EMORY, Va. - The Emory & Henry College Softball Team had another successful season in Head Coach Tommy Forrester's second year at the helm, posting back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time since 2003-04. The Wasps fought to a third-place finish in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament, eliminating three teams in the process, including the defending ODAC Champion and number five team in the nation, Virginia Wesleyan College.
"The players really stepped up in the ODAC Tournament," said Forrester. "Even though we had some success during the regular season, we still said all year long that our best softball was in front of us - and that proved to be true. Those three wins in the tournament were complete team efforts and proved we are ready to compete consistently with the top teams in this league."
E&H started the season with an 18-1 record, and finished its non-conference schedule with a perfect 13-0 mark. The team was led on and off the field by a strong senior class. Pitcher Brandy Bryant led the Wasps in wins (nine), complete games (12), strikeouts (53), and ERA (2.00), topping the ODAC in saves with four. The senior from Salem, Virginia made a lasting impact on the ODAC Tournament as well as she was named to the All-Tournament team after earning two wins, a save, and notching an ERA of 0.68.
Along with Bryant, senior Roxanne Hillman (Clintwood, Va.) was an integral part of the pitching staff. Hillman earned seven wins with a 2.28 ERA and struck out 33 batters. At the plate, she hit .333 with two doubles and seven RBI. Katie Grimm (Staunton, Va.), who was mainly a relief pitcher for the Wasps, went 4-0 on the season for the second year in a row. Bethany Anderson (Dublin, Va.) batted .288, hitting a home run and five doubles to go along with nine RBI in her final season as a Wasp.
Emory & Henry saw three players named to the All-ODAC teams this season, all of whom were freshmen. Centerfielder Leah Elswick (Raven, Va.) made the first team after hitting .398 with a team-high 11 doubles and making sensational plays in the outfield. Third baseman Caley Hodge and outfielder Danielle Loving were both named to the all-league third team. Hodge, an Elizabethton, Tennessee native, paced the ODAC with 11 home runs, while finishing third in RBI (38) and second in slugging percentage (.733). Loving (Elizabethton, Tenn.), Hodge's high-school teammate, posted a nine-game hitting streak on her way to a .366 batting average, and earned all-league laurels in a brand new position.
In addition to strong pitching, the Wasps made a statement with the bats, finishing in the top five in the ODAC in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, home runs and runs batted in. Juniors Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.) and Taylor Doss (Damascus, Va.) hit .317 and .283, on the year, respectively. With one more year to play and 21 home runs, Bays needs just one more round-tripper to match the Emory & Henry career record.
Junior pitcher Taylor Banner (Castlewood, Va.) finished her season with a 6-3 record along with 21 strikeouts. The Castlewood, Virginia native earned the victory against Virginia Wesleyan in the ODAC Tournament, holding the Marlins to one run in 6.2 innings pitched. Banner also came on strong offensively at the end of the season for the Wasps, hitting .444 with 5 runs batted in.
Perhaps the Wasps' biggest strength this season was their stellar defense. The team posted a fielding percentage of .957 and made many highlight reel plays during the season. The shortstop-second base combination of junior Alyssa Clark (Hiltons, Va.) and sophomore Riley Pudney (Beech Mountain, Va.) were major players in the Wasps' ODAC-leading 18 double plays on the season. Doss made only one error out of 234 chances for a .996 fielding percentage and sophomore Jordan Chrisley (Dublin, Va.) continued to be one of the best defensive catchers in the league, throwing out seven would-be base stealers and saving countless bases as she corralled balls which found the dirt.
"We were able to accomplish several team goals this season. It was nice to get over 25 wins, get double-digit wins in the ODAC, finish top three in the tournament, defeat some really good teams, and lead the ODAC in double plays," Forrester added. "The best thing about the 2015 season is that our program took another step towards winning an ODAC Championship. Our returning players are more motivated to work hard right now than I have seen since I have been here and we have another strong recruiting class coming in. Our goal is to win championships and we will not stop working until we get there."
E&H made a statement with its upset victories in April's ODAC Tournament as the number six seed, and with only four seniors, the Wasps will look to continue improving and moving up the ODAC ladder in 2016.
-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15
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