Posted: Mar 16, 2020
By Trevor Wenners
Assistant Director of Sports Information
During the abbreviated 2020 LaGrange College softball season, the four seniors showcased their outstanding abilities and dedication to the program, while the Panthers' future also looks bright with a great deal of young talent.
The Panthers (7-5, 2-0 USA South) swept back-to-back doubleheaders against Judson on March 7 and Huntingdon on March 9. The Panthers' pitching staff refused to allow any earned runs in the four games, while the offense exploded for 27 runs.
After beginning the season, 0-2, LaGrange won seven of its next eight games. Four of those wins came by the eight-run mercy rule, which is imposed after five innings.
SENIOR CLASS:
- The 2020 team boasted a phenomenal senior class, with catcher Riley Densmore and center fielder McKenzie Brunel showing their dedication as four-year Panthers. Shortstop Taylor Long and third baseman Lauren DeLoach were vital components over the last two seasons, as DeLoach appeared in all 45 games and Long suited up for 44.
- Long, who earned 2019 USA South West Division First Team accolades, continued to evolve as a shortstop. She routinely made difficult plays look easy, whether it was diving to stop a sharply hit ball or throwing someone out at first on the run. The Gray, Georgia, native recorded a team-high 34 assists and committed no errors, resulting in a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. The lead-off hitter finished in a tie for first with the most runs (11) on the team, along with 14 hits and eight RBIs.
- Densmore was putting together a breakout season, leading the team in batting average (.459) and slugging percentage (.622). She was tied for first on the team with 17 hits and ranked first in RBIs (13). The 13 RBIs were tied for the ninth most in the USA South. Densmore hit her first-collegiate, inside-the-park home run during an 11-0 win over Judson on March 7. The Ball Ground, Georgia, native appeared in all 12 games, doing a great job of calling pitches from behind the plate.
- Brunel's career was characterized by perseverance and mental toughness. The Broxton, Georgia, native fought back from a season-ending knee injury on March, 10, 2018, as she tore her ACL, MCL, LCL and meniscus. She earned USA South West Division First Team recognition in 2017 and Second Team honors in 2018. This spring, she was batting .400, posting 14 hits and seven runs. She went 7-for-12 batting over the last four games and recorded multi-hit efforts in five games.
- DeLoach batted .305, to go along with a .383 on-base percentage and a .316 slugging percentage, during her junior campaign. In 2019, she finished with 29 hits, 11 runs and nine RBIs. During the 2020 season, she only made one error, while she finished with the third-most assists (20) on the team. In the second game of a doubleheader against Hiram on Thursday, the Newnan, Georgia, native reached base three times, with two hits and a walk.
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE:
- Freshman Abbey Gardner made an immediate impact, as she recorded the most wins (4) on the team and pitched the most innings (33.2). In seven appearances, she maintained a 2.08 ERA. The Bainbridge, Georgia, native took home USA South Rookie Pitcher of the Week honors on March 2. Gardner batted .390, finishing with 16 hits, 11 runs, 10 RBIs and a team-high two homers. Gardner went 4-for-4 and reached base five times, with four runs, two doubles and one RBI, in an 18-1, five-inning triumph over Mississippi University for Women on Feb. 23.
- Brittany Todd, who was named to the 2019 USA South West Division First Team, finished 2020 with 17 hits, which were tied for the most on the team. She batted .370 and finished with six multi-hit performances. The junior standout tallied two hits, two RBIs, a run and a home run during the win over Mississippi University for Women.
- Sophomore Landon DeLamar was outstanding at second base in 2020, making numerous outstanding defensive plays. She batted .441 and recorded 15 hits, while recording a four-hit game in an 11-4 win over Greensboro on Feb. 29.
- Juniors Rebekah Hobson and Hailey Jones hit their first-collegiate home runs during a doubleheader against Greensboro on Feb. 29. Sophomore Payton Thomas pitched the second-most innings (33) on the team and ranked seventh in the USA South in ERA (1.48).
Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lagrange.edu.
