ATLANTA – The Georgia State softball team intends to build on its 2013 success and extend its streak of eight winning seasons as the Panthers open the 2014 season this week. The Panthers return six starters and 13 letterwinners as the team prepares to thrive in its first season in the Sun Belt Conference.
The Sun Belt is one of the best softball conferences in the country. The conference finished sixth in RPI last season and had two top-20 teams in the NFCA preseason poll heading into this spring.
“I expect us to go into every conference series laser focused,” fourth-year head coach Roger Kincaid said. “Our team understands that you have to go into every series and play your best to be successful. Every game is meaningful and every game is going to be competitive. The players are going to have to raise their game in order to be successful in that arena.”
The Panthers will look to three senior leaders -- Jessica Clifton, Kaitlyn Medlam and MeQuilla Franklin -- to guide them to a successful inaugural campaign in the new conference. Seven talented juniors will also be key contributors to the team in addition to two sophomores who were starters last season. Georgia State welcomed six freshmen to the team in the fall and they will be tasked with replacing one of GSU's most successful senior classes.
PITCHER
In the circle, Georgia State returns all four pitchers from last season including NFCA All-Region first-team selection Kaitlyn Medlam. In an historic start, Medlam threw the program's first perfect game by a single pitcher last season in an 8-0 win over in-state rival Georgia Southern.
Also returning is CAA All-Rookie selection Katie Worley who earned 15 wins in 35 appearances as a true freshman. Juniors Eron Milton and Emily Clay are also back for the Panthers and along with freshman Taylor Thorpe will compete for the starting positions and provide excellent depth.
“We have a lot of experienced pitchers returning from last year but also added a talented freshman,” Kincaid said. “Competition to get into the circle will be fierce and we expect all five players to contribute and be valuable assets to our team.”
CATCHER
Sun Belt preseason all-conference selection Callie Alford returns after starting every game last season and leading the team with 44 RBI. She was named to the NFCA All-Region second team and the All-CAA second team in 2013.
Fellow junior Taylor Scarpantonio, who has started 34 career games, also returns to provide the Panthers with another experienced player behind the plate. Freshman Mandy Blackwell will push both juniors for playing time during her first season at GSU. Blackwell led Brookwood High School to four straight 6A Region 8 championships.
“Callie has the experience and is a proven commodity behind the plate. Taylor Scrapantonio provides us with an experienced option because she does a great job managing the game. Mandy Blackwell has been hitting the ball very well and she adds more quality to an already deep position.”
FIRST BASE
Junior Lauren Coleman returns to the position after being named to the All-CAA second team last season. She set a single-season school record by drawing 53 walks and finished fifth in the nation in walks per game.
Joining Coleman at first are Thorpe and Worley. Thorpe was named player of the year and twice led her team in batting average at Dinwiddie High School. Worley will return to first base after just pitching last season. In high school, she led her team in home runs, RBI and stolen bases as a senior.
“Lauren is an excellent defensive first baseman,” Kincaid said. “She gives us confidence because she will catch every ball thrown to her and make great plays. She is also a very good hitter for us. Taylor Thorpe and Katie Worley provide us with quality depth at the position and give the potential for two more power bats in the lineup.”
THIRD BASE
The hot corner will be one of the most experienced positions for the Panthers in 2014. Senior MeQuilla Franklin moves into the infield after playing a number of positions last season. She made 29 starts in 2013 at third base, designated player and right field. Alford will provide excellent depth and will allow both players to stay fresh for the entirety of the season.
“We return MeQuilla who has one of the best arms on the team and one of the best arms I have ever coached,” Kincaid said. “She is the total package and can play the position blindfolded. We will also play Callie at third base to save her legs so she will not have to catch every game.”
SECOND BASE
Georgia State must replace two seniors at second base and the torch will be passed to freshmen Kensey Caldwell and Mallory Koepke. Caldwell can play second, third or short and she led her team to two region championships at Loganville High School. Koepke, who can also play in the outfield, led her team to a region championship in 2012 at North Gwinnett High School.
“At second base there will be a learning curve but both players are working extremely hard. They listen, they are coachable and both are competing for that spot. Both are more than capable of handling the position defensively and it will come down to who can hit the ball and get on base consistently.”
SHORTSTOP
Sophomore Taylor Anderson returns to the shortstop position after being named to the CAA All-Rookie team last season. She led the team with 42 runs scored, 175 at-bats and 12 doubles. Anderson compiled a 16-game hitting streak which stands as the second-longest in school history. Franklin and Caldwell will provide cover at shortstop if needed.
“Taylor is coming off a great freshman season and her leadership will be a strength for us,” Kincaid said. “We look for her to continue to lead by example both in the field and at the plate.”
OUTFIELD
In the field, the Panthers return preseason all-conference selection Jessica Clifton and former All-CAA selection Ashley Christy. In 2013, Clifton led the team in batting average and hits and was selected to the NFCA All-Region second team and the All-CAA first team. Christy was first on the squad with 17 stolen bases last season, which was tied for the eighth most all time in GSU history.
Junior Bethany Horne appeared in 29 games last season and will provide another experienced option once she gets back 100 percent healthy. Freshmen Morgan Brown and Megan Litumbe give GSU two talented options who can be plugged in to all three positions.
“The competition to nail down a spot in the grass has been fierce and they are going after it everyday,” Kincaid said. “We have five outfielders and I feel that all five of them could start for us. The beauty of the outfield is that they are interchangeable. They can play all three positions, they are athletic, they can all run and at the plate they each provide us with a different skill set. As a coaching staff we are excited about that group.”
SCHEDULE
Georgia State's 2014 slate features 11 NCAA tournament teams from a season ago, a challenging Sun Belt Conference schedule and includes five preseason top-25 teams. GSU opens the season at Presbyterian before returning to Atlanta to host the Panther Invitational on Feb. 14-16.
The Panthers will face four Southeastern Conference teams, two at home and two on the road. First, Georgia State will welcome Mississippi State to the Robert E. Heck Softball Complex on March 12. Then, GSU will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face preseason No. 6 Alabama on March 19. Auburn makes the trip to Atlanta a week later on March 26. Finally, Georgia State will travel northeast to Athens to face preseason No. 23 Georgia on April 22 for the fourth consecutive season.
GSU opens conference play on March 22 when it hosts preseason No. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette. After a trip to face Troy, the Panthers will host UT Arlington and Texas State in back-to-back weekends. On April 18, Georgia State travels to Mobile, Ala. to face South Alabama, ranked No. 20 in the preseason. After a road trip to Louisiana-Monroe, GSU host Western Kentucky May 2-3 to wrap up the regular season.
“Having this difficult of a schedule allows us to take it step-by-step. We start with our non-conference slate, next we must focus on our conference games, and then the Sun Belt Conference Championship. We want to peak at tournament time and playing this type of schedule allows us to play highly competitive teams to raise our level of play. We will get better every time we go out on the field and try to hit our peak in time for the post season.”
