Lady Jags claim Western Division title

Southern’s softball team is on fire at just the right time.
After sweeping Pine Bluff and beating Southeastern 4-2, the Lady Jaguars have won four straight in route to claiming their third straight Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division championship. Despite a rough start to the 2006 season, Southern is gelling nicely as a unit and is playing some of it best softball to date.
“This team has come a long way,” said senior pitcher Jayme Roberts. “We started with a very young group of girls and we had to take baby steps, we had to teach a lot. But we’re ready; we’re ready for the SWAC (championship).”
The Lady Jaguars (24-22 overall, 17-7 SWAC) are now preparing for the upcoming SWAC Softball Championship at the Mississippi Valley State University Devilettes Softball Complex April 27-30.
For the third consecutive year, both the host team, Mississippi Valley State Devilettes (20-26 overall, 16-4 SWAC), and Southern University Lady Jaguars will represent the SWAC Eastern and Western Divisions respectively as number one seeds.
“This team is different, a young team, but different,” said softball head coach Nancy Marshall. “They are going to make a big difference, especially when they step out on the field.”
Though Southern and Mississippi Valley are favored to reach the championship game, Coach Marshall expressed that they are going to take it one game at a time.
“We’re trying to get ready for the winner of the Jackson State-Prairie View game, we are not looking that far ahead now,” Marshall said. “But if it gets to that point, we are going to do what we got to do.”
Lady Jaguar’s softball team also placed five players on the 2006 softball All-SWAC team. Joining Roberts on the first team is senior pitcher Jamila Taylor, sophomore catcher Brittany Richardson, and freshmen second baseman Denean Woods. Sophomore outfielder Tiffany Darville was named to the second team.
The Defensive Player of the Year award was presented to sophomore Courtney Chappell. Chappell played in 44 games finishing with a fielding percentage of .922, recording 85 assists and 69 putouts. She also had a batting average of .264 while tallying 33 hits, three doubles, a home run and 15 runs batted in. She also was 9-for-9 in stolen base opportunities.
“I feel honored, I’ve been working real hard this year,” said Courtney Chappell. “We have what it takes and as our hitting stays up, we can go all the way.”
The Lady Jaguars will play the Lady Tigers of Jackson State today at 12:30 p.m. Jackson State defeated Prairie View A&M 9-2 in the first round of the 2006 SWAC softball tournament.
NOTES
Senior pitcher Samisha Bledsoe was named SWAC Pitcher of the Week. In two appearances with one start, she pitched 9.0 innings allowing only three hits and two walks. She struck out six batters en route to a 1-0 record and a save.