On the Net (video):
Springer/Vanlandingham "confident" as postseason begins:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXYBtnyvx7s
Decatur, Miss. – The Northeast Mississippi Community College softball team has been awarded a difficult task away from home in its postseason opener for the second year in a row.
The Tigers travel to East Central Community College for the first round of the 2015 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) State Playoffs. The best-of-three series begins Friday at 4 p.m. and concludes with games two and three, if necessary, at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
It is the fifth consecutive postseason berth for Northeast and the 14th appearance in the 15-year history of the fast-pitch program. The Tigers claimed the No. 3 seed from the MACJC North Division with a 15-9 conference ledger.
The Warriors are ranked No. 11 in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) poll. East Central was the MACJC South Division runner-up to Jones County Junior College and carries an eight-game winning streak into its series with Northeast.
Those that cannot attend the matchups can watch them live on NEMCCTV.com beginning 15 minutes prior to each first pitch. Fans can also keep up during the contests with live in-game updates on Twitter by searching and following @NEMCCTigers.
The Tigers (18-15-1) have remained consistent on the diamond even with multiple schedule alterations throughout the campaign. Northeast has gone over a week without playing a single matchup on three separate occasions due to inclement weather that has plagued Hill Country this spring.
"Our kids have been resilient," said Tigers head coach Jody Long. "It's very easy for a team to fold up the tent on you with so many changes. But this bunch just keeps bounding back. Every challenge we throw at them they accept it and try to do it to the best of their ability."
Alyssa Vanlandingham sets the tone for Northeast in the circle. She uses her left-handed delivery to keep opponents off balance and wields a solid 2.21 earned run average (ERA).
The Hampton, Ark., native has received just enough offensive support recently with two of her past three decisions being identical 2-1 triumphs by the Tigers over East Mississippi Community College and Holmes Community College. She has registered three wins and one save in her last four contests.
"I think we're going to go out there and do really good," she said. "Our bats are hot and we have no problems on defense."
Vanlandingham relies heavily on her defense with first baseman Avery Springer pacing Northeast with 233 putouts and a .970 fielding percentage. Chelsea Gates has a team-best 74 assists from the shortstop position.
Brittany Taylor joins Vanlandingham on Northeast's pitching staff in a starters role as well. She guides the Tigers with nine victories in 17 starts with 93.2 innings of action.
Both Taylor and Vanlandingham have an ally behind the plate in Haley Christian. She has thrown out 14 runners attempting to steal a base so far this year, which is second in the nation and tops in the Magnolia State.
The Houston trio of Yasmeen Cooper, Gates and Springer are highly beneficial to Northeast in the one-through-three holes of the batting order. They have combined for over 100 hits and 55 RBIs as a group.
Cooper leads the Tigers with a .341 batting average, .459 on-base percentage, 25 RBIs, 20 walks and 12 extra base hits. The speedy Gates has 13 stolen bases and has not been caught trying to swipe a bag yet.
Springer has improved tremendously during her sophomore campaign. She already has 15 more base knocks and 14 additional runs scored than last season and has struck out only four times in 118 at bats.
"I just feel like the team is a lot more confident in ourselves," said Springer. "We can really make it far if we just play our best."
Mahalia Gibson paces the Warriors (36-8) with nine homers and 44 RBIs while Maegen Ellis has seven long balls to her credit. The duo has accounted for 109 hits and 83 runs scored together.
Freshmen Lacey Hill and Chloe Thaggard have both thrown over 130 frames for East Central. Thaggard is 15-2 with 136 strikeouts while Hill has a 2.06 ERA in 24 outings.
East Central holds a .957 fielding percentage as a unit. Karoline Holsonback has committed just one error in 278 total chances to direct the Warriors.
The winner of this series advances to the 2015 MACJC State Tournament, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed from the South Division, next weekend.