GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball team combined youthful exuberance and veteran experience to enjoy a memorable 2021 campaign.
In winning 34 games, the Southern Conference regular season championship, SoCon postseason tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four years, the Spartans sparkled like diamonds during the challenging campaign.
On the road to their 18th season with at least 30 victories in program history, the Spartans treated fans to several special moments and plenty of highlights. Aside from being talented and together, UNCG's winning formula featured plenty of tenacity, heart, and resiliency.
We'll just let some of the numbers do the talking when looking back at a season that won't be forgotten anytime soon.
The numbers don't include the terrific catches throughout the season by the best outfield triumvirate in the SoCon in
Hannah Kincer in leftfield,
Makenna Matthijs in centerfield, and
Katie Stettler in rightfield. Nor do they feature the rock steady second base play from
Jasmine Palmer.
Here we go.
1 home run from
Melanie Darges, who hit the first of her career against Longwood on April 9.
2 hits from freshman
Brooklynn Maxwell in the Spartan NCAA Tournament opener against Duke in the Athens Regional on May 21.
3 consecutive victories by 4-3 scores on March 24 against Radford and March 26 in two games against ETSU.
Samantha Lagrama had the game-winning hits in two of those wins with a three-run homer in the sixth inning at Radford and an extra inning single against ETSU.
4 complete games in the circle from
Alina Varga and
Hannah Stiltner. They combined for 14 victories.
5 players named to the All-Southern Conference First or Second Teams: Matthijs,
Morgan Scott,
Jasmine Palmer,
Maycin Brown, and
Kayleigh Willis. Scott was named the SoCon Pitcher and Freshman of the Year. Brown was named the SoCon Player of the Month in March.
5 home runs hit in the seventh inning at Elon on March 10.
Jordan Gontram hit two homers in the inning. Matthijs,
Katie Stettler, and
Samantha Lagrama. That performance tied a NCAA record at the time for most home runs in a single inning.
6 home runs hit in three different games: North Carolina A&T (Feb. 27), Elon (March 10), and Western Carolina (May 15). The six home runs against Western Carolina were a SoCon tournament single-game record.
7 RBIs for Willis in a game against Mercer on May 1. Resembling a slot machine churning out winning coins, Willis' trips to the plate yielded a jackpot of riches for UNCG. She hit two three-run homers and had a single that accounted for her historic day.
8 game winning streaks twice. It was UNCG's longest of the season from Feb. 21-Mar. 10 and April 17-28.
10 times UNCG scored double-digit runs in a single game with a season-best 15 against Elon in a 15-7 road win on March 21.
42 walks by
Delaney Cumbie, which led the Spartans. She also had 11 doubles and 23 RBIs.
50 times UNCG has scored at least three runs in an inning this season. The Spartans season-high was eight runs in an inning twice against UNCW on March 5 and Elon on March 10. UNCG scored 319 runs this season.
61 hits by Matthijs, which led the SoCon. She was also named to the NFCA Mideast Region Second Team. She led UNCG with 44 runs scored, 13 homers, 43 RBIs, and 12 doubles. Matthijs also had a .355 batting average.
90 home runs hit by UNCG, a program and SoCon single-season record.
210 strikeouts for Scott, who became the fourth pitcher in program history to record at least 200 strikeouts in a single season. She was also the seventh pitcher with at least 20 wins in a single season. She struck out 14 batters in three games this season, which was the third best single-game performance in UNCG history.
An infinite number of high-fives and hugs.
There's probably more but we wanted to keep it brief from a season unlike any other.
