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Coach Kate Neely’s EMCC softball team opens the 2010 campaign by playing host to Copiah-Lincoln on Wednesday (Feb. 10) and then entertaining Pearl River on Tuesday (Feb. 16).
Head coach Kate Neely returns only two players – pitcher Courtney Nunn and outfielder Portia Randle – from last year’s 24-23 EMCC squad. Finishing third in the MACJC’s North Division standings with a 15-9 league record a year ago, the Lady Lions closed out the 2009 campaign winning 10 of their last 13 decisions on the year.
“We managed to achieve some goals last season,” Neely noted. “It was a good experience for us to taste that success and allow the players to gain some confidence.”
A sophomore right-hander from Jonesboro, La., Nunn went 10-12 in the circle a year ago for the Lady Lions, while ranking among the national leaders with 156 strikeouts. Randle, a Starkville High School product, saw considerable action in the EMCC outfield as a freshman.
The 2010 Lady Lions feature 14 first-year players on their preseason roster, including Cayla Coleman of Clarkdale, New Hope’s DeShuni Sanders, Mallory Pace of Northeast Lauderdale, and Choctaw Central’s Mercedes Cotton.
“Overall, we have a great freshman class,” Neely added. “We have brought in some needed speed and have added some kids who can play small ball.”
Having received votes in this year’s NJCAA Division II Women’s Softball preseason poll, the East Mississippi softball team will remain at home to play host to Pearl River on Tuesday, Feb. 16, before finishing out the remaining month of February on the road.