At the first of the season, JSU softball coach Jana McGinnis told her team that they would not be a home run hitting team; they would win their games by hitting singles and hitting to the gap.McGinnis has more than likely reassessed her perception of her team as it was the long ball that propelled the Gamecocks to an OVC regular season championship, and with eight more home runs last weekend, to their first OVC Tournament championship and the right to advance to the NCAA Regionals at Tuscaloosa.
JSU, which has not played in the NCAA Regionals since 1996, will now move on to face Florida State on Thursday at 4 pm.
JSU enters the tournament at No. 6 in the nation with 64 home runs for a 1.31 per game average and added to that average with eight more home runs during the tournament.
None will be remembered more than the walk off three-run home run by Courtney Underwood, her second of the tournament, to give the Gamecocks a 10-1 mercy rule win over No. 5 seed Tennessee Tech for the championship.
“It was awesome,” McGinnis said of the ball that sailed over the fence. “I sat there thinking that everything in this game was a culmination of what this team is all about, different players stepping up to make big plays.”
The Gamecocks (38-14), were in a word, dominant, as they swept the three day OVC tournament in three games, two of them, both against Tennessee Tech, were won with identical scores, 10-1, with the mercy rule. Sandwiched in between those two wins was a 5-3 win over Samford.
Samford, coming into the tournament as the No.6 team, instantly became the giant killers knocking off No.3 Eastern Kentucky and then No. 2 Morehead State. Its play didn’t surprise McGinnis. “I knew they were the hottest team coming in. They had to go to UT-Martin and win three just to get into the tournament and they won three. We said coming into the tournament that the two teams that we might be playing in the championship game would be Samford or Tennessee Tech.”
Samford lost to Tennessee Tech in the semi-final game with a walk-off home run by Stephanie Fischer, who hit her 27th home run of the season for a new single-season OVC record.
“I knew that with Tech we couldn’t count them out,” said McGinnis. “I knew they had too much talent to not be in the championship. They’ve been here and done that before. To have Ashley Eliasson, a freshman, step up and only give up two runs against a great team was something.”
The Gamecocks, not known for one particular standout player, won on the performance of a total team effort, with many players stepping up to make big time plays.
Rachel Fleming, tournament MVP, hit .556 for the tournament, and made spectacular defensive plays in the outfield. Also named to the All-tournament team was Eliasson who was credited with all three wins with a 1.75 ERA.
Catcher Allie Barker and first baseman Nikki Prier each hit .400 and were the two other Gamecocks named to the tournament team. Both were tied with 14 home runs coming into the tournament but Barker hit a home run in the third game against Tennessee Tech to give her the lead with 15.
While only four Gamecocks were named to the tournament team, the entire team contributed in significant ways. Chrissy O’Neal and Underwood both hit two home runs, and Whitney Elder, Kayla Collins, Fleming and Barker each added one.
Without doubt one of the greatest defensive plays came in the fifth inning of the championship game. With two out and runners on second and third, assistant Coach Julie Boland repositioned right fielder Jackie Jarman. The ball was hit to right field where Jarman ran it down for the third out.
“One of their leading hitters was up to bat,” explained Boland. “We had been throwing her outside and she had been struggling with that. We moved our right fielder (Jarman) off the line and we said, ’Go get it’ and she did-she chased it down. I think it could have been a double, maybe a game changer.”
McGinnis laughingly said she gave Boland the Most Valuable Play of the game for her insight. “I jokingly told her ‘That’s why you make the big bucks.’”
The Gamecocks will now travel to take on a strong Florida State team (37-26) at the Alabama softball complex. Also in the NCAA Regional tournament are No. 3 ranked Alabama (51-6) and UT-Chattanooga (41-20).
All Gamecock games will be broadcast live on the JSU Radio Network.
