HARTSVILLE, S.C.- The Coker College softball team will square off with the Mars Hill University Lions in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday, April 14. Senior Day recognition for Courtney Boan and Hannah Price will precede game one at approximately 12:45 p.m.
Boan has played in 128 games for Coker, scoring 34 runs, with 28 hits including two doubles. She has batted in 12 runners, drawing six walks. Boan is 17-for-20 in the stolen base category and is responsible for 87 putouts with a .968 fielding percentage. The Patrick, S.C. native is the daughter of Gail Cross and Chris Boan and will be graduating with a degree in English with a minor in professional writing.
After graduation, Boan plans to teach secondary English, preferably in a small town district, while obtaining a PACE certification. The ultimate goal is to help students from small town with their writing since statistics show that these student struggle in their first years at college.
Price is two-time South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week in her career, along with earning All-Conference Honorable Mention at third base in 2017. In her career, Price has played in 153 games, scored 48 runs with 117 hits, including 20 doubles, a triple, and eight home runs. She has batted in 78 runners with 25 walks. Price has a career batting average of .282, on base percentage of .348, and a slugging percentage of .393. She is responsible for 150 putouts. The Surfside Beach, S.C. native is daughter of Angie and Dan Price and will be graduating with a degree in physical education with a minor in sports management.
After graduation, Price plans to live either in Surfside Beach, S.C. or in Charlotte, N.C. and enter into the PACE program to become a PE teacher.
The Cobras (29-13, 8-6 SAC) are led by the offense of Maria Williamson with 59 hits, 26 runs, five doubles, 10 home runs, 47 RBI, 23 walks, with a .461/.532/.734 slashline. Anna Gluhosky is also having a great season with 36 hits, 29 runs, three doubles, two triples, and a home run, alongside 17 RBI, 18 walks, two stolen bases on a .319/.415/.407 line.
On the mound, Christine Carver (13-6, 1.99 ERA) heads up the staff in 116.1 innings pitched, giving up 33 earned runs and 86 hits, while striking out 91 batters. Nikki Linthicum (7-1, 4.48) and Taylor Forehand (7-4, 2.59) have been impressive as of late, combining for 97 strikeouts, four saves, and only 63 earned runs.
As of April 11, the Coker pitching staff is second in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.00. Individually, Forehand leads the SAC with four saves, good for 12th nationally. Carver is first in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 3.03. Williamson tops the SAC in six different categories: hits (59, sixth nationally), batting average (.461), home runs (10), on base percentage (.532), RBI (47, 10th in the nation), and total bases (94). She also claims second with a slugging percentage of .734.
The Lions (13-15, 4-10 SAC) have scored 158 runs through 28 games, alongside 239 hits, 104 strikeouts, 72 walks, and 30 home runs. The pitching staff combines for a 5.69 ERA with 144 earned runs, 237 hits, 98 walks, 23 home runs, and 92 strikeouts.
Game one is set for a 1:00 p.m. start, with the gates of Saleeby-Stokes Softball Field opening at 12:00 p.m. Game two will begin at approximately 3:00 p.m.
Tickets for the games are $5 for adults, $3 for students and free to all Coker faculty, staff and students. Live stats can be found at www.cokercobras.com.