WC softball clinches postseason berth

April 18, 2011

The historic 2010-2011 season continues for Waycross College’s athletic department.

WC’s softball team, which was ranked third in the conference heading into weekend action, has clinched a spot in the GCAA tournament after splitting an April 17 conference doubleheader with Georgia Military College. The Swamp Foxes edged the Bulldogs in game one, 7-5, and lost the second game, 10-4.

“It’s very remarkable what the girls have done,” said head coach Bryan Hartley after learning of the team’s postseason berth. “We have played an all-freshman team against teams with seasoned sophomores. This is a big accomplishment for them.”

The Swamp Foxes’ (20-19, 12-6 GCAA) chances of making the postseason were bolstered by their 7-3 performance over the last ten games, which included sweeps of ABAC (5-4, 8-7), Gordon College (2-0, 6-1), and Andrew College (10-7, 10-2).

“We played really well against Gordon, hitting .369 as a team,” said Hartley. “We pitched well and also had no errors. Overall, we had a really good day.”

Hartley termed the first game of the April 15 doubleheader against Andrew College as an “all out war.”

“Andrew is very competitive,” he said. “We would score, then they would score. We didn’t execute well and hit the ball right at people. In the second game, we hit well and Summer (Rose) got into a pitching groove and shut them down.”

Against Georgia Military, Hartley said the Swamp Foxes outhit the Bulldogs in both games, but let the second game slip away.

“The second game was very close until the sixth inning,” he said. “Then, all of a sudden, things just didn’t go our way. But we never gave up.”

According to Hartley, the double-elimination conference tournament will be held April 29-30 and May 1 at Strong Rock Christian Academy in Locust Grove, Ga.

The top six teams are invited, with the final seeds being announced at the end of the regular season. Hartley said the Swamp Foxes, Georgia Perimeter College, Darton College, and Middle Georgia College have all clinched berths. ABAC, College of Coastal Georgia, and Georgia Military are battling each other for the remaining two spots.

“ABAC will have a lot to say in what happens to the final rankings. They play Georgia Military, Coastal, and Middle Georgia this week,” said Hartley.

As for the Swamp Foxes, their final home regular season doubleheader will be Tuesday, April 19 against Darton. The first game is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Trembling Earth Complex in Waycross.

Waycross College has been a proud member of the University System of Georgia since the College’s founding in 1976.

Katelyn Baxley tries to reach first after laying down a bunt against Andrew College April 15.

Samantha Howard slides safely into second base against Andrew College. The Swamp Foxes clinched a spot in the GCAA conference tournament to be played April 29-30 and May 1 in Locust Grove, Ga.