2016 NJCAA Division I All-Region XI Softball teams
Three members of the Marshalltown Community College Softball team have been named to the NJCAA Division I All-Region XI Softball team. Sophomores Sarah Ghee (Carlisle, IA/Carlisle) and Kari Smith (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown), along with freshman Paige Taylor (Coquitlam, British Columbia/Terry Fox) were named to the second team.
The Tigers placed three players on the all-region team after making one of the biggest turnarounds in the country this season. Ghee, Smith, and Taylor all helped lead the Tigers to a 27-22 regular season record, 24 wins above last year's three-win season.
MCC currently sits at 28-22 on the year after going 1-1 on the opening day of the Region XI Tournament on Friday. Saturday's game against No. 3 seed Muscatine Community College was postponed and will be played on Sunday morning at 11:00 AM.
Ghee got off to a torrid start to help get the Tigers off to a 13-4 start this season. For her efforts on the team's spring trip to Clermont, FL, Ghee landed the weekly Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Player of the Week award on March 23. Ghee currently ranks fourth on the team in 2016 with a .352 batting average after appearing in all 51 games so far for the Tigers.
With at least one more game to play, Ghee has racked up 93 career hits during her career, including 57 this year. The sophomore delivered a walk-off home run in her final at bat at home to beat Iowa Lakes Community College 4-2 on April 26.
Smith is another two-year member of the Tigers that helped improve the program drastically this season. Making the adjustment to hit from the left side of the plate this year, Smith leads the team with a .392 batting average, over .200 points higher than her 2015 total. Smith racked up 51 hits on the year and stole nine bases while scoring 34 runs on the season.
Smith had 17 multi-hit games, including five three-hit games. Over the team's last six games, Smith is batting .600 (12-20) at the plate. The sophomore recorded five hits between the team's two games on the opening day of the Region XI Tournament on Friday.
Taylor proved to be the Tigers' primary pitcher after posting a 17-11 record in the circle up until this point of the season. Taylor leads the conference with 183 strikeouts, which ranks 14th in the nation. The freshman's 2.83 earned run average is second best in the league and her 17 wins ranks third.
Taylor tossed 21 complete games on the year for the Tigers and struck out at least nine batters in a game six times. The freshman has won her last four decisions, including the team's opening victory over tournament host and No. 4 seed Southeastern Community College on Friday.
