Softball season has begun

By T’asia Bobbitt
Staff Writer

Ending last season with a record of 17-30 overall and 4-16 in the conference, the UNCP softball team is at it again. The fall 2004 schedule went underway Sept.25 with an alumni game. They continued Oct. 3 at the Elon University Tournament. They had games against Meredith College, Elon University and UNC-Chapel Hill.

Returning this year with no seniors are juniors, Jessica Furlough, Meredith Veglia, and Kaila Spooner. Making up half the team are sophomores, Wendi Cochran, Danielle Peters, Megan Rusk, Nicole McCorkle, Kelly Jo Fields, Amanda Busch, Jenny White, Trish Schwartz and Debbie Augiar. For the first time this year are Brittany Berrier, Natosha Sutton, Liz Hatcher, Katie Linkous, Ashli Kern and Annie Prewitt.

Brittany Berrier comes to us from Lexington, NC. At North Davidson High School, Berrier excelled at softball being the two-time athlete of the week and three-year all county and all-conference player. Berrier also performed well in basketball and cross-country. She was awarded the 2004 Most Outstanding Female Athlete in her region.

Joining the UNCP softball team as a pitcher is Liz Hatcher from East Duplin High School. Hatcher received all conference honors all of her four years in high school. She also went into the NCHSAA record books with a run average of 0.28 in 2002.

Katie Linkous hails from Leland, NC playing at North Brunswick High School. She acquired All-Conference all four years in high school, All-State in 2004, and was named 2003s Most Valuable Player and Best Defensive Player of the year.

Ashli Kern comes from Northwest Cabarrus High School where she had a .490 on-base average, and a batting average of .392. Kern was an all-conference player in both softball and volleyball.

Back again with the Lady Braves, is sophomore Nicole McCorkle, who at the end of last season was named an All-Conference performer. In the Peach Belt Conference she was noted Pitcher of the Week, a first in UNCP’s history.