Robert NaylorNews Editor
Tyler Junior College’s softball team has garnished a lot of
attention, opening its season with a record of 37-5 in Coach Maria Winn-Ratlif’s
3rd season.
Since Winn-Ratlif’s introduction as head coach for the TJC
softball team in 2016, steady improvement has surrounded the program. In
comparison to last year, TJC is exactly on track to earn placement in the NJCAA
regional and national tournaments. The team is so prestigious that retaining a
solid roster can sometimes be a difficulty.
“You’ve got to find players that can give you a chance to
win from the pitching circle, and you’ve got to find ways to score runs,” said Maria
Winn-Ratfli, head coach. “The trick is that we try and recruit a lot of the
same type of kids.”
Statistically, the TJC softball team seems undefeatable. The
team batting average comes in at .385, with an on-base percentage averaging at
.488.
Trying to isolate the team’s “stars” becomes difficult as everyone
on the roster bolsters a unique quality, be it a superb batting average or a
stunning slue of homeruns. As of now Tanjala Smith leads the team with 10
homeruns, closely followed by Courtnie Heller’s eight homeruns.
“I’m a defensive style coach, I was surprised, I though that
this year we were going to pitch it a little better than we have, and weren’t
going to have the offensive success that we’ve had,” said Winn-Ratlif. “Going
into the year I thought we were going to win ball games 4-1, but we’re winning
games 15-1. The offensive production has been a great surprise.”
On the mound this year, TJC is led by the three strikeout queens;
Dakota Stotyn with 49 strikeouts, Abbie Dart with 63 strikeouts, and Audrey
Pickett with 52 strikeouts. The three average at a 2.8 ERA (earned run average)
which brings sense to the stunning 37-5 record that the team is currently
positioned in. The three-pronged defensive shell formulated by the queens has
allowed the team to flourish offensively, creating various blowouts throughout
the season.
In their 42 games played thus far, the team has scored 366
runs throughout the season. This indicates that on average, the team scored 8.7
runs a game. If this is compared to the 2.8 ERA presented by the strikeout
queens, many victories should await the team.
With the team nearing the last leg of the season, keep an
eye out for their tournament runs throughout the month of May.
For now, the team will face Northeast Texas Community College
this Friday, April 5, at 1 PM central time. Regular season play will conclude
at the end of the month with another matchup against Northeast Texas Community
College, scheduled to be played Saturday, April 27 at 3 PM central time.