Charlotte Softball
Charlotte Softball - Charlotte 49ers
Charlotte Softball - Charlotte 49ers
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<strong>Charlotte</strong><br />
<strong>Softball</strong><br />
home runs while playing first base in her rookie campaign. Senior Carol<br />
Buchan, who played in 49 games as a pinch runner and scored 21 runs last<br />
year and sophomore Nikki Gayle, who played in 20 games last year will be<br />
two more strong presences in the outfield.<br />
“The outfield is the one place on the team where there are no new faces,<br />
although we have moved Bri Gwaltney to the outfield,” DeVos said. “This<br />
is an extremely quick, experienced and aggressive set of players. They are<br />
going to take away hits from opposing teams.”<br />
Pitchers<br />
Though the loss of Jeffery will be tough to overcome, the Niners do return<br />
an established starter in senior Katy Hackett who appeared in 26 games,<br />
starting 22 of them, and went 17-6 with a 2.87 ERA over 148 2/3 innings<br />
as <strong>Charlotte</strong>s No. 2 starter in 2010. Hackett recorded 132 strikeouts last<br />
season and in her career is 41-28 with a 2.45 ERA and 393 strikeouts.<br />
<strong>Charlotte</strong> also brought in pitchers Katie Watkins, a freshman from<br />
Knightdale, N.C., and Lang this season. Watkins earned all-conference<br />
honors all four years at East Wake High School, while Lang attended<br />
Ardrey Kell High School prior to attending NFSC for one year. Both<br />
players will play a pivotal role in the 49ers’ success this season.<br />
Senior Katy Hackett<br />
“We have a nice combination of experience and youth on the mound,” DeVos<br />
said. “We will rely on Katy Hackett’s three years of experience to anchor the staff. We are excited to add two up-and-coming pitchers<br />
- junior college transfer Kalie Lang and freshman Katie Watkins. Depth will be the key to our pitching staff as all three pitchers will be<br />
in the rotation this season.”<br />
Schedule<br />
<strong>Charlotte</strong> opens the season with three consecutive home<br />
tournaments, the 49er Round Robin, featuring opponents UNC<br />
Wilmington, Virginia Tech and Iona, on Feb. 12-13 will serve<br />
as the season-opening weekend for the team. The First Pitch<br />
Classic, where the Niners will see St. Francis, UNC Greensboro<br />
and Eastern Kentucky, will take place on Feb. 18-20, followed<br />
by The Green and White Tournament, where <strong>Charlotte</strong> hosts<br />
Seton Hall, Robert Morris and James Madison, on Feb. 25-27.<br />
Other notable non-conference matchups include a doubleheader<br />
against North Carolina at Chapel Hill on March 2, bouts against<br />
South Carolina on Feb. 23 and April 20 and matchups against<br />
regional rivals Furman, UNC Greensboro, Winthrop, NC State and<br />
Elon. <strong>Charlotte</strong> will also travel to Rock Hill, S.C., for the Adidas<br />
Tournament, to face Wright State, Gardner-Webb and Cleveland<br />
State.<br />
Conference season will begin on March 18, as defending Atlantic<br />
10 champion Massachusetts comes to town. The Niners will play<br />
two games against each member of the league before hosting the<br />
Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament on May 11-14 at D.L. Phillips<br />
Complex.<br />
Season<br />
Outlook
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