PBC Softball Tournament Begins on Friday

FLORENCE, S.C. – The Peach Belt Conference will hold its 15th annual softball tournament beginning at noon on Friday at the Freedom Florence Complex in Florence, S.C. Nine eligible teams will compete in the three-day double-elimination event with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The surprise #1 seed for the tournament is UNC Pembroke, who won their first-ever PBC Regular Season Championship in 2008. The Lady Braves, picked eighth in the preseason coaches poll, come in with a 17-1 conference record this year and lead the league in scoring. The Lady Braves will rely on the pitching of freshman phenom Martika Elmore, who is fourth in the league with a 1.71 ERA and second with 207 strikeouts. Britanny Berrier led the PBC with her .429 batting average and 44 RBIs.

The only team to take a game from UNCP was Armstrong Atlantic State, who is the second seed. The Lady Pirates come into Florence with four straight conference wins, including a sweep of then-#4 Francis Marion. Ashley Bain and Natalie Vogler have both driven 34 or more runs this year while pitcher Sam Floyd is sixth in strikeouts. AASU will also look to Jacquie who is 4-1 in her last five outings.

GCSU is the third seed with a 12-6 conference record. The Lady Bobcats won 22 of 23 games at one point during the season and are the best pitching team in the tournament with a league-best 1.47 team ERA. Sherquita Bostick has been named a PBC Player of the Week twice this year and is fourth in the PBC in hitting with a .407 average. Mandy Chandler has set the world on fire from the rubber this season. The senior leads the league with a 0.79 ERA and 251 strikeouts.

North Georgia will be making their first-ever appearance in the PBC Tournament after becoming full NCAA Division II members last summer. The Lady Saints are tied with Francis Marion for the best-hitting team in the league with a .315 average. NGCSU has gotten it done with young talent with freshman Tiffany Blackburn hitting .456 and freshman Sarah Phillips on the rubber with a 1.72 ERA.

Defending tournament champion Columbus State is the fifth seed. The Lady Cougars are hitting .307 as a team this year and seem to have overcome a rough patch in the middle of the season with eight wins in their last 11 games. Carrie Jones is ranked in the top 10 in hitting with a .370 average.

Host Francis Marion is the sixth seed after finishing the year 10-8 and in a three-way tie for fourth. The Patriots came out on the wrong end of the tiebreaker, but have the offensive firepower to get to the championship. FMU is tied with North Georgia as the best-hitting team in the PBC with a .315 average. They are also second in slugging percentage and fourth in home runs. Shannan Tyson is currently third in the PBC with a .411 batting average while Monica Wofford is seventh in hitting and sixth in home runs.

Seventh-seeded USC Aiken will look to 2007 co-PBC Player of the Year Jessica Strickland for power. Strickland is hitting .379 and is 10th in the league in RBIs and sixth in home runs. Augusta State has had to battle injuries all year and enter as the #8 seed. Pitcher Amy Dumas led the nation in strikeouts a year ago and is currently third in the league after missing some time late in the season. Lander rounds out the field and will look to the bat of Lindsey Whitfield who was tied for second in the PBC with 10 home runs.

The tournament will begin with games on three fields at noon on Friday and continue until the championship game on Sunday at 3:00 with an if-necessary game to follow at 5:00. Daily admission will be ages 13 and above $5, ages 6-12 $3, and ages under 6 free.