Local players are wrapping up a tremendous run playing on the baseball and softball diamonds at the collegiate level while some are still battling.

Congrats to Bridge City’s Chase Shugart and the Texas Longhorns, who captured the Big 12 title over the weekend with wins over Texas Christian.

Shugart started in the Longhorns’ 5-3 win on Friday and the Longhorns sealed the deal with a 7-3 victory Saturday.

The Longhorns are currently 37-18 overall and went 17-7 in Big 12 play as they await the Big 12 Conference Tournament and will, no doubt, play in the NCAA Tournament.

Shugart, a junior, has drawn praise as a starter this year after coming out of the bullpen in his first two seasons in Austin.

Shugart owns a 4-3 record in 75 innings of work with 49 strikeouts.

Most Orange County softball and baseball standouts represented well in the NCAA Division I ranks in the Southland Conference.

Leading the softball parade is Bridge City graduate Kasey Frederick, who was the leading hitter for a stout Nicholls unit. For the second straight season Frederick made First Team All-Southland Conference. Frederick is hitting a lofty .377 with seven home runs, 16 doubles and 42 runs batted in as the Lady Colonels finished 40-15 overall and 21-6 in SLC play.

Little Cypress-Mauriceville grads Taylor Fraccastoro, Kassie James and Angel Villanueva each competed well for SLC schools.

Fraccastoro, a senior at SFA, hit .277 with 9 home runs and 39 RBI as the Lady Jacks finished 31-24 overall and 18-9 in SLC action. She made Second Team All-SLC from her catching

Villanueva, a junior transfer from Galveston JC, is having a solid first campaign at Incarnate Word as she his hitting .294 with two home runs and nine RBI. Incarnate Word finished 15-34 overall, 7-19 in SLC play.

James wrapped up an excellent college run at Houston Baptist after a nice stint at Angelina Junior College. The senior hit .277 with two home runs and 16 RBI. HBU finished 9-34 overall, 6-21 in SLC play.

Bridge City product Kevin Bergeron is having an amazing sophomore campaign for Incarnate Word. Bergeron is hitting a lofty .320 with 13 doubles, six home runs and 49 RBI as the Cardinals finished the regular season with a 29-26 overall record, 13-17 in SLC play.

Four West Orange-Stark products are also competing in the SLC.

Aidan Anderson and Grant Anderson are both pitching for McNeese State (25-31, 15-15 in SLC).

Aidan has a 5-6 mark. He has tossed 60 innings, striking out 68 with a ERA of 3.45. Grant has a 4-6 mark and has worked 75 innings, fanning 64 with a 3.96 ERA.

Jack Dallas and Payton Robertson are both playing for Lamar (19-36, 13-17 in SLC). Dallas has a 3-4 mark with a 3.59 ERA in 42 innings of work and has 37 strikeouts. Robertson has started 17 games and has a home run, four RBI and five runs scored.