Shorter softball picked seventh in Gulf South
Just about two weeks separate the Lady Hawks from the start of the 2017 campaign, and with that comes excitement and anticipation to keep getting better.
Last season Shorter softball finished 30-22 overall and 20-13 in conference play, while earning their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA DII South Regional.
This year, the team enters the season as the league’s head coaches’ pick to finish seventh. The unanimous choice for the top spot went to defending national champion North Alabama, while Alabama Huntsville earned the second place pick. Valdosta State rounded out the top three and was followed by West Florida, Delta State and Mississippi College, respectively, ahead of Shorter. Behind the Lady Hawks in order were West Georgia, Lee, West Alabama, Union and Christian Brothers.
While the team will feature a brand new coaching staff – headed by first-year head coach, Jessie Homesley – the Lady Hawks return the core of the team that has seen great success since joining the DII ranks prior to the 2015 season.
Payton Lippert, headlined the preseason announcement for Shorter, earning the team’s only preseason All-Gulf South Conference selection.
As a freshman, the Meridian, Miss. native tallied a team leading 2.24 ERA in 33 appearances; going 1712 overall and turning 19 complete game performances. Through 194 innings of work, she allowed 62 earned runs and struck out 102 batters.
Against conference opponents the righthander was just as effective, keeping batters to a .224 average, while tallying a 1.68 ERA. In 21 appearances, she went 13-6 with 13 complete games and four shutouts. Through 129.1 innings of work, she allowed 31 earned runs and struck out 67.
Also returning for Shorter are seniors Kameron Carter, Ericka Bynum, Kalei Kimbrell and Savannah Thomas.
For Carter, the 2016 season was her best to date as she led the Lady Hawks in homeruns – hitting 15 on the season, to put herself in second place in the singleseason record book, just one homerun behind Jessica Sanders’ total from 2006. She also led the team in RBI (55) and slugging percentage (.693). While, tying Niki Cook in runs scored with 40 on the season. On the year, Carter hit .337 with 55 hits – 27 for extra bases.
Bynum, who prepped at Ringgold High School, hit .260 for the year with 38 hits - one homerun and seven doubles - and 22 RBI. While, Thomas finished the year hitting .229 with a pair of homeruns and four doubles, to go along with 11 RBI.
Kimbrell – now Clark, as the senior got married during
the offseason – led the GSC in saves (8), runs allowed (27), earned runs allowed (21) in 2016, while finishing second in the league in hits allowed (60). On the year, the former Gordon Lee Lady Trojan standout posted a 2.33 ERA, allowing 21 earned runs on 60 hits with 58 strikeouts through 63 innings of work.
The Lady Hawks also return another Gordon Lee alum, Tiffany Holland, who was a second team All-GSC selection a year ago.
The rest of the squad includes juniors Taylor Ann Oda, Carson Carriker, Abi Valdes, Peyton Barthel,
and Hannah Draper, sophomores Maddie Hunt, Dani Lukas and Taylor Martin and incoming freshmen Layton Harrell, Ashley Langel, Casey Eddings, Hailey Baswell and Ringgold native Lindsey Newell, who prepped at Silverdale Baptist Academy in Chattanooga.
Shorter opens the year on the road for two straight weekends. First as they take part in the Gulf South/Peach Belt Conference Crossover hosted in Columbus Feb. 4-5.
Then they travel to Montgomery, Ala. for Montevallo’s spring tournament on Feb. 11-12. GSC play kicks off for the team on Feb. 18 as they host Union University for a three game series.