MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The 2018 Southwestern Athletic Conference Softball Champions are set to defend their title as they prepare for the 2019 SWAC Championship Tournament on Wednesday, May 8 when they face Alcorn State at noon.
 
Junior Crystal Castillo has been named as the 2019 Pitcher of the Year, and All SWAC First Team along with teammates (1B) Laurisa Hernandez, (2B) Destinee Williams, (OF) Shelby Williams. Pitcher Vannessa Castro received All-SWAC Second Team.
 
"One thing about these young ladies is that they earned this recognition," said head PVAMU softball coach Vernon Bland.  "They put in the work and this is the fruit of their labor.  I am not surprised that they were able to achieve these accomplishments.  So as a coach and for this program I am very proud!"

Castillo posted a 12-4 record on the mound to be the league leader in victories.  She also picked up four saves, while holding opponents to a .204 batting average and led the conference with 90 strikeouts, posting a 2.62 ERA.
 
Hernandez has anchored the infield from the first base position with over 154 games played with 144 starts.  The Fremont, Calif., native has 23 career home runs, with a career batting average of .333, and 118 RBI's.  Thus far on the season she is second on the team batting a .369, scoring 24 times, with 38 hits along with 38 RBIs.
 
The 5-6 Tucson, Ariz., native leads the team with a .385 batting average on the season she has batted in 35 runs, hit six home runs and scored 29 times.  In 2018 Williams was named to the All SWAC Tournament Team for her performance during the six straight elimination games to lead the Lady Panthers to the 2018 SWAC Championship. 

The Waller County native has been on the scene for four years wrecking havoc as the leading stolen base runner for the Lady Panthers.  The outfielder has 214 putouts, 100 career stolen bases, 115 runs scored, 154 hits and 32 RBI's.  On the season the quick base runner is batting a .360, has scored 28 times, has 41 hits with 14 RBIs, while stealing base 17 times out of 20 attempts made.
 
Castro transferred onto the Lady Panther team last season, anchoring PVAMU in the circle the past two seasons.  She has a career of 13 wins, striking out 38 batters after pitching 150.2 innings pitch.  The senior has a 9-3 win-loss record and has a 3.04 ERA on the season.  She has pitched 71.1 innings, striking out 42 batters and walking just 22 for the 2019 season.  Castro is a native of Austin, Texas.


"I know we are ready for this tournament," Bland said.  "We have been in this tournament since I have been the head coach at least the last eight years.  We made history last year, after loosing the first game and winning the next six games to win the championship.  We are ready to see what happens this year."