Paris Junior College volleyball players Karina Garcia and Lauren Hamaker signed recently to continue their education and playing careers at four-year schools.
“I’m extremely happy for both ladies,” said PJC volleyball coach Justin Maness. “Both are very deserving of the opportunities given. They have represented Paris Junior College well both on and off the floor.”
Garcia, a libero from McAllen, Texas, has signed with the University of Texas – Brownsville in Brownsville, Texas.
“Karina’s defensive play will be a great asset to UTB,” said Maness. “She gives 100 percent every time she hits the floor. She is small in stature, but makes up for that with heart.”
Hamaker, a setter from Cedar Park, Texas, has signed with Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Lauren’s understanding of the game as a setter will give TWU a true advantage,” Maness said. “She is very calm on the floor and is confident in her abilities.
“Both have played in what could be the best conference in the nation, so strong volleyball experience will not be lacking. Both are academically strong and will take the opportunity seriously in order to reach their educational goals.”
To listen to the broadcast of Wednesday’s 4 p.m. softball game (GAME 3 on schedule below) between 12th-seeded Paris Junior College and fifth-seeded Pima, Arizona, at the junior college softball championships in St. George, Utah, go to:
http://www.ihigh.com/njcaatv/broadcast_293420.html?silverlight=1
Paris Junior College’s softball team celebrates Sunday at Navarro College after wrapping up the NJCAA Region XIV tournament championship with a 5-4 win over Trinity Valley in extra innings. Coach Nicole Dickson’s team will go to the junior college national softball championships from May 15-18 at St. George, Utah. (PJC Photo)
CORSICANA, Texas – The Paris Junior College women’s softball team captured the Region XIV tournament Sunday, beating Blinn 5-2 in an elimination game, then knocking off Trinity Valley twice for the title.
By winning five of six games from Thursday through Sunday, first-year PJC coach Nicole Dickson’s team improved its record to 36-17 and will play in the junior college national softball tournament May 15-18 at St. George, Utah.
PJC entered the double-elimination tournament as the top-seeded team from the East Zone.
Sarah Smeltzer
Sara Smeltzer went the Dragons’ first three games, picking up the wins in a 7-6 victory over Alvin on Thursday and an 8-4 victory over Northeast Texas Community College 8-4 on Friday.
Trinity Valley, whom PJC had beaten three of four times during the round-robin conference schedule, beat Smeltzer and the Dragons 7-5 on Saturday, clinching one of Region XIV’s two spots in the national tournament.
But PJC won all three of its games on Sunday to capture the league title and drop Trinity Valley to second place.
The Dragons eliminated Blinn College 5-2 in their first game Sunday, then had to beat Trinity Valley, unbeaten in the tourney to that point, twice to win the title. They did so, winning 8-2 in the first game and 5-4 in the nine-inning second game.
Clarissa Garcia of Edinburg scored from second base on a two-out single by Audrey Farfan of Rockwall with two outs in the ninth.
“It was a good weekend. The girls did a great job and played hard,” Dickson said.
“I think one of the reasons we were so successful is our pitching depth. Sarah Smeltzer went the first three games and did a great job and we still had two quality pitchers who were fresh for Sunday.”
PJC president Pam Anglin praised Dickson and her players.
“I am so very proud of Coach Dickson and the team. This is a tough region to compete in, and these young ladies certainly earned the trip to the national tournament. It is nice to be part of a first at PJC as they make history,” Anglin said.
Alexis Padilla
Audrey Farfan
Named first team All-Region were Smeltzer of Richardson, and designated player/utility Alexis Padilla of Houston. Named second team All-Region were infielder Farfan and outfielder Dara Hendon of Van.
Named first team All-Conference were pitchers Smeltzer and Chancy Williams of Paris, infielder Farfan, outfielders Hendon and Samantha Reynoso of Mesquite, and designated player/utility Padilla.
“I was proud that we could represent the school, and we’re thankful to have faculty and staff and great parents who were there to support us, It’s a great day to be a Dragon!” Dickson said.
Dara Hendon
So far, 11 of the 16 national tournament teams have been announced. Paris is the Region XIV top-seed and No. 4 seed overall, and Trinity Valley (33-25) is the league’s second team.
The nine other teams announced so far are Pima (Ariz.) Community College (46-17), Odessa College (46-19), Weatherford College (48-6), Walters State (Tenn.) Community College (38-7), Santa Fe (Fla.) College (42-16), Chipola (Fla.) College (43-9), Pitt (N.C.) Community College (28-13), Iowa Western Community College (41-12), and Georgia Perimeter College (21-14).
Chancy Williams
Samantha Reynoso
Smeltzer, who won all eight games she pitched in the regular season and ran her record to 10-1 overall by winning two of three in the tournament. Her earned-run average is a league-best 1.36, good for 28th nationally. Williams had the league’s sixth best ERA at 2.04.
Padilla took Region XIV’s fourth-best batting average (.444) into the tournament. Hendon was ninth at .410, and Reynoso was No. 12 at .397.
Farfan was the league’s leading home run hitter with 4. Padilla and Katlin Alexander of Paris each had 3. Reynoso was third in doubles with 7, and Garcia and Padilla were tied for 10th with three other players with 4. Katlyn Bardwell was tied for first with 8 walks, and Reynoso was tied for seventh with 6.
Hendon was 6-for-6 in stolen bases, making her No. 7 in the league. Four Paris players were in the league’s top 15 in on-base percentage – Hendon at .478, Reynosa at .465, Padilla at .462, and Bardwell at .456.
Of the top 8 in runs batted in, five were from Paris – Emilee Reed of Orange with 15; Reynoso, Farfan and Clarissa Garcia of Edinburg with 14; and Padilla with 13.
Of the top six run scorers, three were from Paris – Hendon, tied for second at 17, and Jessica Branam of Irving and Farfan with 15.
Among pitchers, Smeltzer had the best record during league play at 8-0, and Williams was third at 6-3. Ali Hargis of Paris and Williams were tied tied for second with 35 strikeouts each, and Smeltzer was 10th with 25.
Honored Monday evening during the PJC All-Sports Awards ceremony in the McLemore Student Center Ballroom as “Most Valuable Player” or for academic achievement among PJC athletes were (from left): baseball player Matt Johnson of Plano; women’s basketball player Kelsei Ewings of West Point, Miss.; baseball player G.R. Hinsley of Richmond; baseball player Chase Harvey of Paris; men’s soccer player Jimmy Lara of Albuquerque, N.M.; softball player Audrey Farfan of Rockwall; men’s basketball player Anthony Adams of Pontiac, Mich.; golfer Trumann Nugent of Texarkana; volleyball player Katie Poole of Rowlett; and women’s soccer player Morgan Flippen of Paris. (PJC Photo)
PARIS — The Paris Junior College All-Sports Awards ceremony was held in the McLemore Student Center Ballroom on Monday.
The event honors each team’s most valuable player, the overall most valuable player, and academic achievement among PJC athletes.
Coaches recognized their players and recapped their seasons, then gave out the awards.
Baseball player G.R. Hinsley of Richmond and softball player Audrey Farfan of Rockwall were named co-winners of the prestigious McLemore Cup, the award given to the top athlete from all PJC sports.
Both also received their individual sport’s most valuable player recognition. The Vernon Carter Cup for softball MVP went to Farfan for the second year in a row, and Hinsley was named co-winner of the Barney Bray Cup for baseball MVP.
Hinsley has signed to continue playing at Texas A&M University in College Station. He has been named to the President’s List several times and the Region XIV All-Academic Team.
He participated in the 2012 Junior College All Star Game and was named to the 2012 Region XIV East All Conference Second Team.
Currently he is nationally ranked eighth in home runs, 19th in RBIs, and 23rd in batting average.
Farfan was named to the 2012 Region XIV Second Team All-Conference and twice to the Dean’s List. Last fall she participated in the Texas Junior College All-Star Game at Abilene Christian University. Farfan has signed to play at Southern Arkansas University (SAU) in Magnolia, Ark. She is hitting .351, with 13 doubles and 6 homeruns.
PJC Baseball Coach Deron Clark announced that Chase Harvey of Paris was the Barney Bray Cup co-winner, along with Hinsley.
Harvey has signed to continue playing at SAU and is currently ranked 53rd nationally in individual batting average. He was the 2012 PJC Homecoming King and attended the 2012 Junior College All Star Game in Austin.
Baseball player Matthew Johnson of Plano received the Bobby Walters Cup for the sophomore athlete with the highest grade point average. Johnson has signed to play next fall for the University of Pittsburgh.
A nominee for PJC Homecoming King, he was selected 2013′s Mr. PJC by fellow students. Johnson participated in the 2012 Junior College All Star Game.
He was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the two-year college honor society, and named to the President’s List several times as well as to the Region XIV All-Academic Team.
In addition to Hinsley and Johnson, other baseball players named Region XIV All-Academic Team include Ty Huie, Justin Eckols, Hobie Harris, Alex Bisacca, Mitchell Bro, and Kameron Klott, who also earned a $12,000 scholarship in engineering to the University of Houston.
Sean LeBeauf, head women’s basketball coach, announced that Kelsei Ewings of West Point, Miss., had won the Don Wilhelm Cup as MVP for women’s basketball.
Ewings made the Dean’s list last fall and received NJCAA Region XIV Honorable Mention All-Conference at the end of this season. She has signed with the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark.
Lebeauf also announced that Shanice Vaughan, a freshman from Brooklyn, N.Y., had won his team-specific Ambassador Award for representing the program to the fullest in the classroom, on the court and in the community.
He said she demonstrates enthusiasm, is a proactive team player, reliable, responsible and highly organized, and exhibits gentleness to all, patience and humility. Vaughan was also one of eight players in the running for Region XIV freshman of the year.
Cheerleading coach Kristin Irvin recognized the cheerleading squad and presented them with certificates of recognition.
Justin Maness, head volleyball coach, announced that Katie Poole of Rowlett won the Volleyball MVP Cup. Poole has signed with Columbus State University in Georgia.
Poole was named to the 2012 Region XIV First Team All-Conference, All Region Team, All-Regional Tournament Team, MVP of the North Central Texas Tournament and All-Tournament Selection at the Brookhaven Tournament. She also was named to the 2011 Second Team All-Conference and has twice made the Dean’s List.
Anthony Adams of Pontiac, Mich., received the Carroll Dawson Cup as men’s basketball MVP.
The three-time Region XIV Player of the Week was also named to the 2012 All-Conference North Zone Third Team. For 2013 he made both the All-Region XIV Second Team and All-Conference North Zone First Team.
Adams has signed to play with Texas A&M University-Commerce.
Trumann Nugent of Texarkana received the Mickey Flippen Cup for MVP in golf. Nugent was named 2013 Region XIV Medalist, helping the Dragons to a third-place finish at the District II NJCAA Championships and has qualified as an individual for the national NJCAA championship. He also made the All-Tournament Team and the All-District II Team.
PJC soccer coach Lance Noble presented the inaugural Soccer MVP Cups for men and women to Jimmy Lara of Albuquerque, N.M., and Morgan Flippen of Paris.
Both Flippen and Lara were named to their respective NJCAA All Region XIV Team. Lara was named to the Dean’s List in the fall. He will be leaving PJC to play for a professional team in Phoenix, Ariz.
Sean LeBeauf, head women’s basketball coach at Paris Junior College for the past four seasons, is shown in late February with the four sophomore members of his team — (from left) Brea Castro-Gambrell, Kelsei Ewings, Shanice Hill and Voche’ Martin. PJC on Tuesday confirmed LeBeauf’s resignation as head coach and athletic director to become an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, an NCAA Division I program. LeBeauf’s four-year record with the Lady Dragons was 70-51, including a 24-6 record in 2010-11, the school’s best ever. (eParisExtra.com photo by Charles Richards)
PARIS — Sean LeBeauf has resigned as athletic director and head women’s basketball coach at Paris Junior College to become an assistant women’s coach at the University of Arizona.
LeBeauf, 41, submitted his letter of resignation on Monday, but asked PJC president Pam Anglin not to release information to the media until he had a chance to tell his players.
She said she took it to the PJC board of regents Monday night in executive session.
“We’re not going to do anything right now (about hiring a new coach),” she said. “It’s going to be discussed at our May board meeting on the 20th.”
LeBeauf took over the PJC women’s program four years ago, guiding them to a 70-51 record. In 2011, he was made athletic director as well.
“We hate to see him leave. But it’s a really good opportunity for him, and we know this is what he wants, toward his career dream,” Anglin said. “He’s been great with the players here. He’s one of a kind.”
The PJC president said she’s known for a couple of weeks that LeBeauf might be leaving. “I knew that they were talking to him, and he went out there last week,” she said.
LeBeauf said joining the Arizona program was something he couldn’t pass up.
“The opportunity to go from junior college to an NCAA Division I team, that doesn’t happen often,” the 41-year-old LeBeauf said.
The Lady Wildcats’ head coach is Niya Butts, who played on two national championship teams for coach Pat Summit at Tennessee in 1997 and 1998. She has been the Arizona coach for five seasons. LeBeauf will be one of three Arizona assistants. On court, he will be coaching the post players, he said. He also expects to spend a lot of time on the road, recruiting.
His last day at PJC will be May 9, and it will tug at his heart, he said.
“I’ve been here twice, you know. It’s almost like a second home. It definitely is a place I can call home. There’s a different kind of people here that you find many places. The people here are like family,” he said.
Athletics and head coach of the women’s basketball team.
“We are extremely excited to add Sean to our staff,” Butts said. “He has a lot of coaching experience on all levels. He can do it all. He is a great basketball mind, he will be an asset on both sides of the ball and he will bring a lot of talent to the University of Arizona.”
At Paris Junior College, LeBeauf led the Dragons to the single-season record for wins and a national ranking. He coached an NJCAA All-American nominee, four All-Region XIV selections, five honorable mention All-Conference selections and two Freshman of the Year nominees.
“I am truly grateful for this opportunity,” LeBeauf said. “Opportunities such as this one do not come around often, especially one where the head coach shares your intensity. That was so evident when meeting Coach Butts. She is passionate about the game of basketball and this institution. It is not often that you see a Division I head coach carrying a backpack and a coaching packet on the recruiting trail, while moving from one court to the next. I am so looking forward to joining the Wildcat Family and helping build on an already incredible tradition.”
LeBeauf was an assistant to Bill Foy on the men’s basketball team in 2002-03, when the Dragons finished with a 26-7 record and runner-up in the Region 14 tournament, one game short of going to the national junior college tournament. At the time, it was the Dragons’ best record ever.
Anglin brought LeBeauf back in 2009 to take over the women’s basketball program. The next four seasons, the Lady Dragons went 70-51, including a school-best 24-6 in 2011-12.
Had two blue-chip recruits not changed their minds and gone elsewhere a few days before school, last year’s team would have been even better, LeBeauf lamented.
“As a matter of fact, one of them (Tiffany Johnson) ended up winning the national (NJCAA Division II) championship with Louisburg (N.C.) College in March. She scored 15 points and had 7 rebounds in the national championship game,” he said.
PJC’s women struggled throughout the season, but rallied late to clinch a spot in the post-season tournament that seemed unlikely for awhile.
He said his biggest regret is that he was never able to defeat Trinity Valley, the two-time defending national champion in junior college women’s basketball.
The Lady Dragons took the Lady Cardinals to overtime twice over the past three seasons and let a 10-point lead slip away in the last four minutes of another game. TVCC still has never lost to PJC in women’s basketball.
LeBeauf played high school basketball in Boutte, La., and went on to play college ball for the nationally ranked team at the University of Montevallo, Ala., where he started on a team that finished with three consecutive 20-win seasons.
He had a rich coaching experience before coming to PJC.
He led the girls’ basketball team at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa to a city championship in his first coaching position. While there, he also coached a Tulsa AAU boys team to the national title one year and to a fourth-place finish the next.
In Louisiana, LeBeauf coached five seasons at two high schools, leading Archbishop Shaw High School to back-to-back state championship appearances in 2000 and 2001.
After his season as a Foy assistant, LeBeauf spent one year at Centenary College in Shreveport, followed by four years at Southern University, where the men won a conference championship and the 2006 Historical Black Colleges and Universities National Championship.
By CHARLES RICHARDS
eParisExtra.com
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