Lady Hawks softball season is underway
The Lady Hawks softball team took the field on an overcast Wednesday to begin practice for the 2015 season. The roster is made up of girls from all over the continent, complete with players coming from a 3-time state softball championship high school, and some from even as far as Alaska and Canada. All are now putting their talents on display in the Sunshine State.
The coaching staff headlines Ray Seymour as the head coach, and includes Jeff Almand and Doug Klipp as assistant coaches. Seymour has now been on the softball diamond for 35 years, and has spent 25 of those years here at HCC. He founded the Tampa Mustangs in 1981 as a recreational travel softball organization. Seymour has an abundance of experience in softball, and is only 17 wins away from 700 as skipper of the Hawks.
Seymour has three conference championships in the Suncoast Conference, the most recent being in 2005 when the Hawks set the school record of 51 wins and only 18 losses. “Our intentions of the season is to win the Suncoast conference of course,” stated Seymour at the Brandon HCC training facility.
The team won’t be missing a veteran presence with 11 returning sophomores. The returning players are the epitome of great athletes on and off the field, with Aliceson Holiday and Nicole Brinegar both carrying an unweighted GPA of 3.9. “Now I will say this, it’s the best sophomore class I’ve ever had athletically and academically, with ever sophomore maintaining at least a 3.5 overall GPA,” says Seymour. When asked about how the sophomores set an example for the freshmen, “The fact they’re all good student athletes means a lot and discipline is also huge for their class,” Seymour responded.
Incoming freshmen, such as Shannon Bell, create a large impact on the team with their bats, and Seymour says the hitting is a big piece of the puzzle. “Shannon led the team in RBI’s this past weekend as a freshman,” said Seymour. The Lady Hawk’s softball team has a busy schedule ahead of them with games and tournaments from Plant City to Vero Beach.
The team has high-expectations to win the conference this season, with only 16 conference games to play left in their schedule, Seymour hopes the team will stay healthy throughout the season, and become victorious. “The number one challenge of the season will be to stay healthy,” he adds. The Hawks team plan is to stay as healthy as can be.
Mackenzie Morrison is a Staff Writer of The Hawkeye
Mackenzie “Mac” Morrison was born in Brandon, Florida, April 17, 1995. Morrison is a 2013 graduate...
Aaren Field • Mar 11, 2015 at 2:54 pm
It’s great to see the Hawk Media Club highlight the female athletes of HCC. All too often, it is the male athletes and teams that receive media coverage and attention. These female athletes should be honored and respected for their dedication to both softball, and their studies. It’s really commendable that some of the athletes maintain a GPA of 3.9. It must be difficult to both focus on school work, go to practice and games, and possibly hold a job. I had no idea the Lady Hawks were such a talented team and I will definitely be keeping tabs on their season. Hopefully they will with the conference this year and bring even more attention to HCC as a school.