Stillman wins HBCUAC Regular Season Title; Championship Matchups revealed
NEW ORLEANS - April 21, 2025 - The Stillman College softball team ran through the competition clinching the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) regular season title with a perfect 15-0 record and the top seed in the 2025 HBCUAC Softball Championship hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism April 23-25.
This is the first season HBCUAC hosted softball since 2010. The Tigers, who are in their first year in the conference, won nine games by run-rule. Stillman is led by Lauren Haskins, who is a returning NAIA All-American. She won five HBCUAC Player of the Week awards. Haskins leads the HBCUAC with a .518 batting average, seven home runs and 40 stolen bases. In the circle, Jasmine Wade and Faith Byram led the Tigers. They are tied for the HBCUAC lead with 10 wins. Byram ranks second in the conference with a 3.09 earned run average and Wade is third at 3.37. Stillman will open the HBCUAC Softball Championship against the winner between No. 4 seed Oakwood University and No. 5 seed Rust College at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Wilson Morgan Complex Field 2.
Dillard University finished runner-up at 9-6 in HBCUAC play. Madison Clark ranks second in the HBCUAC with a .462 batting average, leads with 42 RBI and ranks third with five home runs. De'Asia Davenport ranked fifth with a .394 batting average. Ca'Terra Bates is fourth in the conference with 32 RBI. Haley Weatherspoon ranks second in the conference with 20 stolen bases. In the circle, Mary-Elizabeth Landry ranks in the top five of the conference with a 3.57 ERA, seven wins and 72 strikeouts. The Lady Bleu Devils will face the winner of No. 3 Talladega College and No. 6 Voorhees University at 2 p.m. on Field 3.
Talladega College won seven games in HBCUAC play. Mia Vazquez is the Tornadoes top hitter with a .333 batting average and leads the team with 12 runs. Emma Givens leads the team in RBI with 13. Sofi Wagner-Stiles ranks second in the conference with 113 strikeouts and in the top five with seven wins and a 3.63 ERA. The Tornadoes play Voorhees at noon on Wednesday on Field 3.
Oakwood University, which is within 40 miles of the Wilson Morgan Complex, won five games in HBCUAC play. Jordan Howard leads the team with a .338 batting average, 15 runs and 13 RBI. Sydney Arnett leads the Ambassadors in the circle. She is the HBCUAC leader with 119 strikeouts and ranks in the top 10 with a 4.81 ERA and six wins. Oakwood and Rust College will play at noon on Wednesday on Field 2.
All the games will be streamed on the Urban Edge Network YouTube page. The championship is free to attend.
WEDNESDAY's GAMES
No. 4 Oakwood University (7-28, 5-10) vs. No. 5 Rust College (10-31, 5-10), Noon, Field 2
No. 3 Talladega College (12-15, 7-8) vs. No. 6 Voorhees University (6-17, 4-11), Noon, Field 3
No. 1 Stillman College (30-11, 15-0) vs. Oakwood/Rust Winner, 2 p.m., Field 2
No. 2 Dillard University (17-16, 9-6) vs. Talladega/Voorhees Winner, 2 p.m., Field 3
-HBCUAC-
About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.