RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
The Alabama Thunderbolts – Sherman/Burke 2023 club team capped off a successful Fall/Winter season by earning a PGF Nationals Premier berth this weekend after capturing first place at Soldiers Park in Orlando, Florida
The Bolts finished its impressive season with a 20-3-1 record and also took first place at DCB in Calera (Ala.), third place at PGF Show Me the Money (also in Orlando) and lost by just one-run to eventual Georgia PGF Show Me the Money champion Select Fastpitch in Cummings (Ga.) in November.
“We had a great fall and had a chance to win every tournament we played,” Bolts Coach Chris Sherman told Extra Inning Softball. “This team has all the pieces needed to win a national championship this summer including pitching, defense and a powerful lineup that can swing the bat 1-through-9.”
Making the PGF qualifying run this weekend even more impressive, the Bolts were short-handed in Orlando traveling down with only 11 players to the National Qualifier which was straight double elimination, no pool games and consisted of seven-inning no time-limit contests.
“We had a starter that’s signed with Auburn (Chalea Clemmons) who couldn’t make the trip,” Coach Sherman added. “She is one of our top pitchers and hitters. We were also missing a starter who was on an official visit to Wallace State and another starter who had a basketball game.”
But the offense picked up the slack as the team averaged 12 runs a game in Orlando with five homers and a .351 batting average to cruise to a 3-0 finish.
Here are some of the players on the roster—which is made up of all 2023’s— that helped the Bolts go undefeated and punch their ticket to Huntington Beach this Summer:
- P/1B Ryley Harrison (South Alabama) led the way with a .889 average, two doubles, two home runs and 8 RBIs,
- CF Nora Megenity (Colgate) hit .462 with six runs scored and two RBIs.
- C Megan Davidson (Mississippi State) hit .400 with a double, a home run and 8 RBIs.
- 3B Mandy Lauth (George Washington) hit .385 with a home run and five RBIs.
- 1B Emily Mizelle (South Alabama) batted .357 with a homer and six RBIs.
- P Victoria Ash (Stetson) led the way in the circle with a 1.00 ERA in seven innings of relief work.
“We will now turn over most of the roster to their high school teams until the end of May,” the team’s coach concluded. “Then we will finish up our last season this summer after high school ball is finished. We still have a few spots available for our summer roster as well; if anyone is interested they can e-mail us at [email protected].”