WESSON – The Co-Lin Lady Wolves travel to Decatur, Ala., Fridayfor the NJCAA National Slow-Pitch Softball Tournament. Competitionwill be Saturday and Sunday. The tournament’s opening ceremonieswill be held tonight with a banquet for all four participatingteams.

Softball play begins Saturday morning at 10 a.m. and continuesthrough Sunday. This will be the final tournament in the area forslow-pitch softball as the region goes to fast-pitch next season.This weekend’s tourney is played under double-elimination rules

Co-Lin, No. 2 in the Region 23/state tourney, meets No. 1Calhoun (Ala.) at 10 a.m. while state champion No. 1 Gulf Coastbattles No. 2 Snead (Ala.) College in the other opener.

“This is our second time ever to enter the tournament,” saidCo-Lin women’s softball coach David Smith. “We need to relax andplay hard. We need to forget the two losses to Gulf Coast,” in lastwekend’s state tournament.

Co-Lin enters the nationals with a 30-14 overall record and a12-7 worksheet in the South Division.

Working on the mound for the Lady Wolves is freshman ChristiWallace from Bogue Chitto. “She has done a good job for us,” saidSmith. At the plate, Wallace batted .491, including 7 doubles, 2triples and 1 home run.

Wallace, Sarah Reynolds and Rusti Smith were named to theAll-State Tournament Team. Reynolds is currently batting .486 andSmith is .459.

Co-Lin players selected to All-Region team were Tammy Case, KitBrashier and Jamie Errington. Case played high school softball atLoyd Star and Errington played at Brookhaven.

In state tournament play, Errington led all players in battingwith a .765 average. Case followed with a .684 and Brashierfinished with a .600.

Currently, Brashier leads the Lady Wolves with a. 598 battingaverage including 5 doubles, 2 triples and 1 home run. Batting .517with 2 doubles 12 triples and 2 homers is Case. Errington averaged.500 at bat with 7 doubles, 1 triple and 1 home run.

Other batting leaders for Co-Lin: Stephanie Brown is batting.468, Bobbi Henry .456, Melanie Fairchild .427, Amanda Bass .355and Tameika Ratcliff .354.

Co-Lin has averaged 11 runs a game this season.

“We are going with whoever has been hitting it the best,” addedSmith. He expects to face a tough opponent in Calhoun.

“They (Calhoun) are very talented,” explained Smith. “They areas good as we are. We need to play well to whip them. Snead is No.2 we have beaten them before in a tournament earlier thisyear.”

The worst Co-Lin can do if the Ladsy Wolves lose their first twogames is finish 4th in nation. But Smith and the Lady Wolves wantto be the No. 1 team in the nationals and go out as the last teamto do so.

“We can be the No. 1 slow-pitch softball team for the last timein our region,” Smith concluded. “The end of an era. We would liketo do well.”

Fast-pitch tryouts will be held at Co-Lin on Thursday,May 11, at 3 p.m., on the Lady Wolves softball field.