The 2008 Sul Ross Lady Lobo softball team will have a strengthened arsenal of pitching and hitting after 2007’s 6-32 mark (3-21, ASC).  (2007 Season Stats)

A company of roughly 20 spring hopefuls arrived for fall practices in Sully’s efforts to rebuild the softball program to a competitive force in the American Southwest Conference.

Probable returners this year include Valerie Olivarez who led the team with a .303 batting average in 2007. Olivarez also posted 30 hits for the season, good for a team-high. Vanessa Pena returns for her junior season with the Lady Lobos after a .296 hitting performance last season. Pena collected a team-best 18 RBI’s which helped in wins against the University of Dallas in the season opener and victories against Schreiner in the campaign closer.

A new era of Lady Lobo softball will also dawn in 2008 with the hiring of Sandra Chambers as new head softball coach.

Chambers received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathematics and kinesiology from Sul Ross in 1986 and 1997. During her graduate work, Chambers also served as assistant softball coach for the Lady Lobo softball team.

She coached three years in the DeSoto Independent School District where she spearheaded efforts to bring girls softball and a brand new facility to the class 5-A high school. Chambers posted 26-7 and 27-3 records in her first two years as head softball coach at DeSoto including a trip to the regional tournament during her second campaign. Three of her players went on to play for NCAA Division I programs. She also received the 1994 Class 5-A Softball Coach of the Year award.

In addition to her coaching duties, Chambers also taught high school algebra at DeSoto where she was named to the 1996 edition of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. After DeSoto, Chambers also taught mathematics for three years at Travis Middle School in Temple where she earned PTO, Wal-Mart and Temple ISD Teacher of the Year recognition.