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ATHENS, Ga. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball team took their final swings Thursday morning before facing No. 13 national seed Duke at noon Friday in the Athens Region.
With the sounds of Rhianna blaring over the stadium speakers, the Spartans were impressive –as usual – as they blasted balls over the fence and into the trees. The ones that didn't leave the yard smacked against the padded wall with the ferocity of a Mike Tyson uppercut.
The confident Spartans were loose, smiling, focused, and excited during Thursday's practice inside of Jack Turner Stadium on the University of Georgia's campus. They arrived to the Peach State to do more than sight-see and take selfies.
UNCG has a quiet belief in its abilities, forged by overcoming plenty of adversity during the 2021 season. The Spartans roll into the regional with eight straight wins and triumphs in 16 of their last 17 outings.
"In 2018 when we made it to regionals, that was our goal," senior
Jasmine Palmer said during a Zoom call with ESPN/ACC Network talent. "Now, our goal is to consistently get to regionals and win games here."
- UNCG ended the season with 10 consecutive wins at home.
- UNCG is tied for fifth in the country in home runs per game (1.82).
- The Spartans have hit 89 homers.
- UNCG has hit at least four homers in a game nine times.
- UNCG has homered in eight straight games.
- The Spartans also hit a NCAA record-tying five homers in one inning against Elon on March 10.
- The Spartans are 16th nationally in slugging percentage (.545), 18th in scoring (6.52), 22nd in on-base percentage (.399), and 30th in doubles per game (1.57).
- During its last 17 games, UNCG has been on another level, outscoring teams 107-40 and hit 34 home runs.
- The Spartans have scored at least six runs in nine of their final 17 games.
- Senior centerfielder Makenna Matthijs leads the SoCon in hits (60), runs (44) and RBIs (43).
- Senior designated player Kayleigh Willis is second in the conference with 40 RBIs while junior catcher Delaney Cumbie is second in runs scored with 35.
- Samantha Lagrama had the game-winning hit in two straight contests, a three-run sixth inning home run in a 4-3 win over Radford on March 24 and an eighth inning single in a 4-3 win over ETSU on March 26.
- UNCG has scored at least three runs in an inning 49 times this season.
AWESOME AGAINST THE ACC
UNCG is 8-2 in its last 10 games against ACC programs. The Spartans beat Clemson, North Carolina and Virginia in 2020.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
UNCG is 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament
1997 (at Columbia, S.C.)
May 16: at South Carolina 0-5 L
May 17: vs. USF 0-2 L, 9 innings
2018 (at Columbia, S.C.)
May 18: at South Carolina 0-3 L
May 19: vs. Hofstra 0-6 L
LAST TIME OUT
UNCG 9, Western Carolina 4. SoCon Tournament championship, May 15, 2021: UNCG hit six home runs. The six home runs were a SoCon tournament single-game record.
Kayleigh Willis homered twice. Also hitting home runs were
Delaney Cumbie,
Maycin Brown,
Makenna Matthijs, and
Hannah Kincer.
Morgan Scott won her 20th game of the season.
HOMER SIX-PACK
UNCG has hit six home runs in a game three times this season: Feb. 27 vs. North Carolina A&T, March 10 at Elon, and May 15 vs. Western Carolina. Prior to this season, the last time UNCG hit at least 6 homers in a game was against Appalachian State on April 26, 2014.
GIMME FIVE
UNCG has rallied from five-run deficits to win games twice this season. Its largest deficit overcome to win games.
UNCG rallied from a 7-2 fifth-inning deficit on March 5 to beat UNCW, 13-8. UNCG scored a season-best 8 runs in the fifth inning. UNCG rallied from a 5-0 fifth inning deficit on April 17 to beat Chattanooga, 8-6 in eight innings.
RECORD SETTING HOME RUN AFTERNOON
UNCG tied the NCAA record (all divisions) for home runs in an inning with five in the seventh inning in a 13-3 win over Elon on Wednesday, March 10. Eight other schools, including Oklahoma which accomplished the same feat earlier this year against UTEP, share the record.
INDIVIDUAL SEASON ACCOLADES & NOTES
Morgan Scott
2021 SoCon Pitcher and Freshman of the Year
2021 All-SoCon First Team
2021 All-SoCon Freshman Team
2021 All-SoCon Tournament Team
3-time SoCon Pitcher of the Week (March 8, Apr. 26, May 10)
Struck out a career best 14 batters in wins over Elon on March 20 and Furman on April 3, the third best single-game total in program history.
For the season has five double-digit strikeout performances, including 12 against Furman on April 2 and Mercer on May 13.
Kayleigh Willis
2021 All-SoCon First Team
SoCon Player of the Week (May 3)
She went 3-for-3 with two home runs and seven RBIs in an 11-3 victory over Mercer on May 1.
Hit two home runs in the SoCon championship game against Western Carolina on May 15.
The seven RBIs are one off the single-game program record held by Nicole Thomas, who had eight in a game against Gardner-Webb in 2014.
Willis is the sixth player in program history to finish with seven RBIs in a single-game joining Kelly Councilman (1988), Karyn Thompson (1996), and current teammates
Makenna Matthijs (2018),
Jordan Gontram (2018), and
Delaney Cumbie (2018).
Makenna Matthijs
2021 All-SoCon First Team
2021 All-SoCon Tournament Team
SoCon Player of the Week (April 19)
Had a season-best 13 game-hitting streak.
Maycin Brown
2021 All-SoCon Second Team
2021 SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player
2021 All-SoCon Tournament Team
2021 All-SoCon Freshman Team
SoCon Player of the Month (March 2021)
SoCon Player of the Week (March 22)
Jasmine Palmer
2021 All-SoCon Second Team
Two-Time SoCon Player of the Week (March 8 and May 10)
All-SoCon Preseason Accolades
First Team: Kayleigh Willis,
Samantha Lagrama and
Delaney Cumbie.
Second Team: Makenna Matthijs,
Jasmine Palmer and
Morgan Scott.
2021 NCAA SOFTBALL REGIONALS
FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2021
GAME 1 - 12:00 PM -DUKE vs. UNCG
GAME 2 - 2:30 PM - GEORGIA vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY
SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2021
GAME 3 - 12:00 PM -- Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
GAME 4 - 2:30 PM -- Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (Loser eliminated)
GAME 5 - 5:00 PM -- Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner (Loser eliminated)
SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2021
GAME 6 - 12:00 PM -- Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY) - 2:3OPM
