Southwest Softball Team To Play Walters State In Region Tourney Opener

The sixth-seed Southwest softball team will take on third-seed Walters State in the opening round of the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Tournament at 2 p.m. on May 7 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Southwest enters the tournament with a 29-29 overall record including 6-12 in the conference.

Leading the Lady Saluqis is freshman pitcher Haylee Power who is the team's top hitter with a .410 batting average, eight home runs and 45 runs batted in (RBIs). Power also leads the pitching staff with a 3.34 earned run average, 151 strikeouts and a single season Southwest record of 24 wins. Other top hitters are freshman first baseman Caroline Jacobs (.378, 14 doubles, 2 home runs, 24 RBIs and a single season record of 68 hits), freshman catcher/outfielder Ali Hare (.378, 14 doubles, 3 triples, and 23 RBIs), freshman centerfielder Makayla Rice (.342, 19 RBIs, and single season record of 45 stolen bases), sophomore third baseman/catcher Heidi Molder (.344, 8 doubles, and 37 RBIs) and sophomore shortstop Stephanie Steen (.320, 9 doubles, and 25 RBIs).

Other possible starters for Southwest include sophomore leftfielder Paige Copeland (.223, 11 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases), freshman second baseman Ashley Hobson (.270, 13 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases), sophomore outfielder/second baseman Morgan Kirk (.268 and 13 RBIs), freshman designated player Hollye Taylor (.292 and 17 RBIs), freshman infielder Rhonda Willis (.267, 2 home runs, and 28 RBIs), sophomore outfielder Brittany Cline (.265 and 8 RBIs) and freshman catcher Devin Pruitt (.348 and 20 RBIs).

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