Softball drops last five of six-game homestand
The Saint Louis University softball team went 1-1 against Eastern Illinois University in its most recent game on Wednesday, April 16. In the first match of the doubleheader, the Billikens (16-26-1) pulled out a 6-5 win courtesy of two squeeze bunts in the bottom of the seventh inning. Game two, which lasted nine innings, ended in a SLU defeat, 6-5.
With four stolen bases on the day, freshman Kristin Nicoletti moved her season total to 26, which is a new single-season record for the Billikens. Nicoletti already owns the record for most bases stolen in one game with seven.
The Bills head to New York Saturday, April 19, to face off against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (14-16, 7-3 A-10).
Women’s tennis gears up for A-10 Championships
With its win over cross-town rival Washington University at St. Louis on Tuesday, April 14, the women’s tennis team concluded its regular season, 11-10, overall. Senior Amanda Hellberg won at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.
“It was nice to see [Hellberg], Tara Grant and Rachel McCullagh have their day in the sun on Senior Day,” said head coach Jonathan Zych. “We took care of business.”
The Bills enter the Atlantic 10 Tournament today, as the No. 8 seed and will face No. 9 Fordham University in the first round. Zych said the team will play with a chip on its shoulder this year because of its poor seeding, but that the team is “battle-tested and ready for the tournament.”
Men’s basketball team gains two new additions
Head Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Majerus announced Wednesday, April 16, that 6-foot-4 guard Kyle Cassity and 6-foot guard Ruben Cotto have signed national letters of intent to attend SLU and play basketball for the Billikens. Both players will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year.
This past season, Cotto was a first-team All-Metro selection by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, while Cassity was a Class 2A first-team All-State selection by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. Last fall, SLU signed a class comprised of power forward Brian Conklin, guards Femi John and Kwamain Mitchell, forward Willie Reed and center Brett Thompson.
Track and field continues to break school records
At the Ole Miss Track and Field Invitational Friday, April 11, both senior Laura Coyer and junior Matt Alexander posted record-breaking times in the 1500-meters and 400-meters, respectively. Alexander turned in a 14th-place time of 49.23 in the 400-meter field to surpass his own school record set last season.
Coyer finished first in the women’s 1500 meters, with a school-record time of 4:40.49, beat ing her previous best by nearly three seconds.
Other record breakers include freshman Kristin Beckham in the high jump, with a school-record height of 5 feet, 1 inch, Jessica Curran in the long jump with a distance of 14-4.50. Freshman Scott Vicker broke the 3,000-meter steeplechase record with a third-place time of 9:47.42, while senior Steve Vargas broke the 1500 meters with a time of 4:00.99. Sophomore Gavin Robey bested the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 18.44, and freshman Justin Kwasa threw the discus a school-record distance of 139-05.
Baseball defeats Eastern Illinois in extra innings
In the bottom of the 12th inning against Eastern Illinois on Wednesday, April 16, SLU plated a run with a bases-loaded walk for the 3-2 win. With the non-conference victory, the team improves to 16-18 overall, already matching last year’s win total.
As far as pitching, freshman starter George Hebert and junior reliever Ziggy Moore combined to allow just two runs on six hits against the Panthers. Offensively, the Bills drew 15 walks, including three from sophomore infielder Mike Beal. Additionally, sophomore infielder Andrew Guerra had two hits and walked twice against EIU.
The team heads to New York today to face off against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the first of a three-game series. The team also plays Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20.
