TIFTON — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has an uphill climb in the upcoming NJCAA Division I national softball tournament. The Fillies are the 19th seed in the 20-team field and start with a play-in game.
ABAC (34-16), who won the GCAA tournament and Mid-Atlantic division, opens with No. 14 seed, Pima Community College. The game is scheduled for May 20 in Oxford, Alabama, at noon, eastern time.
Should the Fillies prevail, they have an even taller task, No. 3 seed Northwest Florida State (55-4), last year’s national runners-up.
The NJCAA announced the brackets during its Softball Selection Show, which aired on its website and YouTube May 14.
An Arizona school, Pima (43-12) is making its first national tournament appearance in 11 years, according to the NJCAA. They won Region 1 with three comeback victories, defeating Eastern Arizona in the championship, 8-5.
The Aztecs are hitting .390 as a team, with 73 home runs.
Camila Zepeda is the scariest name on the roster with a .489 average, driving in 62 runs while scoring 67. All lead the team, as well as her 17 home runs.
Mina Chacon is the only other Lady Aztec in double-digits for homers, with 10. She has 49 RBIs. Talia Martin is second with 51 runs scored. Jazmyne Waddell and Aubrey Marx join Chacon and Zepeda with 40+ driven in.
On the basepaths, Pima is comparative to ABAC, with 66 stolen bases to the Fillies’ 60. The leaders on both teams, have much different numbers. Zepeda has 14, while Lexi Metts, ABAC’s leader is at 27.
Carter Gore brings a .406 average into the contest, with a team-high 45 RBIs. Metts’ speed has given her 48 runs scored on the year. Laney McGee is close behind in that category at 44.
McGee is second in average, at .403, as well as in RBIs, at 39. ABAC doesn’t bop the ball over the fence as often as a team, with 45 to Pima’s 73. Ashley Archibald has eight. Anna Hutchinson’s huge Mid-Atlantic tournament bumped her to second with six, tied with Metts.
The Fillies have nine shutouts on the year to Pima’s eight. ABAC’s 2.94 ERA ranks 22nd nationally. It’s been much harder for the Lady Azteca in the circle as their pitchers have combined for a 4.21 ERA.
Though the No. 3 seed, Northwest Florida State was No. 2 in the last NJCAA Division I poll, issued April 29.
McLennan (57-2) is the No. 1 overall seed. Indian River State is No. 2, with three-time defending national champions Florida SouthWestern No. 4. The only lower seed than ABAC is Colorado’s Trinidad State.