University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Holas Set to Join LA Sports Hall of Fame
6/10/2011 6:23:00 PM | Softball
Induction dinner tickets and golf entries are available online at the www.lasportshall.com website for the 2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration upcoming June 23-25, with UL Ragin' Cajun softball great Kyla Hall Holas joining three New Orleans Saints stars -- Morten Andersen, Vaughan Johnson and Buford Jordan -- headlining this year's inductees.
Tickets and golf entries, along with congratulatory advertising for the commemorative program, can be ordered with secure credit card transactions through the website or by calling the Hall of Fame office at 318-238-4255.
The Induction Dinner and Ceremonies presented by Chesapeake Energy on Saturday evening, June 25, at the Natchitoches Events Center are the culmination of the 2011 Induction Celebration beginning Thursday evening, June 23, with the La Capitol/Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Kickoff Reception.
The Hall of Fame Pro-Am Celebrity Golf Scramble sponsored by Encana is Friday, June 24, at Oak Wing Golf Course in Alexandria.
Joining Holas, Andersen, Johnson and Jordan in the 2011 induction class are Todd Walker, the LSU All-American and 12-year major league baseball infielder, and Xavier-New Orleans and NBA standout Donald "Slick" Watts, among the eight 2011 inductees who will enter the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Also being enshrined are high school football coaching great Don Shows and innovative LSU athletic director Thomas P. "Skipper" Heard completing the Hall's 2011 induction class. Heard will be honored posthumously.
New Orleans native Elmo Adolph, a world-renowned boxing official, and former Lafayette High School basketball coach Billy Montgomery, who as a highly-regarded state legislator championed sports causes including construction of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame museum, are the 2011 recipients of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award.
Also honored will be two recipients of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association's Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism, New Orleans sportswriter Ron Brocato and longtime Southeastern Louisiana University sports information director Larry Hymel.
Tickets for the Induction Dinner and Ceremonies are $40. Golf entries are $150 per player or $750 for a five-man team. A wide variety of congratulatory advertising options are as low as $25 for a one-line message.
Holas, a three-time All-American -- twice a first-team selection -- was a record-setting pitcher who led the Ragin' Cajuns to their first Women's College World Series in 1993. She will become the first collegiate softball player enshrined in the Hall of Fame and only the second softball player, joining Softball Hall of Fame pitcher Bobby Spell.
In her four-year career from 1991-94, Holas compiled a 104-20 record (.839) for the best career winning percentage in state history and one of the nation's top 15 all-time marks. She owns a career 0.50 ERA, including an 0.23 mark in 1992 which ranks in the NCAA's all-time top 20, when she had a 30-4 record. She topped that with a 31-3 record as a senior in 1994, which also ranks in the NCAA's top 20 all-time marks.
The Cajuns had a combined 155-24 record in her final three years, and she had a win over top-ranked Arizona in the 1993 WCWS in leading the Cajuns to a third-place national finish. More than half of her career wins (56 of 104) were shutouts, and she holds school records for no-hitters (17) and perfect games (five). Holas also hit third in the batting order and ranked second on the team in hitting as a senior.
Married with three children, the Sugarland, Texas, native is now the successful head coach at the University of Houston, having guided her 2011 team to a Super Regional.
Complete information on the 12 honorees, along with the complete rundown of events from June 23-25 including headquarter hotel information, is available on the www.lasportshall.com website, or by calling the Hall of Fame office at 318-238-4255.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
