For Immediate Release

Date: April 27, 2009

For More Information: Keith Gentry, (901) 333-4114

Lady Saluqis Softball Team Takes On Vol State in Region Opener

The Southwest softball team, winners of 18 of its last 21 games, will enter this week’s Tennessee Community College Athletic Association/National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region VII Tournament with a number six seed in the ten-team field. The Lady Saluqis (40-17) will face number three seed Volunteer State in an opening round game at 2 p.m. on May 2. Columbia State’s Eddie Campbell Field in Columbia, Tennessee, is the site for this year’s tournament. It gets underway on May 1 with two play-in games, and ends with the championship game on May 4.

The Lady Saluqis rank fifth in the TCCAA with a .365 team batting average and are led by sophomore shortstop/pitcher Amber Hayes with a .442 average and 64 RBI. Hayes, who leads the conference with 16 home runs, six triples, and a .918 slugging average, was named the NJCAA National Player of the Week earlier this season, the first such honor for a Southwest softball player.

Also in the starting lineup for the Lady Saluqis are:

• Freshman catcher/first baseman Lauren Dreher (.419, three home runs, 21 RBI)
• Sophomore second baseman Carly McLennan (.404, 21 doubles, five home runs, 45 RBI)
• Freshman designated player Katy Ahrens (.398, 10 doubles, five home runs, 39 RBI)
• Sophomore leftfielder Ashley Frizzell (.395, 46 runs, 16 stolen bases)
• Freshman catcher Brittany McKee (.358, .494 on-base)
• Sophomore first baseman/shortstop Whitney Grimes (.336, three home runs, 30 RBI)
• Sophomore centerfielder Amber Gatewood (.314, 53 runs scored, 25 RBI)
• Sophomore third baseman Whitney Witcher (.312, 25 RBI)
• Sophomore rightfielder Jackie Lloyd (.280, 12 RBI)

Sophomore right-hander Maegan Wilson leads the pitching staff with a 17-8 record, 2.29 ERA, and 112 strikeouts. Wilson, Southwest’s all-time winningest pitcher with 26 career victories, was named the NJCAA National Pitcher of the Week earlier this season. Also on the Lady Saluqis’ pitching staff are Hayes (9-4 record, 2.93 ERA) and freshman Haley McCormick (4-5 record, 3.48 ERA).