Bowling Green State University Athletics
Willis, Falcons Add Loyola to Program
July 13, 2018 | Softball
Two-time All-America selection comes to BGSU from Howard (Texas) College
Bowling Green State University softball coach Sarah Willis has announced the addition of Evelyn Loyola to the program. Loyola, a catcher, will join the Falcons in time for the 2018-19 academic year.
Loyola, a transfer from Howard College in Big Spring, Texas, will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"We are excited to welcome Evelyn and her family into our program," said Willis, who enters her fourth season at the BGSU helm. "She is an accomplished hitter at the plate, bringing a consistent bat with substantial power to our lineup. Evelyn will provide us with a tremendous presence, both in the batting order and behind the dish."
Loyola, a native of Ventura, Calif. (Buena H.S.), had two incredible years at Howard, earning All-America honors in both seasons as the Hawks made back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA National Championships.
As a freshman in 2017, Loyola was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association NJCAA Division-I All-America First Team, and also was named the Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year. She hit .423 with 11 doubles, 13 home runs, 62 runs batted in and 40 runs scored. Loyola slugged .744 and threw out six of 17 runners attempting to steal against her. She also earned all-conference and all-region first-team accolades.
In 2018, Loyola earned NJCAA Division-I Second-Team All-America honors from the NFCA.
The 2018 Hawks went 42-9-1 overall and 25-3 in conference play. The Hawks' coaching staff, including head coach Kelly Raines and assistant Shelby Shelton, earned NJCAA Division-I Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Howard captured a fourth-straight Region V West title, and the Hawks were eliminated by the eventual national runner-up in the national tourney.
Loyola, who was named the NJCAA National Player of the Week on Feb. 14, hit .431 in her sophomore season, with a whopping 24 homers and 83 RBI. She tied for fifth in the nation in round-trippers, and was ninth in the country in RBI.
Loyola also had 78 total hits, a slugging percentage of .901 and 163 total bases this past season. She was ninth in the nation in total bases and 17th in slugging.
Loyola earned all-conference and all-region honors for the second consecutive year in 2018, and was the fourth-ranked junior-college sophomore in the nation by FloSoftball.
Loyola joins a Falcon team that finished the 2018 campaign with an overall record of 26-26, and BGSU was fourth in the MAC's East Division with a league mark of 8-14. Willis and her assistant coaches, Katie Reiff and Lauren Gambone, had three seniors on the 22-player roster in 2018.
BGSU is scheduled to return seven positional starters – including five who started at least 51 of the team's 52 games – in 2019. Additionally, the returning pitchers combined to start all 52 of the Falcons' 2018 contests.
The returning Falcons combined for 76.3 percent of the team's at-bats, 77.5% of the runs scored and 99.2% of the innings pitched during the 2018 campaign.
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Loyola, a transfer from Howard College in Big Spring, Texas, will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"We are excited to welcome Evelyn and her family into our program," said Willis, who enters her fourth season at the BGSU helm. "She is an accomplished hitter at the plate, bringing a consistent bat with substantial power to our lineup. Evelyn will provide us with a tremendous presence, both in the batting order and behind the dish."
Loyola, a native of Ventura, Calif. (Buena H.S.), had two incredible years at Howard, earning All-America honors in both seasons as the Hawks made back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA National Championships.
As a freshman in 2017, Loyola was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association NJCAA Division-I All-America First Team, and also was named the Diamond Sports Catcher of the Year. She hit .423 with 11 doubles, 13 home runs, 62 runs batted in and 40 runs scored. Loyola slugged .744 and threw out six of 17 runners attempting to steal against her. She also earned all-conference and all-region first-team accolades.
In 2018, Loyola earned NJCAA Division-I Second-Team All-America honors from the NFCA.
The 2018 Hawks went 42-9-1 overall and 25-3 in conference play. The Hawks' coaching staff, including head coach Kelly Raines and assistant Shelby Shelton, earned NJCAA Division-I Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Howard captured a fourth-straight Region V West title, and the Hawks were eliminated by the eventual national runner-up in the national tourney.
Loyola, who was named the NJCAA National Player of the Week on Feb. 14, hit .431 in her sophomore season, with a whopping 24 homers and 83 RBI. She tied for fifth in the nation in round-trippers, and was ninth in the country in RBI.
Loyola also had 78 total hits, a slugging percentage of .901 and 163 total bases this past season. She was ninth in the nation in total bases and 17th in slugging.
Loyola earned all-conference and all-region honors for the second consecutive year in 2018, and was the fourth-ranked junior-college sophomore in the nation by FloSoftball.
Loyola joins a Falcon team that finished the 2018 campaign with an overall record of 26-26, and BGSU was fourth in the MAC's East Division with a league mark of 8-14. Willis and her assistant coaches, Katie Reiff and Lauren Gambone, had three seniors on the 22-player roster in 2018.
BGSU is scheduled to return seven positional starters – including five who started at least 51 of the team's 52 games – in 2019. Additionally, the returning pitchers combined to start all 52 of the Falcons' 2018 contests.
The returning Falcons combined for 76.3 percent of the team's at-bats, 77.5% of the runs scored and 99.2% of the innings pitched during the 2018 campaign.
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