Reflecting Back on 2011

Now that the 2011 softball season has ended, it is a time of reflection of what occurred during the season that brought attention from the nation to TROY.

The Trojans not only produced on the field, but also helped raise money for Morgan Hasty and brought attention to her so that others could help in her fight with a rare form of cancer. Hasty is the daugher of two former Troy University student-athletes, and the team brought her to the Troy Softball Complex for the biggest home game of the year against nationally-ranked Alabama to throw out the first pitch.

On the field, the Trojans produced early and set records throughout.

The Trojans (32-27) started the year by winning 17 of their first 24 games, including a string of eight wins in nine contests from February 18 (Central Arkansas) to February 27 (Southern Miss). After that streak, the Trojans traveled out west to take on three teams ranked in the top 30 in the nation, and although they fell in all three of those contests, they kept it interesting only falling by a single run in each.

TROY returned home for conference play, but not before the injury bug hit. Junior Melissa Pratt, the starting catcher, was lost for the season; as was junior Jordan McAllister, a back-up outfielder and pitcher. The Trojans dropped two of three to ULM to start the conference slate, before falling in five consecutive conference games before a change in the lineup.

The Trojans were able to battle back in the conference race as they swept a conference series from WKU, and took series from Florida Atlantic and South Alabama to move up to the fifth seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

In the tournament, the Trojans pulled the only shocker of the opening round, as they upset fourth-seeded FIU 4-0 to move into the winner's bracket. The next contest, the Trojans fell to eventual champion Louisiana-Lafayette 7-3 (the only game in the tournament that the Ragin' Cajuns didn't score 10 runs or run-rule their opponent). Although they fell by in the contest, the Trojans had the tying run at the plate in the sixth inning. Before being eliminated in the tournament, the Trojans defeated WKU 7-2.

The Trojans said good-bye to their senior class before the first game against South Alabama as Ashlyn Williams, Ashley Adkins, Kortney Cooper and Katie Ely stepped foot on the dirt of the Troy Softball Complex for the final time. And it was fitting that the Trojans claimed the fifth seed in the tournament on the arm of Williams as they defeated South Alabama 2-1 in the contest following the ceremony.

TROY had several players honored during the 2011 season led by Williams and Gann being named Second Team All-Conference on a vote of the league's head coaches. Junior Nikki Hollett and freshman Taylor Smartt kept the honors going, as they were named Second Team All-Region by the NFCA and a vote of the region's head coaches.

Hollett finished the year with a nod to the Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament team, as voted on by the coaches following each game.

Williams and Hollett each were named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher/Player of the Week twice during the season, with William earning the school's first-ever NFCA Top Performer award – as she was named to the list following the week against WKU and South Alabama in which she went 3-0 with a save.

Awards and victories were not the only things getting attention for the Trojans this season, as the record book was being rewritten – not only at the school, but in the conference and the NCAA.

Williams finished her career as the school's all-time leader in victories (93), appearances (178), complete games (109), shutouts (25), innings pitched (1039.2) and strikeouts (1,305).

The senior also finished her career in noteworthy statistics in the NCAA Division I-A record book. She finished tied for 26th in appearances with 178 and 17th in strikeouts with 1,305. She also finished her career behind two players from Sun Belt Conference schools in strikeouts in her career.

Meanwhile, Hollett, just a junior is now third all-time in home runs at the school (33) and is nearing the top five in RBI. She also is third in slugging percentage (.579) entering her senior season after the 2011 season. Hollett set a new school record for slugging percentage in a single season in 2011, as she finished the year at .795 – nearly 20 points higher than the old record.

Hollett finished tied for fifth in the nation in home runs as she connected on 20, becoming the third player to do so in the Sun Belt Conference this season and the first non-Louisiana player to accomplish the feat in conference history (sixth different player). She became just the third player in Sun Belt Conference history to hit 20 home runs in a single season, doing so against San Jose State, and the first at TROY since Stacy Dwyer in 2004.

Although Williams and Hollett garnered much of the attention, several other players stepped up for the Trojans in 2011. Junior Hayden Gann protected Hollett in the order and promptly hit seven home runs and was just outside the top five in on-base percentage in a single season; while moving up to second on the all-time career list in on-base percentage. Junior Michelle Hewett bounced around the lineup during the season, hitting four home runs and leading the team in stolen bases; while fellow junior Sarah Shields returned from a knee injury (fall surgery) and junior Sarah Harris from a concussion to power the TROY hitting attack. Freshmen Kelly Luquette and Smartt each appeared in the national statistics in sacrifice flies, bunts and walks during the 2011 campaign.

The Trojans faced a scheduled that included seven teams that qualified for the NCAA Regionals in 2011, with the team playing 11 games against those teams. In those contests, the Trojans claimed a victory over UAB and dropped three games by one run. Of the teams the Trojans played in 2011 that made the regionals, two of those teams are national seeds (Alabama and California) and advanced to play in the Super Regional round this week.

With a core of upperclassmen and mix of underclassmen, with the records set and the way the team played in 2011 – the sky is the limit for the Troy University softball program. Only time will tell and it starts in the fall, all in preparation for the 2012 season.

For up to the minute information on Troy Athletics, follow us on Twitter at /TroyAthletics and /TroySoftball; and become a fan on Facebook.

Troy University Athletics

Related News

Related Videos