Rollins Preps for NCAA South Region Softball Tournament
Tars earn #4 seed, will face West Florida on Wednesday
By: Rollins College Athletic Communications
The 2021 NCAA Division II Women's Softball playoff field was announced on Sunday night. The Rollins Tars were awarded the #4 seed following a 19-2 regular season that concluded with a Sunshine State Conference title. Games will be played in Valdosta, Georgia at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park, home of the Valdosta State Blazers.
South Region Tournament Schedule and Information
Live Broadcast
The Auburn Montgomery Warhawks are the top seed in the region, followed by the host Blazers. Alabama Huntsville checks in at number three, followed by Rollins at four, West Florida at five, and Mississippi College at six. Rollins is the only team from the Sunshine State Conference to make the field. The other five teams represent the Gulf South Conference. Auburn Montgomery won the GSC conference tournament, defeating Mississippi College in the championship game.
The tournament is double-elimination format. The #4 Tars will open up play against the #5 West Florida Argonauts on Wednesday, May 19 at 1:00 pm. The winner will advance to face the #1 seed Auburn Montgomery on Thursday, while the loser will play a second game on Wednesday night at 6:00 pm against the loser of the #3 Alabama Huntsville vs. #6 Mississippi College matchup.
Wednesday, May 19
1:00 pm - Game #1 - West Florida vs. Rollins
3:30 pm - Game #2 - Mississippi College vs. Alabama Huntsville
6:00 pm - Game #3 - Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2
Thursday, May 20
1:00 pm - Game #4 - Winner Game #1 vs. Auburn Montgomery
3:30 pm - Game #5 - Winner Game #2 vs. Valdosta State
6:00 pm - Game #6 - Loser Game #4 vs. Loser Game #5
Friday, May 21
1:00 pm - Game #7 - Winner Game #4 vs. Winner Game #5
3:30 pm - Game #8 - Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #6
6:00 pm - Game #9 - Loser Game #7 vs. Loser Game #8
Saturday,May 22
1:00 pm - Championship - Winner Game #7 vs. Winner Game #9
3:30 pm - Championship - Winner Game #7 vs. Winner Game #9 (If Necessary)
Meet The Teams
#4 Rollins Tars (19-2)
#21 NFCA Poll
Sunshine State Conference
Rollins has been a mainstay in the national poll for each of the past two seasons, and the Tars are eager for postseason play. They began the year 8-0 before dropping a game against #23 Saint Leo. They then ripped off another eight in a row before falling to Florida Tech. They wrapped up their season with a sweep of Florida Southern which gave them their first SSC title since 2014.
The Tars have dominated the circle all year long thanks to the efforts of Ali Shenefield and Ashley Worrell. Both pitchers were named to the Schutt Sports NFCA Top 30 Finalists for the Player/Pitcher of the Year. Shenefield has a sparkling 9-0 record on the year, totaling 57.2 innings. Her 0.73 ERA is the sixth lowest mark in all of NCAA D-II. She has 57 strikeouts against 12 walks, and is limiting opponents to a .168 batting average. Worrell has been phenomenal as well, posting a sub-1 ERA of her own (0.92) across 83.1 innings. She is 10-2 in 13 starts, and has struck out 72 batters while limiting hitters to a a paltry .147 average at the plate.
On offense, Chelsea Peace has paced the Tars. She leads the team in batting average (.367), at bats (60), hits (22), doubles (4), home runs (8), RBI (23), slugging (.833), and on-base percentage (.473). She has a hit, run, or RBI in 20 of the 21 games that the Tars played this season. Ashley Troutman is the table setter for the offense, getting on base at a .349 clip from the leadoff spot, and is a perfect 10-10 on stolen base attempts. Cynthia Whitty is second on the team in average (.364) and Worrell has added plenty of power with five home runs and 15 RBI. As a team, Rollins led the SSC in home runs (19), on-base percentage (.350), and slugging (.406) this season. They also committed the fewest errors of any team with 16, good for a 0.974 fielding percentage.
Rollins last won the South Region in 2016, and has eleven total South Region titles.
#1 Auburn Montgomery Warhawks (39-5)
#3 NFCA Poll
Gulf South Conference
The Warhawks are the hottest team in the country, having won their last 19 games in a row, culminating with a GSC championship last weekend. Their offense is led by Molly Cobb and Gia Martin. Cobb leads the team with a .426 average, but has plenty of pop in her bat with ten doubles, ten home runs and a .754 slugging percentage. Martin leads the Warhawks with 12 dingers to go with 36 RBI and 31 runs scored. Allie Miller is a threat on the bases, reaching at a .444 clip and swiping 31 bags in 35 attempts. The pitching staff is anchored by Bailie Barnes (15-2, 1.64 ERA, 70 K in 109 IP) and Alanna Goble (12-1, 2.62 ERA, 84 K in 92.2 innings).
#2 Valdosta State Blazers (34-8)
#9 NFCA Poll
Gulf South Conference
The hosts of the regional boast one of most impressive offenses in the country. Led by Player of the Year candidate Nicole Pennington, the Blazers have mashed 95 home runs in 42 games, the highest total in the country. Pennington is responsible for 23 of them to go along with a slash line of .432/.547/.1.024. She leads all of D-II in dingers, and is 5th nationally in on-base percentage and slugging. As a team. the Blazers are first in the country in home runs and slugging, and fifth in the country in on-base percentage. In the circle, Samantha Richards was als named to the NFCA Pitcher of the Year finalist list after going 23-5 with a 1.21 ERA and a whopping 215 strikeouts in 168 innings.
#3 Alabama Huntsville Chargers (31-12)
#16 NFCA Poll
Gulf South Conference
The Chargers may not have the power numbers like Auburn Montgomery or Valdosta State, but they can still wing it. UAH boasts a team batting average of .320, with seven starters hitting better than .310 on the season. Atop the list is Mackenzie Nutt, who is slashing .364/.461/.519 with 36 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. Kiara Akles is the slugger of the team, leading the way with eleven home runs and 46 RBI. The Chargers are aggressive on the bases, having swiped 96 bases in 106 tries. Six different players have started a game in the circle for Huntsville. Layton Murphy is the ace with a 15-4 record and a 2.26 ERA. The Chargers don't miss a ton of bats, as they have only tallied 180 strikeouts in 283 innings.
#5 West Florida Argonauts (30-14)
Receiving Votes NFCA Poll
Gulf South Conference
The Argos won five of their last six, but then dropped both of their GSC tournament games before squeaking into the regional with an at-large bid. Teala Howard is the catalyst for the offense, hitting a robust .448 on the season with 69 hits in 154 at-bats. She has eight doubles, three triples, and three home runs to go with 50 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. Her 69 hits are the eighth most in the country. Kara Wilson has also enjoyed success this year to the tune of a .329 batting average with a team-best eleven home runs and 37 RBI. The Argos roll three deep in the circle with Montana Young, Grace Gilbert and Kelsey Sweatt responsible for every pitch thrown this year. Sweatt leads the way with a 14-3 record and 116 strikeouts, but Young's 2.49 ERA is almost a half-point lower.
#6 Mississippi College Choctaws (21-20)
Not Ranked NFCA Poll
Gulf South Conference
The Choctaws made a near-Cinderella run in the Gulf South tournament, defeating UAH and Valdosta State before falling to the champion Auburn Montgomery. Their effort landed them the final at-large bid for the regional. McCall Lee is the leader on offense as she has the top batting average (.382), most hits (50), most home runs (8) and most RBI (36) on the team. Rayne Minor has been effective at the top of the order for Mississippi, hitting .320 with 31 runs scored and 27 steals. As a team, the Choctaws have a 3.62 ERA with only 176 strikeouts in 268.2 innings pitched. Avery Sanders is 10-13 on the year, but is responsible for 121 of those strikeouts.
A limited number of fans will be able to attend the games in person. Tickets are $10 per day, or $25 for a week pass.
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Courtesy of Rollins Athletic Communications