July 23, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

SMC Softball Expected To Hit It Big In Upcoming Season
13 New Recruits Join 11 Returning Players For 2007/2008 Season

SPARTANBURG, SC – With 13 new recruits joining 11 returning players, Spartanburg Methodist College’s recently announced 2007-2008 softball lineup may be its best to date, says head coach Rick Pauly.

“This recruiting class may be the strongest in the history of the SMC Softball program. We went head-to-head in recruiting with many of the state NCAA Division I and Division II schools and fared very well. We will have a very competitive team,” says Pauly.

 Six of the this year’s recruits were selected to All-State Teams and eight were selected to play in this summer’s Annual High School North/South All Star Games.

Upstate South Carolina recruits joining the team are Holly Hyder, an All-State pitcher from Landrum High School; Morgan Green, a North/South All-Star selection from Daniel High School; Alyssa Starkey, a North/South All-Star selection from Chapman High School; and Brittany Scoggins another North/South All-Star selection from Boiling Springs High School.

 “This area of the state is turning out some great ball players and these girls are some of the best,” says Pauly.

Recruits Cayce Minton, a catcher/utility player from Rock Hill High School, and Alex Windham, a second baseman from Fort Mill High School are both AAAA All-State players.

Brooke Lewis, a Polk County High School graduate from Lake Lure, NC, is an All-State selection at 3rd base, leading western North Carolina high schools in batting average in the 2007 season.

The central and coastal areas of South Carolina have also served as prime recruiting area this year.

Laura Trout, the Stratford High School AAAA All-State selection at shortstop, will be a welcome addition to the middle infield. Nicole Wieranga, a three-year starter at catcher also from Stratford will be counted on to bolster the backstop position. Additionally, Shantee Rivers, an All-State selection from Dutch Fork High School, will be counted on to add outstanding speed defensively in the outfield and power at the plate.

The final contingent of recruits are Canadians, whom Pauly saw compete last summer in their Provincial tournament in Toronto.

Joining the SMC softball team from the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area are Jennifer Lamonica, a pitcher/infielder from Loretto Abbey Catholic High Schoo in Toronto; Heather Robinson, a pitcher/infielder from Jacob Hespeler Secondary School in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada; and Jayme Sky a shortstop/3rd baseman from Brantford Collegiate High School in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada, all of whom were MVPs for their respective high school teams.

 “On top of their outstanding softball skills, I like their toughness which may stem from their days of competing in ice hockey,” Pauly says.

Pauly is very pleased with the caliber of this year’s recruits and of its returning players. He says this year’s team has an impressive edge and will prove itself to be very competitive.

“We have a strong group of returning players so with the addition of this group of recruits I expect to compete for the Region Championship this season. We have strengthened ourselves at every position defensively and added some real pop to the batting line-up .We had five girls graduate last spring leaving some openings, so competition within the team should be brisk and interesting.  It will be comforting to know that we have lots of options to make defensive and offensive moves throughout the games,” adds Pauly.

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Spartanburg Methodist College is in its 96th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.

For more information, please contact head softball coach Rick Pauly at (864) 587-4399.

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