FDTC heads to NJCAA World Series
Florence Darlington Technical College Stingers Softball Team.
Photos courtesy of Florence Darlington Technical College
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.nett
Ranked #14 in the nation, the Florence-Darlington Technical College Stingers Softball team is headed to the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division II World Series, starting May 16 in Clinton, Mississippi.
With a record of 30 wins and 10 losses, the Stingers secured passage to the World Series by winning the Region X/District F tournament over the May 7-8 weekend in Burlington, NC, taking three of four games through strong pitching and timely hitting.
Former Darlington High School Falcon pitcher Ramsey Sherrill took the mound for all four games, hurling a total of 450 pitches over two days.
Ramsey Sherrill
“That’s extraordinary for a pitcher to weather four games,” says FDTC Coach Heber Watson, noting that Sherrill’s performance was a testament to her competitive drive. “The velocity of ball didn’t change that much from her first pitch to the 450th pitch, and I don’t know how she did that.”
The double-elimination tournament provided some highs and lows, with FDTC beating Surry Community College 6-3 Friday, losing Saturday 3-1 to Pasco-Hernando State of Tampa, Florida, then fighting their way out of the loser’s bracket by beating Richard Bland 6-4 and Pasco-Hernando 8-5 to win a place in the championship game.
The Stingers ended up taking the title with a 4-3 win against Pasco-Hernando, where Sherrill pitched a complete game and received run support from Anna Warley (2-for-3 with three RBI), Adrianna Weatherford (3-for-4, two doubles, RBI), Kayli Miles (2-for-4, two runs) and Heather Kirby (2-for-3 with a homer and two RBI).
“I want to commend Adrianna Weatherford for coming off the bench and making a big performance. Heather Kirby has been a mainstay of our program for the past two years and is one of those players who comes through with the longball at crucial times,” said Coach Watson, also praising Anna Warley and Kayli Miles for their consistency at the plate, and the entire team for the strong work and team spirit that has propelled FDTC onto the national stage.
Sherrill earned Tournament MVP honors, and Weatherford, Warley, and Kirby won All-Tournament Player honors.
Follow along with the Stingers as they begin World Series play next week; live streaming video of games is available through www.NJCAATV.com, and in-game updates are available through Twitter by following @TechSoftball
