SCOOBA – In helping lead the East Mississippi Community College softball team to a fourth straight MACJC State Tournament appearance, five members of the Lady Lions’ 2012 squad have earned postseason recognition for their on-field accomplishments.  NJCAA All-Region 23 and MACJC All-State/North Division softball selections were announced this week, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Sophomore catcher/third baseman Stormy Lewis headlined EMCC’s list of 2012 honorees by being named to the 15-member NJCAA All-Region 23 squad and making the 10-player All-MACJC North Division First Team.  Also for the Lady Lions, sophomore first baseman Cory Roberson was selected to the All-MACJC North Division Second Team, while EMCC teammates Paige Sheppard, Amber Spann and Shelby Sheppard each collected All-MACJC North Division Honorable Mention accolades.

 

Lewis, a former standout at Quitman High School, led head coach Kate Neely’s EMCC Lady Lions in batting average (.441), hits (49), home runs (4), runs batted in (27) and on-base percentage (.500) this past season.  Having already signed with Delta State University, Lewis transferred to the Scooba campus after playing her freshman season at Meridian Community College.  With her all-region selection, Lewis will now be eligible for NJCAA All-American consideration.  

Roberson, one of four former Clarkdale High School products on EMCC’s 2012 roster, batted .254 with 15 runs batted in this past year.  Defensively, she was stellar at first base with only one error in 176 chances for an impressive .994 fielding percentage.

A sophomore shortstop for the Lady Lions, Paige Sheppard hit .269 on the year with a team-leading 16 extra-base hits, including 14 doubles.  The former Southeast Lauderdale High School product was second on the EMCC team with 25 RBIs in addition to scoring 23 runs on the season.   

Spann, also hailing from Clarkdale’s successful softball program, was EMCC’s second-leading hitter with a .350 batting average this past season.  Along with nine extra-base hits, the freshman outfielder scored a team-high 31 runs and knocked in another 20 runs on the year.

 

Fellow freshman Shelby Sheppard paced EMCC’s pitching staff with an 8-6 record and team-best 2.69 earned run average this past spring.  The former Kemper Academy standout allowed 65 hits, while striking out 47 and issuing 28 walks, in 78 innings of work as a collegiate rookie for the Lady Lions.

 

As a team, the EMCC Lady Lions were 18-24 overall this past year and finished fourth in the MACJC’s North Division standings with a 12-12 record.  Their fourth consecutive MACJC State Softball Tournament appearance was halted by eventual state champion and NJCAA Region 23 Tournament runner-up Jones County Junior College, currently ranked third in the nation.