Softball team’s historic season earns spot in PJC history

Published or Revised June 03, 2013

The Paris Junior College Dragons softball team ended its 2013 season last Thursday night with a 15-13 loss to Lake Land College of Mattoon, Ill., at the NJCAA National Tournament in St. George, Utah. The tournament closed with the Dragons tied for ninth place. But the Dragons' run for the national championship earned the team a place in PJC athletic history. Along the way, the 2013 Dragons finished regular conference play 15-5, and then took the Region 14 Tournament championship by winning three games on the final day, including back-to-back victories over Trinity Valley Community College. The Region 14 title and ensuing trip to the NJCAA National Tournament were firsts both for the PJC softball program and for any women's athletic program at the college. "This team has made PJC proud by winning Region XIV," said PJC President Dr. Pamela Anglin, "competing in the National Tournament and representing the college and the City of Paris in Saint George, Utah. These young women showed remarkable character in their conduct and play all through the season. It was a memorable experience for us all and put PJC and Paris, Texas, on the national softball map." "I am so proud of this team and so thankful for this opportunity to be a part of such an amazing program," said Head Coach Nicole Dickson. "I thank everyone for their support the whole way." In addition to the regional championship, Dickson and her staff also won Coaching Staff of the Year honors for Region 14. Several of Dickson's Dragons also were honored. Pitcher Sarah Smeltzer of Richardson, Texas, and utility player Alexis Padilla of Houston, Texas, earned First Team All-Region honors, while infielder Audrey Farfan of Rockwall, Texas, and outfielder Dara Hendon of Van, Texas, were named to the Second Team All-Region list. Those four also earned First Team All-Conference East honors, as did pitcher Chancy Williams of Paris, Texas, and outfielder Samantha Reynoso of Mesquite, Texas. "The honors for the softball team are huge," said Dickson. "Paris has never come away with this amount of awards. We pretty much cleaned house on our side for First Team, which is big." Farfan, Dickson said, should have been First Team All-Region catcher, "but she stepped up and played shortstop for us all year, and ended up being in the top three shortstops in the conference." Both Smeltzer and Williams boasted under-2 ERAs in conference play, she noted, and Smeltzer (12-2) had the second-best overall ERA in the region. "Chancy finished 16-7 as a freshman, so right now we're looking for her to be one of the top pitchers in the region next year," Dickson said. Despite a broken hand that limited Padilla to a half-season of play, she still batted .400 and homered five times. "And she didn't strike out very much," added Dickson. "That's the biggest thing about Alex, she was never an easy out at the plate." Dickson called Hendon "the best player we had all year." Her .434 average was the fifth-highest in the region. "When we went to Longview she hit over .600. There were weekends where people just couldn't get her out. If we gave out an offensive award it would go to her. "Samantha Reynoso is right on Dara Hendon's heels," Dickson added. "They're best friends, and they push each other in the outfield. They're close in the lineup and push each other there too, so it's a healthy competition. Both of them had fantastic stats." The coaching award to Dickson, Assistant Coach Chelsey Jordan and volunteer Assistant Coach Jack Butler was a pleasant surprise, she said. "We thought Galveston was going to run away with it since they were 18-2 in conference. We're honored, and it just shows the hard work is worth it. "'Mr. Jack' looked good getting it. It's nice to be recognized by your peers, so we definitely appreciated the award." The slugfest between the No. 12 Dragons and No. 11 Lake Land saw a combined 28 runs and 37 hits, with the Dragons leading 13-8 at the end of six innings. But Lake Land sent 12 batters to the plate in the top of the seventh, scoring seven runners to grab the 15-13 lead that became the final. Earlier Thursday the Dragons had defeated Region 14 rival Trinity Valley Community College, 5-4, in an elimination game brought about by PJC's first-day 6-4 loss to Pima Community College of Tucson, Ariz., on Wednesday.