WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Salem softball program makes its return to the diamond after a 705-day layoff on Tuesday, February 15th, when the Spirits head to Dobson, N.C., to face Surry Community College at Fisher River Park. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. and approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game, Salem will complete the doubleheader with the Knights.
The Spirits, who missed the final 18 games of the 2020 campaign and the entire 2021 slate due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have experienced leadership in Brianne Coleman, Abby Shelton and Madison Thomas entering the season.
The trio of Coleman, Shelton and Thomas are looking to set program history in the clash with the Knights on Tuesday afternoon. After all, Salem enters the game on a nine-game winning streak that dates back to its sweep of FDU-Florham (6-0, 6-2) on March 11, 2020.
A victory over Surry Community College in the first game of the series would break a tie with the 2017 unit for the longest winning streak—nine games—which began with a 4-1 win over Huntingdon on February 29, 2020. Salem followed that victory against the Hawks by claiming wins over Agnes Scott, Randolph, Ferrum and FDU-Florham, before the season was halted due to the pandemic.
The 2017 unit established the mark from March 11-March 22 by downing Wesleyan (Ga.), Agnes Scott, Meredith, Methodist and winning the first game of a doubleheader with Piedmont. The Lions halted the streak with a 2-0 victory in the nightcap.
PREVIEWING THE SPIRITS: Kierston Garner enters her fourth season at the helm of the Salem softball team with a 34-22 all-time mark. Garner has a record of 13-9 away from Blixt Field in her career and is 2-2 in season openers. Her two wins, both by 10-0 margins, came in her first season over Southern Virginia.
One of the primary sluggers that Garner will rely on this season is Coleman, who is a lifetime .456 hitter with 73 hits, 15 doubles and 13 home runs to her credit. Coleman, who has played and started all 56 games in her Salem career, has 62 RBI, 45 runs, a .551 on-base percentage and an .819 slugging percentage. With just 27 hits this season she would become the 13th player in program history with 100 career hits. She trails only Garner, who slammed 30 career home runs, on the program's all0time home run list.
Thomas enters the season having started in 27 of the 33 games in which she played, recording 17 hits, eight runs and three RBI. Thomas has been a solid performer in the outfield with 17 putouts, 15 assists and a .970 fielding percentage. She has been a part of one double play as well. On the mound, Thomas has made 17 appearances for the Spirits, posting a 4-6 all-time mark. She has logged 46.2 innings, allowed 46 runs (38 ER) in 74 hits and converted 13 K's. Thomas also has two complete games to her credit.
In her only season on the mound, 2020, Shelton finished with a 2-0 mark, tossed a complete game and logged 11.2 innings. She surrendered just three runs on 10 hits, and allowed just three extra-base hits by opposing hitters to close with a 1.80 ERA.
Garner has seven first-year players on the roster, including Faythe Bowles, Madeline Brown, Lauryn Fisher, Katie Gerhardt, Carlee McWilliam, Kat Price and Arianna Ryan.
One member of the sophomore class, Savanah Atkins, will be competing against her sister, Megan Atkins. Meanwhile, Cree Bass, will join the team when it heads to Guilford on February 26th due to commitments with Salem basketball.
ANALYZING THE KNIGHTS: Surry CC is 3-1 entering the game, claiming a doubleheader sweep of Guilford (9-3, 11-2) and following that with a 12-10 victory over Spartanburg Methodist. The Knights fell in the second game of the series to Spartanburg Methodist by a 5-2 margin, in their most recent game of the season on Saturday, February 12th.
Freshman Megan Atkins tops all Surry CC sluggers with nine hits (.831 SLG% / .588 OBP/ .563 BA), connecting on two doubles and a triple. Classmate Taylor Allen is the best statistical hitter with a .750 batting average, making six hits in eight at bats, scoring four runs along the way. She also has one home run, resulting in a 1.125 slugging percentage.
Rachel Cooke is responsible for two wins and a save in 10 innings for the Knights this season. She has issued four walks, allowed 14 hits and converted three strikeouts along the way. The lowest ERA (2.33) on the staff belongs to Atkins, who has 13 K's and one walk in 12 innings pitched. Atkins has allowed just seven hits and nine runs by opposing hitters.
