2013 Softball World Series Lexington Regional Breakdown

2013 Softball World Series Lexington Regional Breakdown

#12 Kentucky, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Marshall

Kentucky will host a deceptively tough regional. The Irish have all the tools they need to reach Oklahoma City, Virginia Tech has two very underappreciated pitchers and Marshall is a very hot team after winning the Conference USA tournament. The Wildcats ended up with a 13-11 record in the tough SEC and have some very impressive wins on their resume. They will not be shaken by this tough group. Pitcher Kelsey Nunley has had a great freshman campaign, tallying a 2.10 ERA in 230.1 innings of work. That is very impressive for a freshman facing the potent bats in the SEC. Speaking of potent bats, Coach Rachel Lawson has plenty of those available. Lauren Cumbess and Griffin Joiner will lead the way, but freshman Nikki Sagermann and senior Alice O’Brien can hit for power and average as well. Kentucky may not have the deepest lineup around, yet they are always extremely dangerous.

Notre Dame is led by Emilee Koerner and Laura Winter. Koerner batted an amazing .451 on the season and added 11 homeruns and 47 RBIs. Winter led the Irish with 17 homeruns and 52 RBIs, while hitting .354. However, Winter is also one of the best pitchers in the country. She heads into the 2013 NCAA Tournament with a 1.70 ERA and 294 strikeouts in 255.1 innings pitched. The Irish have not made it out of a regional in a while and this could be the year thanks to the dynamic play of Winter. Virginia Tech will give Kentucky and Notre Dame some trouble though. The Hokies snuck into the tournament as, presumably, one of the last at-large teams in the field. Kelly Heinz and Jasmin Harrell form a potent duo in the circle and those two will have to be playing their best. Virginia Tech may not be able to keep up offensively so they will need strong pitching performances. Marshall rounds out the regional and they will look to continue their impressive run that started with wins over UAB and Houston in the conference tournament. This is a team that can win low scoring games thanks to the speed of Ashley Gue and Kaelynn Greene. Marshall will work hard to find offensive opportunities and eventually the pressure on the base paths will lead to some success. However, for that to work senior Andi Williamson will have to keep the competition in check in the circle.

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