Southwest Softball To Take On Dyersburg In Play-In

For more information, contact:
Keith Gentry
901-333-4114
mgentry@southwest.tn.edu

The tenth-seed Southwest softball team will take on seventh-seed Dyersburg State in a TCCAA/Region VII Tournament Play-In game at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 7 in Gallatin, Tennessee. The winner will advance to the eight-team double-elimination tournament against second-seed Chattanooga State at 4 p.m. on May 8.

The Lady Saluqis are led by freshman first baseman Melanie Stajduhar, who ranks among the conference leaders with a .428 batting average, 11 doubles, 5 home runs and 39 runs batted in. Other top hitters for Southwest are freshman catcher and leadoff hitter Destinie Grace (.340 average, 3 home runs and 24 runs batted in), freshman second baseman Anna Beth Willoughby (.305 average, 11 doubles, 2 home runs and 14 runs batted in), freshman pitcher/outfielder Lila Ritter (.295 average, 10 doubles, 2 home runs and 27 runs batted in), and freshman pitcher/third baseman Nayely Aragonez (.302 average, 3 home runs and 25 runs batted in).

Also in the starting lineup for the Lady Saluqis are sophomore outfielders Maddie Lane and Laura Hooker, sophomore shortstop Sarah Craig, freshman third baseman Autumn Sutter and freshman catcher Alyssa Flatt. In the pitching circle are Ritter (8 wins, 125-1/3 innings and 57 strikeouts), Aragonez (6 wins, 145-2/3 innings and 73 strikeouts) and freshman Madison Osteen (2 wins, 80 innings and 43 strikeouts).

The tournament championship game will be on May 10 with the winner advancing to the NJCAA Division 1 championship May 17-20 in St. George, Utah.