By Andrew Watson ~ Guest Writer
Sophie Tully, during an important upset victory of Virginia Wesleyan University. Photo Courtesy of Lynchburg Sports and Sam Rice
The University of Lynchburg’s Softball team wrapped up their season this past weekend on the road against the strong conference foe, Roanoke College. Although the regular season’s final double header was not a success for the Hornets, they found themselves firmly secured into the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Hornets were led by an experienced group of players that have not only played well for the team but have become leaders to the next generation of Hornet softball players.
Senior first baseman Sophie Tully stated, “We have a great group of seniors, and we’ve been able to use our experience to help guide the team through a very competitive schedule.”
The Hornets competitive schedule included ten games against teams that were ranked inside of the top-ten in the country.
According to the University of Lynchburg’s Athletics website, in these games the squad earned upset victories over Salisbury University and Christopher Newport University, who were ranked number one and number two respectively. As well as a conference victory over the sixth ranked, Virginia Wesleyan Marlins.
It has been experiences like these that the Hornets plan to draw from as they head into postseason play. Tully stated, “I think we have shown just how successful we can be against the best teams in the nation. We’re working on consistency, but I think things are coming together going into ODACs.”
The team has gotten many contributions from many different players. Senior, Gracie Dooley, and First-Year, Sarah Watts led the way for the Hornets with three home runs apiece. Dooley also led the team in batting average through the 40 regular season games.
Although the offense played a large role, the pitching staff has also been very consistent for the Hornets this season. The pitching staff boasted a 2.41 earned run average throughout the season, which was good enough for the fourth best mark in the conference.
The team finished the regular season with an overall record of 23-17. As well as a conference record of 11-9. The Hornets await their destiny within the conference tournament as the final week of ODAC play continues this week.
For more information and to follow along with the University of Lynchburg’s Softball team during their postseason run, visit Lynchburgsports.com.