(Atlantic) The #8th Atlantic Softball team begins Regional Tournament play tonight at home against 11-13 Cherokee, Washington. The Trojans enter the game with a 31-6 record, having won ten of their last 11 games.
Atlantic Head Coach Terry Hinzmann says the main thing in the postseason is to be playing your best softball at this time of year.
Coach Hinzmann credits the team’s regular-season success to its leadership. Hinzmann says all the seniors, and even a couple of underclassmen, are to thank for that. He says most of the seniors have started at some point over the past five years.
The Trojans are hitting .368 on the season, with 281 runs batted in and 23 home runs. The RBI total exceeds last season’s by 54 runs and 16 home runs.
Coach Hinzmann says Cherokee, Washington, has some impressive batting averages. Sophie Thorson is hitting .565, Sarah Lee is hitting .400, and Aria Winkel is hitting .333. He also expects to see a good pitcher in Mahren Malusky, who sports a 2.89 ERA and averages one strikeout per inning. Another note is that the Braves are aggressive on the base paths, with 65 stolen bases on the season.
The Trojans have also shown aggressive base running with 63 stolen bases. Another key for the Trojans is the depth in the circle. Peyton McLaren is 13-0 with an ERA of 1.76 in 83 innings. Brynn Lamp is 17-5 with a 2.40 ERA over 113 innings. And 8th-grader Kinsley Johnson has thrown some innings and sports a 2.07 ERA.
We will have the broadcast on 95.7 F.M., and audio streamed on westerniowatoday.com. The pregame starts at 6:30 with the first pitch at 7:00 p.m.
