April 14, 2011
San Antonio – A ceremony to honor St. Mary’s softball coach Donna Fields’ 600th win will be held prior to the start of Friday’s doubleheader against St. Edward’s University.
And with any luck, the ceremony will remain a surprise for the celebrated coach.
The games are set to begin at 5 p.m. at St. Mary’s Softball Fields, with the ceremony scheduled to begin about 15 minutes beforehand.
St. Mary’s University President Dr. Charles Cotrell will be on hand to present Fields a plaque commemorating the milestone achievement, which was earned with a 6-3 victory at Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas on Tuesday.
A St. Mary’s Hall of Famer from her playing days as a Rattler, Fields (B.A. ’87, M.A. ’01) possesses a career record of 601-244 in 14 years at St. Mary’s. She has won nine conference titles, three regional titles and a national championship over the past 10 seasons alone. Along the way, she has coached 16 All-Americans and 42 All-Regional selections.
Beyond just the ceremony, the St. Edward’s series carries all kind of significance for the Lady Rattlers (31-15, 10-2 in Heartland Conference). St. Mary’s enters the “Battle of the Saints” series tied with Texas A&M International atop the Heartland Conference standings. This also closes out the home portion of the Rattlers’ schedule, with Saturday’s 12 p.m. game marking “Senior Day.”