The Blinn College softball team will enter the postseason as the sixth-ranked team in the nation.
The Buccaneers were sixth in the final NJCAA poll of the regular season Wednesday after winning their fourth consecutive Region XIV South Zone championship with a 45-8 record on the season.
Blinn is the only team from Texas ranked in the top 10. Salt Lake (Utah) Community College holds the top spot, followed by Chattanooga (Tenn.) State Community College, Yavapai (Ariz.) College, Chipola (Fla.) and Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College.
The Buccaneers are batting .354 as a team, led by the efforts of Leandra Maly (.454), Thomasina Garza (.438) and Kristina Davila (.409). Davila has 10 home runs and 60 RBIs on the season, while Garza has nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Tiffani McKnight has hit eight home runs and driven in 48 RBIs.
Blinn’s pitching staff has been equally impressive. Sophomore Kaci Federwisch is 22-6 on the season with a 1.41 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 188 1/3 innings. Freshman Shannon Sain is 13-1 on the year with a 1.10 ERA and 78 strikeouts through 82 1/3 innings and Caitie Carney, another freshman, is 6-0 with a 2.06 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. Sophomore Jocelyn Tacquard, who missed time early in the season due to injury, is 4-1 with a 1.70 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 37 innings.
The Buccaneers will play in the Region XIV Conference Tournament May 3-6 at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas. The Bucs have won the last three conference tournaments to qualify for the NJCAA National Championships in St. George, Utah.
For more information on Blinn softball, visit www.buccaneersports.com.