By Douglas Kidd
The William Peace University softball team is hoping to compete for a conference tournament playoff spot this spring with an end goal of lifting a USA South championship trophy.
The Pacers season started Feb. 17 with a two games against Sweet Briar College, ending with one loss and one win.
“Our team goals this season are to finish within the top three rankings for regular season play and win the conference tournament,” said senior Logan Ayers, a shortstop on the team.
Last season, the Pacers came close to that goal, finishing with a 10-8 conference record and finishing fourth in the conference regular season. However, this season the Pacers are looking to put themselves in a better position to win the conference tournament than last year.
In 2023, the Pacers finished with a 24-18 record while playing a challenging schedule against many Old Dominion Athletic Conference teams as well as top schools like Christopher Newport, and Division I opponent North Carolina Central.
Ultimately, after a long season, the Pacers were knocked out in the semi-finals of the conference tournament.
The Pacers, however, did not disappoint last year for all-conference recognition. Katie Murphy and Adanya Day were both selected for first-team selections, while Anna Suggs was a second-team selection. Madeline Bevins was also recognized on the all-sportsmanship team.
Day and Murphy were consistent leaders in the statistics last season with Day having a .385 batting average, 47 hits, nine home runs, and 35 RBI. Murphy led the team with a 2.01 ERA, 139 strikeouts, and 15 wins.
“The coach’s message to the team is to be fully committed to the coaches, our teammates, and the program as a whole,” said Ayers.
Pacers coach Charlie Dobbins has high expectations for his players, she said.
“He encourages us to always give maximum effort at all times and to always leave it all out on the field,” said Ayers.
The team has been working hard this preseason even outside of practice.
“Over winter break I would do strength training and cardio training to prepare for softball season,” said Ayers, “I would also workout with my dad on the softball field to get reps hitting and in the field.”
The extra work is needed as the Pacers schedule doesn’t look to get easier this season. However, with many players returning after only graduating four seniors last year, the Pacers should be able to cope with the tough schedule.
“This season we are looking forward to traveling to Alabama to play Huntingdon College and Mount St Joseph February 23rd-25th,” said Ayers. “We are also looking forward to our Pink Game against Brevard, playing our cross-town rival Meredith and we’re looking forward to playing Greensboro on Senior Day.”
The Pacers were selected fifth in the USA South preseason polls which are voted on by the coaches prior to the season. Although the Pacers will be disappointed with that selection, they look to use it to their advantage as many teams will underestimate the talented team due to their ranking.
The softball program at Peace has improved and looks to keep that way.
“Since my arrival at Peace, I have been able to see the continuous growth and development within the softball program,” said Ayers. “I am excited to continue to watch the growth of the program.”
If you want to catch the Pacers softball team in action this season, they have 20 home games through the spring semester.
All information and statistics from William Peace University Athletics and USASouth.net