Angelina College Holds Unique Commencement for Softball Grads

Saturday, May 13, the commencement ceremony was held for the graduates of Angelina College. Seven sophomores who were slated to walk across the stage were not present. They had a valid excuse.

These seven ladies were just across the border in Bossier City for the Region XIV Conference Softball Tournament. While their classmates were receiving accolades and diplomas, these softball players were in the process of punching their ticket to the NJCAA World Series which is coming up in Alabama.

The Lady 'Runners beat Paris College 4-3 in eight innings on Friday, hammered No. 16 Galveston College 11-4 on Sunday and capped the tourney with a thrilling 6-5 win over host team Bossier Parish Community College on Monday.

Bailey Frenzel drove in a pair of runs in the first inning, Haley Primrose ripped an opposite-field two-run homer in the sixth and the pitching combo of Mia Gilmore, Morgan Louviere and Gianna Wade helped hold off a furious Lady Cavalier rally to send AC back to the national tournament.

Winning the regional tourney and heading to the World Series is a dream come true for these ladies, but the fact remains that they had to sacrifice a very important rite of passage--their graduation ceremony. Leave it to folks at Angelina College to come up with a great solution.

Wednesday evening, officials with Angelina College held a ceremony right there on the softball diamond for the seven graduating sophomores. The event was complete with remarks, caps and gowns, diplomas, and the traditional hat toss.

Gary Stallard/AC Sports