Softball Moves Up to No. 6 In NCAA Division II Southeast Region
The Coker College softball team has been ranked sixth in the latest Southeast Region, as announced by the NCAA on Wednesday, April 25. The Cobras finished the regular season in second place in the South Atlantic Conference with a record of 33-15 and 12-8 in conference play and will be the No. 2 seed in the upcoming tournament.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Coker College softball team has been ranked sixth in the latest Southeast Region, as announced by the NCAA on Wednesday, April 25. The Cobras finished the regular season in second place in the South Atlantic Conference with a record of 33-15 and 12-8 in conference play and will be the No. 2 seed in the upcoming tournament.
In the first poll, Coker was placed in the seventh spot, but after a split with Lincoln Memorial for the regular season finale, the Cobras jumped to sixth in the region.
The No. 1 team in the region, North Georgia, was handed their first loss of the season by the Cobras in March. Coker split their series with No. 4 Queens (N.C.) and No. 8 North Greenville. Next, the Navy and Gold went on to sweep No. 10 Carson-Newman by scores of 5-2 and 8-0 (5).
In the friendly confines of Saleeby-Stokes Field, Coker is an impressive 15-3 on the season. To start 2018, the team went 14-0 and most recently won 11 of their last 14 games.
The Cobras are led offensively by 66 hits off the bat of first baseman Maria Williamson, who also leads the team with 10 homers, 49 RBI, 25 walks, and .699 slugging percentage. Anna Gluhosky is also having a solid sophomore season with 41 hits, 31 runs, four doubles, two triples, and a home run, alongside 20 RBI, 20 walks, two stolen bases on a .306/.403/.388 slashline.
In the circle, Christine Carver (16-6, 1.86 ERA) heads up the staff in 139 innings pitched, giving up 37 earned runs and 98 hits, while striking out 108 batters. Nikki Linthicum (7-2, 4.57) and Taylor Forehand (8-5, 2.59) have been impressive as of late, combining for 118 strikeouts, five saves, and only 73 earned runs.
As of April 24, the Coker pitching staff finished the regular season as the statistical champion in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.15. Williamson earned the statistical champion title for her .452 batting average, along with ended the regular season second in on base percentage (.523) and third in both hits (66) and RBIs (49). Carver completed the regular season with top marks in hits allowed per seven innings (4.94) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.18), alongside a second place finish with a 1.86 ERA. Forehand had four saves on the season in a tie for first in the conference.
The Cobras will open postseason play on Friday, April 27 versus Catawba College at the hosting Anderson University (S.C.) with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Full rankings can be found at https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/softball/d2.