Co-Lin softball rolling through MACCC conference play
Published 1:00 pm Sunday, April 23, 2023
- PHOTO BY CO-LIN SPORTS INFORMATION Brookhaven Academy product Madison Moak is one of the leaders at the plate this season for a Copiah-Lincoln CC headed to the NJCAA world series.
With the postseason on the horizon, it feels like the Copiah-Lincoln Community College softball team is starting to round into championship form.
The Wolves got two wins from Southwest Mississippi on Tuesday to move to 30-8 on the season. CLCC won game one 7-0 in Summit and then took the nightcap over SMCC by a 14-3 final score in five innings.
The latest national rankings have Co-Lin tabbed as the no. 9 ranked team in the NJCAA Division II Poll. Northwest Mississippi (27-3) is no. 4, Jones College (31-6) is no. 7, and Pearl River (32-9) is no. 10.
In the race for first place in the conference, Jones has two losses, Co-Lin and Northwest have three losses and Pearl River has four losses.
Northwest is the only team to sweep CLCC this season (2-1, 7-1 in Senatobia). The Wolves have won six games in a row after dropping the second game of a DH to Pearl River on April 4.
Remaining in the regular season for CLCC is a road series on Saturday at East Mississippi, home dates against Hinds (4/25) and Coahoma (4/28) and the regular season finale at Itawamba (5/2).
Brookhaven Academy alum Abby Grace Richardson is currently the reigning MACCC Player of the Week. A freshman catcher and infielder for the Wolf Pack, Richardson had a week where she drove in eight RBIs and hit three combined home runs in a four-game sweep for Co-Lin.
One of the biggest question marks coming into the season was how coach Meleah Howard and her staff would replace Cera Blanchard, an All-American pitcher who was instrumental in the team winning the 2022 MACCC State Tournament.
Blanchard is currently 14-5 on the season for a 37-10 University of Southeastern Louisiana program.
Freshman Cara Biswell has settled in as the game one starter for Howard’s team and as she’s ascended, the entire Co-Lin pitching staff has seen growth and improvement.
A product of Brandon High who had her senior season ended by injury, Biswell has bounced back to go 10-1 in 12 appearances this season.
Biswell has thrown eight complete games and has a 2.79 ERA at press time.
Sophomores Lila Blackburn and Belle West have started 15 and 10 games each respectively. Blackburn hails from Red Bay, Alabama and West prepped at Hillcrest Christian School.
Freshman Laney Waguespack (Des Allmenands, La.) has stepped in to be a valuable relief pitcher on the staff. She has a team low 2.28 ERA in a team high 18 appearances and currently sports a perfect 6-0 record.
At the plate, Richardson has slugged a team best 12 home runs and driven in a team high 51 RBIs. Sophomore infielder, Maddie Weeks, a Southern Miss signee, his hitting a team best .470 and has struck out just five times in 117 at-bats.
Freshman outfielder Madison Moak, a Brookhaven Academy product, is batting .448 on the season.
Moak had three hits for CL in the game one win at Southwest on Tuesday.
Co-Lin outhit Southwest 11-7 in game one and 17-4 in the finale.