by a two-run single from Dylan Nault in the fourth. After a three-run fifth inning tied the game, Justin Paul hit a go-ahead homer and Eastern built a 10-7 lead and held on for the win. The second game of the series saw ENMU with a 14-3 win, but Adams State rebounded to claim the finale.

Greyhound Stadium Update

• Construction will be completed in July 2016.

Stadium construction as of March 24, 2016

• Athletes will have time to adjust to the artificial turf field before the first home game on Saturday, Sept. 10 against Western New Mexico University.

• To see a full schedule go to goeasternathletics.com

• For more information, or to learn about ways you can contribute, go to enmu.edu/stadiumcampaign