HICKORY, N.C. - The Anderson University softball team is set to make its' first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, as the sixth-seeded Trojans prepare to face third-seeded North Georgia at Lenoir-Rhyne's Bears Field on Friday afternoon.
The Hickory sub-regional features a pair of South Atlantic Conference teams (Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne) squaring off against two Peach Belt Conference squads from the Peach State (North Georgia and Georgia College), with L-R entering the event ranked 11th nationally in the latest NFCA Coaches' Poll and Georgia College holding the 25th spot in the poll.
Anderson (37-13), which is making its first appearance in the
NCAA Tournament, will be looking to shake off the rust from not
having played since suffering a pair of setbacks in the South
Atlantic Conference Tournament. Trojan head coach Tommy Hewitt, who
is in his eighth season at the helm of the program, has posted an
overall 211-165 record and has guided AU within one victory of
equaling the school record for wins in a season, which was set just
last year. AU boasted the league's most potent offense during the
regular season, leading the conference in batting average, slugging
percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored per game, home runs per
game and RBI per game.
Junior first baseman Danielle Swygert, sophomore second baseman
Jessica Neidigh, freshman outfielder Molly Child and junior Bailey
Smith helped lead the balanced attack, while earning First-Team
All-Conference accolades following the regular season, with
Swygert, Neidigh and Child all starting every game on the diamond
this season, while Smith saw time in the circle and notched 17
wins.
Swygert ranked second in the league in RBI (55), third in batting average (.404) and fifth in slugging percentage. Neidigh led the league with her .456 batting average and 59 runs scored from her lead-off spot, while Child ranked second in the conference with 46 runs scored and also ranked in the league's top 10 in doubles, RBI, home runs, walks, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Neidigh was also a threat on the base paths, going 19-for-19 in the stolen base department.
In addition to her 25 appearances in the circle, Smith posted a .310 batting average at the plate, while ranking second on the team in home runs with eight. She recorded six doubles on the season and drove in 24 runs. Charlotte Sieber (.355), Abby Child (.336), Bri Cason (.313) and Laura Jansky (.310) also notched stellar batting averages, with Abby Child leading the squad with nine home runs, 44 walks and a .500 on-base percentage. The junior shortstop also ranked in the top five on the team in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, RBI and total bases. Jansky added 42 RBI, 11 doubles and six home runs. Jansky and Neidigh also earned SAC Player of the Week honors during March and early April.
Anderson opened the season by winning 15 of its first 16 games
and posted a pair of 10-game and five-game win streaks en route to
finishing second in the conference standings.
In the circle, AU has a pair of hurlers who posted stellar junior
campaigns, with right-hander Lauren Bell ranking third in the
league with 20 wins. She finished third in the SAC with 25 complete
games and notched three shutouts, while tossing 172 innings. Bell
posted a 3.14 ERA and struck out 134 batters, while opponents
batted just .226.
Smith (17-7) struck out 115 batters and issued just 24 walks in 152 1/3 innings, while recording a 3.43 ERA in the circle. She ranked fourth in the league with seven shutouts among her 23 complete games.
North Georgia holds a 20-2 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, but the teams have not met since the 2006 season. Anderson swept Georgia College earlier this season, while Lenoir-Rhyne swept the regular-season conference doubleheader past AU in early March.
The Saints (36-12) had five players earn All-Conference accolades and had a player claim PBC Freshman of the Year honors for the second consecutive year, as pitcher/first baseman Courtney Poole earned the award. Sophomore pitcher Melissa Dickie and senior outfielder Kayla Minger were each named to the second team while Poole and sophomores Kim McMillan and Taylor Anne Merritt earned first-team honors.
North Georgia entered the Peach Belt Conference Tournament as the third seed, but dropped a 5-2 decision to USC Aiken in the tournament quarterfinals in late April. The Saints, ranked as high as sixth nationally in the NFCA Coaches Poll in mid-April, are making their sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Poole tied for a conference-best 22 wins with an earned run average of 1.94 and 182 strikeouts in 176 2/3 innings of work, while making 33 appearances including 24 starts. McMillan, a transfer, was named PBC Player of the Week twice during the season. Dickie made 18 appearances in the circle during the regular season, notching an 11-5 record and posting a 2.21 ERA. Minger, the right fielder, started all 47 games this season, while hitting .353 and recording 10 doubles.
Lenoir-Rhyne (35-14), ranked 11th nationally and the No. 2 seed, earned the SAC's automatic berth to the national tournament after winning its fourth consecutive Food Lion SAC Tournament jus more than two weeks ago in Salisbury, N.C. The Bears are making their eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs and are hosting their fourth regional tournament in school history. L-R also hosted the regionals in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
L-R freshman pitcher Maryann Hoskins was named to the All-SAC first team while senior first baseman Jessica Fellmeth and junior third baseman Haily Jarman earned second-team all-league accolades. Hoskins posted a 13-5 record during the regular season, with a 1.65 earned run average and 135 strikeouts. She also posted nine shutouts, including three against South Atlantic Conference opponents. Fellmeth led the Bears at the plate with a .309 batting average, 10 doubles and 23 runs batted in, while earning All-SAC honors for the third straight season. Jarman, a three-time all-conference pick as well, led the Bears in home runs with seven, triples (five) and a .575 slugging percentage.
Fellmeth, a senior first baseman from Waxhaw, N.C., was named the SAC Tournament MVP after batting .650 for the tournament (13-for-20) with a home run and four runs batted in. Fellmeth also had at least three hits in three of those contests.
Georgia College (36-15), ranked 25th in the nation, earned a regional bid for the first time since 2009, when the Bobcats also played at Lenoir-Rhyne. Georgia College has won two NCAA Regional Championships, in 2006 and 2003, and reached the PBC title game this season, but dropped a 12-0 decision to Columbus State, which is playing in the Savannah NCAA sub-regional. Bobcats' head coach Jamie Grodecki was named Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year and the Bobcats are led by three players that earned spots on the All-PBC Teams. Senior Dani Gallucci, junior outfielder Whitney Okvist and freshman Abi LeRoy claimed spots on the team.
First-pitch versus the Saints is slated for 2 p.m., while host Lenoir- Rhyne will square off against seventh-seeded Georgia College at 4:30 p.m.
The other half of the double elimination event features top-seeded and third-ranked Armstrong (36-7-1) playing host to eighth-seeded Wingate (32-20-1) in Savannah, Ga., while 16th-ranked Columbus State (39-16) faces fifth-seeded Mount Olive (34-13).
The two winners will advance to a two-out-of-three Super Regional, slated for May 17-18. The winner of the Super Regional will join the other Super Regional winners in the NCAA National Finals, scheduled to be held May 23-27 at the Moyer Complex in Salem, Va.
Tickets are $7.00 each day and $4.00 for children 12 and under
and students with proper identification.
2013 NCAA Division II Softball
Southeast Regional Tournament
Hickory, N.C. (Bears Field)
Friday, May 10
Game One: No. 6 Anderson (37-13) vs. No. 3 North
Georgia (36-12), 2:00 p.m.
Game Two: No. 7 Georgia College (36-15) at No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne
(35-14), 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 11
Game Three: Game One winner vs. Game Two winner, 2:00 p.m.
Game Four: Game One loser vs. Game Two loser, 4:30 p.m.
Game Five: Game Three loser vs. Game Four winner, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 12
Game Six (Championship): Game Three winner vs. Game Five winner,
Noon
Game Seven (if necessary): 2:30 p.m.
