2014 Softball
All-Tournament Team
Kaitlyn White, USC Aiken
Molly Whittington, Flagler
Kacie Patterson, Armstrong
Haley Ellis, Armstrong
Suzanne Carney, Columbus State
Morgan Staffins, Columbus State
Victoria Sink, North Georgia
Courtney Poole, North Georgia
Jessica Finch, North Georgia
Tournament MVP
Lindsey DeFee, Columbus State
Southeastern Oklahoma Eliminates No. 19 Pirates, 9-3,
From NCAAs
SALEM, Va. - Southeastern Oklahoma scored seven unanswered runs to
eliminate No. 19-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University, 9-3, from
the NCAA Division II Softball Championships in Salem, Va., on Saturday
evening at the James I. Moyer Complex.
Southeastern Oklahoma (45-19) advances to Sunday’s semifinal
round, where it will face Valdosta State. The Pirates see their second
straight trip to the Softball Championships end with a 36-15 overall record.
The Savage Storm took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning
on a sacrifice fly by Laramie Beal. Armstrong answered in the top of the
second inning on sophomore Hannah Reppert’s 13th home run of the
season, tying the score at 1-1.
Junior Alexis Mercer delivered a solo shot in the third inning to put
the Pirates up, 2-1. It was her 26th home run of the season and the fourth
of the Championships. Sophomore Haley Ellis then drove in a run with an
RBI single in the fourth to put the Pirates up, 3-1.
Southeastern Oklahoma would take ta 4-3 lead in the bottom of the
fourth inning on a two-run single by Courtney Riddle and an RBI triple
by Arianna Jones. The Savage Storm then put the game out of reach with
five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, keyed by a two-run home run
by Beal.
Mindy McElroy (29-11) picked up the win for Southeastern Oklahoma, hurling four innings of two-hit, one-run ball, walking one while
striking out one. Ollivia McLemore (25-8) took the loss for the Pirates,
giving up eight hits and six runs in five-plus innings of work, walking one
while striking out two.
Reppert went 2-for-3 with two runs scored to pace the Pirates offensively, while Mercer and Ellis had the only other two hits. Armstrong
was outhit, 11-4, the first time in Salem that the Pirates were outhit.
Beal’s two hits and three RBIs led the Savage Storm, while Riddle
went 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
Armstrong finishes its season by making a second straight trip to the
NCAA Softball Championships, capturing the Southeast Region championship and setting a new school and Peach Belt Conference record for
home runs with 80. The Pirates lose three seniors - Kacie Patterson, Kat
Vogler and Andrea Dalton - and return 13 players for 2015.
Okvist Breaks PBC Career Stolen Base Record!
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Georgia College senior Whitney Okvist (Kennesaw,
Ga.) entered last weekend’s opening Peach Belt Conference (PBC) doubleheader games at Young Harris College on the verge of making history
on the Bobcat and PBC all-time lists. When the weekend ended, she took
over one PBC record, two Bobcat records and became primed to enter the
NCAA Division II all-time stolen base top-10 list.
Okvist entered the Young Harris contests tied with Danielle Peters
(UNC Pembroke) for the all-time PBC stolen base record with 144, and
tied for No. 15 on the NCAA Division II all-time stolen bases list. She also
was listed on the Georgia College all-time hits list at No. 3 with 208, and
the Bobcats’ all-time runs scored list at No. 2 with 150.
After the Bobcats won the opener 6-3, Okvist’s assault on the record
book began. Her two stolen bases in that game gave her the all-time PBC
career stolen bases record with 146, and moved her up to No. 14 on the
NCAA Division II all-time stolen bases list. Her three hits in the opener
moved her into a tie atop the Bobcats’ all-time hits list with 211 with
Diana Baruffa (2003-06), after leapfrogging over No. 2 Aundrea Baker’s
(03-06) total of 210. Okvist’s two runs scored in that game also moved
her into a tie atop the Bobcats’ all-time runs scored list with Joni Frei
(2001-04) with 150.
In the second game at Young Harris last weekend, Okvist took over
the all-time Bobcats hits and runs scored titles as well as adding to her
PBC stolen bases total, while moving up on the NCAA Division II stolen
bases all-time list.
She recorded two hits in the second game to break the tie and move
her into sole possession of the Bobcats’ all-time hit list with 213. Okvist
also scored two more runs in the second game to break that tie and move
her into sole possession of the Bobcats’ all-time runs scored list with 154.
Her one stolen base in the second game, brought her career total to 147
and moved her into a tie for 12th on the NCAA Division II stolen bases
all-time list.
2014 Peach Belt
Softball
Elite 15 Awards presented by GradesFirst
Alyssa Cook, USC Aiken
All-Academic Team
Marisa Boyette
Georgia College
Victoria Burkett
USC Aiken
Suzanne Carney
Columbus St.
Alyssa Cook
USC Aiken
Katie Garrett
North Georgia
Casey Googe
Columbus St.
Brittany Henry
Young Harris
Chelsea Hodges
Georgia Southwestern
Kristen Humphries Georgia College
Natalie Klemann
UNC Pembroke
Abi LeRoy