The Lady Bulldogs end the season with a 32-12 record.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College saw its season come to end May 4 in a 5-4 loss to Hinds at the Region 23 Tournament in Clinton. Despite a gutty performance by pitcher Susanna Teague, Gulf Coast couldn’t make it back to the championship round. Lauren Harger and Natalie Travasos hit RBI doubles for Gulf Coast, which finishes the season at 32-12.
On May 3, the Lady Bulldogs won two games, a 2-1 win over East Central, and a 5-3 victory over Northeast. Susanna Teague struck out four and tossed a three-hitter in the win over East Central, while Danielle Ryan struck out four in the win over Northeast. Travasos led Gulf Coast with three hits while Brosh added two hits.
Co-Lin went on to beat Hinds to win Region 23 and earn a berth in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament May 15-17 at Normal, Ill.
Lady Bulldogs face Co-Lin in state finals
Susanna Teague
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is two wins away from defending its 2007 MACJC state title. On April 26, the Lady Bulldogs defeated Northeast 10-1 to advance in the 2008 MACJC State Tournament at Hinds in Raymond. Susanna Teague threw a two-hitter to improve her record to 14-4, while Lauren Harger and Amy Husley each had three hits.
Gulf Coast (30-9) will face Co-Lin in the state finals April 29. The Lady Bulldogs lost to Co-Lin 2-0 April 28. Gulf Coast must beat the Lady Wolves twice to make it back-to-back state titles.
Lady Bulldogs wait to find out South Division fate
MGCCC head coach Kenneth Long talks strategy with his team during a recent game. The Lady Bulldogs are headed back to the MACJC State Tournament.
In 2008, a second straight MACJC South Division crown for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Lady Bulldogs was determined by two other teams.
“Co-Lin swept Southwest April 19, so we finished second,” said Gulf Coast head coach Kenneth Long. “Getting into the state tournament is pretty good, considering how tough the South Division is this season.”
Gulf Coast earned a split in its second straight series on April 17, losing the first game 5-2 to host Jones before winning the second 7-5. In the first game, Danielle Ryan (13-4) absorbed only her fourth loss of the season. Holly Lawrence had three hits to pace the Lady Bulldogs. In the nightcap, Amy Husley earned her first win on the mound, while Desiree Truett singled and doubled, and Lindsey Keyes went 3-for-4 with a double and a RBI for Gulf Coast (27-8, 11-5).
On April 16, Southwest surprised visiting Gulf Coast 3-2 in the first game, but the Lady Bulldogs bounced back to win the nightcap 7-5. In the first game, Lauren Harger drove in two runs with two hits, while Danielle Ryan took the loss. In the second game, Harger earned the win and also drove in five runs off a perfect 3-for-3 outing for Gulf Coast.
Husley and Harger have taken over the number two pitching spot for Gulf Coast after freshman Susanna Teague suffered an arm injury.
The Lady Bulldogs will defend their 2007 MACJC State Championship April 25-27 at the MACJC State Tournament at either Hinds or East Central. The top three teams (top four if LSU-Eunice doesn’t have a winning record) from the state tournament advance to the Region 23 Tournament May 1-3 in Clinton.
Lady Bulldogs sweep Co-Lin
MGCCC’S Amy Husley gets ready to throw out a Co-Lin baserunner April 10.
Desiree Truett lays down a bunt against Co-Lin April 10.
MGCCC Pitcher Susannah Teague fires against Co-Lin April 10.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College took over control of the MACJC South Division with a doubleheader sweep of Co-Lin April 10 at Perkinston.
Gulf Coast pitchers Danielle Ryan and Susannah Teague limited visiting Co-Lin to a total of two hits in both games.
In game one, Lakasia Ducksworth had two hits and two RBIs, while Holly Lawrence tripled with two RBIs as the Lady Bulldogs won 4-1. Ryan (13-2) earned the win.
In game two, a 1-0 victory, Desiree Truett accounted for Gulf Coast's only run with a RBI single and Teague made it stick with a one-hit shutout, improving her record to 12-4.
The sweep of Co-Lin comes off of an April 8 sweep of archrival Pearl River.
Gulf Coast (25-6, 9-3) will end the regular season with road trips to Jones (April 12) and Southwest (April 16).
MGCCC Lady Bulldogs sweep doubleheader at home
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College swept a fast pitch softball doubleheader Tuesday from third-ranked Pearl River, 5-2 and 10-0, at Perkinston.
Pearl River fell to 22-7 overall and 5-5 in south division. MGCCC, ranked No. 11 nationally, improved to 23-6 overall and 7-3 in south division.
Danielle Ryan (12-2) was the winning pitcher in Game One while Jessica Dubuisson (15-3) was the losing pitcher. Dubuisson helped her own cause with a double and RBI.
Miranda Lamey and Ashton Nelson had two RBIs each for MGCCC.
In the nightcap, Susanna Teague tossed a two-hit shutout. Molly Stell (7-4) was the losing pitcher.
Lauren Harger hit a homer with two RBIs for MGCCC. Holly Lawrence, Ashton Nelson, and Lakasia Ducksworth added two RBIs apiece.
The Lady Bulldogs are at home for another key doubleheader againt Co-Lin April 10.
MGCCC Lady Bulldogs ready for another post-season run
Tiffany Brosh (11)
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Lady Bulldogs have spent 2008 trying to live up to high expectations thanks to what they did in 2007. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs went 44-4, and finished third at the NJCAA National Tournament in Normal, Ill., one of the best seasons for any women’s athletic team in college history. It’s also the deepest run any women’s softball team has gone since Gulf Coast started playing fast-pitch softball in 2001. Along with the team winning 44 games, the 2007 Gulf Coast squad also won the MACJC State and Region 23 titles.
In 2008, head coach Kenneth Long and 16 returning sophomores have led the team to a 21-6 overall record and a 5-3 mark in the MACJC South Division.
“We’ve picked it up in practice,” Long said. “I always say you play like you practice. Hopefully that will translate into some good games for us.”
The Lady Bulldogs are in a three-way battle with Co-Lin and arch-rival Pearl River for the South Division crown. This season, Gulf Coast players understand what it’s like to be the hunted, instead of the hunters.
“It’s been fun, but this season is definitely tougher than last season,” said sophomore Tiffany Brosh.
Gulf Coast has upcoming games with Co-Lin and Pearl River before ending the regular season with LSU-Eunice, Jones, and Southwest.
“I believe we have the capability to get it together,” said sophomore Lauren Harger. The MACJC State Tournament is set for April 25-26 and will be hosted by the winner of the South Division.
Gulf Coast enters MACJC South Division Action
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College split a MACJC South Division doubleheader March 18 at Co-Lin.Danielle Ryan pitched Gulf Coast to a 4-1 victory in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday, running her record to 9-1. Miranda Lamey had a two-run home run, and Amy Husley added a two-run triple.
In the second game, Copiah-Lincoln took a 4-2 victory. Susanna Teague (7-3) was the losing pitcher. Ashton Nelson had a two-run double for Gulf Coast (17-4, 1-1).
The Lady Bulldogs travel to Pearl River March 20, and then host Jones March 26 at Perkinston.
MGCCC takes two at Leadoff Classic
The Lady Bulldogs are off to an 11-1 start in 2008.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College got from pitchers Danielle Ryan and Susanna Teague as the Lady Bulldogs (11-1) beat Young Harris (Ga.) 3-0 in the first game and Wallace (Ala.) 2-0 in the second at the Leadoff Classic in Panama City, Fla. Mar 7.
In the first game won by Ryan, Keisha Duckworth had a solo shot and Tiffany Brosh and Lauren Harger drove in runs off singles. Holly Lawrence had two hits. Ryan had eight strikeouts in a complete-game, one-hit gem.
In the second contest, a Teague decision, Natalie Travasos drove in a run off a single, while Amy Husley doubled in another run. Teague finished with six strikeouts. The Lady Bulldogs East Mississippi Mar. 12, and to LSU-Eunice Mar. 15.
MGCCC Lady Bulldogs run record to 9-1
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College swept a fast pitch softball doubleheader March 3 from Jeff Davis Community College (Ala.) 6-3 and 12-1.
In game one, Danielle Ryan struck out eight as she ran her record to 5-0. Desiree Truett and Natalie Travasos each had two hits.
In the nightcap, Susanna Teague (4-1) struck out four.
Lauren Harger had a triple and three RBIs, while Travasos added three hits.
The Lady Bulldogs (9-1) play in the Leadoff Classic in Panama City, Fla. Mar. 14-15.
Lauren Harger.
Ashton Nelson (left) and Danielle Ryan discuss pitching options against Jeff Davis Mar. 3.
MGCCC Lady Bulldogs sweep season opener
MGCCC Pitcher Danielle Ryan.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Lady Bulldogs opened the 2008 season with a double header sweep of Miss. Delta Feb. 19 at Perkinston.
In game one, pitcher Danielle Ryan struck out eight, and tossed a five-hit shutout as Gulf Coast won 4-0. Lauren Harger slapped two doubles, while Ashton Nelson and Amy Husley also had extra-base hits for the Lady Bulldogs.
The nightcap featured pitcher Susanna Teague striking out eight and pitching an 8-0 shutout. Tiffany Brush had two hits and two RBI’S in the victory.
Gulf Coast softball a national power in 2008
MGCCC softball coach Kenneth Long.
MGCCC shortstop Natalie Travasos.
Lakasia Ducksworth bunts during practice Jan. 28.
Some say you’ll never know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been. If that’s true, then the sky’s the limit for head softball coach Kenneth Long and his 2007-08 Lady Bulldogs. The 2007 team entered uncharted territory by going 44-4, and finishing third at the NJCAA National Tournament in Normal, Ill., one of the best seasons for any women’s athletic team in college history. It’s also the deepest run any women’s softball team has gone since Gulf Coast started playing fast-pitch softball in 2001. Along with the team winning 44 games, the 2007 Gulf Coast squad also won the MACJC State and Region 23 titles.
The news only gets better in 2008, as 16 members of that team are coming back as sophomores. This spring, the Lady Bulldogs start out ranked No. 4 in the NJCAA’S pre-season poll.
“Last year our team chemistry was phenomenal,” said Long, the 2007 Region XXIII Coach of the Year. “If we can keep that spirit going, and build off of last year’s success, we can be really good again.”
The Lady Bulldogs march to national prominence was led by pitcher Danielle Ryan. As a freshman, she went an amazing 28-2 with a 1.33 ERA. Not bad for someone who wasn’t even interested in softball after she quit playing when she graduated from Madison Central High School. She was enrolled at Holmes Community College in the fall 2006 semester when Long talked her into coming to Gulf Coast.
“At the end of high school, I was kind of worn out with softball,” Ryan said. “But here, I’m a lot more into it. I feel like I’m doing well here because I’m enjoying myself. I’ve been practicing a lot and working hard on my pitching.”
Ryan also said getting back to the nationals is the main goal for this team, even though the road to the Promised Land is sure to be tougher this spring.
“We got a taste of it last year, and a lot of us have never been that far before,” she said. “It’s going to be tougher to get back, so we’re working extra hard to go as far as we can. Teams will be going in trying ten times as hard to beat us this year, so we’re going in knowing we have to be better than we were last year.
At the plate, Gulf Coast will re-load after last year’s offensive power surge dominated state and region opponents. Three incoming freshmen join the hit parade, led by sophomore Natalie Travasos, who smacked four homeruns in four games at the nationals.
“We think the team learned a lot during the national tournament,” Long said. “The players found out that at the national level, everyone has good pitching, and you have to bring your best game each time you suit up. We also realized that we were good enough to compete with the best teams in the country.”
In the fall of 2007, the Lady Bulldogs played in several tournaments. Long said that was a wake-up call for what’s to come in 2008.
“There’s a big target on us this year,” said senior catcher Ashton Nelson. “Our freshmen have to step up, and we have to get them ready. You can never under-estimate your opponents.”
MGCCC softball finishes third at NJCAA Tourney
May 21, 2007
MGCCC head coach Kenneth Long guided his team
into uncharted territory in 2007.
MGCCC Sophomore Blair Ryle gets a hug from
a teammate after the Lady Bulldogs were eliminated at the NJCAA Tournament.
(Normal, Illinois) Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College finished
third in the NJCAA Division II Fast Pitch Tournament after losing 3-0
to Johnson County Kansas on Saturday, May 19.
"It's tough to end this way after such a great season," said
Gulf Coast head coach Kenneth Long. "Our hitting went cold during
these last two games. I'm extremely proud of this group of special young
women."
The Lady Bulldogs (44-4) could only manage five hits in the loss to
Johnson County, and only three hits in a 5-1 loss Friday against Phoenix
(Arizona) College.
Despite the losses, the Lady Bulldogs third-place finish is one of
the best of any women’s athletic team in college history. It’s
also the deepest run any women’s softball team has gone since Gulf
Coast started playing fast pitch softball in 2001. Along with the team
winning 44 games, the 2007 Gulf Coast squad also won the MACJC State
and Region 23 titles.
At the NJCAA Division II Tournament, Gulf coast defeated Kirkwood Community
College (Iowa) and Lansing, Michigan before falling to three-time defending
National Champion Phoenix on May 18. Phoenix ended up winning the Division
II National Title for the fourth year in a row when they defeated Johnson
County in the championship round of the tournament.
Lady Bulldog pitcher Danielle Ryan and shortstop Natalie Travasos both
earned All-Tournament team honors. Ryan pitched in all four Gulf Coast
games, while Travasos hit four homeruns.
Gulf Coast made this incredible run to the nationals despite having
16 freshmen and only three sophomores on the team.
“I think our younger players gained some valuable experience
this week,” Long said. “This team set the gold standard that
future teams will shoot for.”
The Lady Bulldogs pose with their third place trophy.
Gulf Coast falls to Phoenix 5-1
May 18, 2007
Phoenix College’s Kelsey Volz (left)
and MGCCC’S Alicia York (right) meet at first base on a close
play.
(Normal, Illinois) The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Lady
Bulldogs are not accustomed to losing.
Unfortunately, neither is three-time defending NJCAA Division II National
Champion and No. 1 ranked Phoenix College.
The Bears used a three-hit, 12 strikeout performance by Patricia Moreno
to shut down Gulf Coast 5-1 and send the Lady Bulldogs to the loser’s bracket
of the double-elimination tournament. Gulf Coast must now defeat Johnson County
Community College (Kansas) at 9 a.m. Saturday Morning to earn a re-match with
Phoenix.
“We’re going to out this game behind us,” said head coach Kenneth
Long. “There’s no sense in dwelling on it.”
No. 2 ranked Gulf Coast (43-3) and Phoenix were scoreless going into
the bottom of the fourth inning. That’s when Kailey Yarmer belted a two-run homer
off Lady Bulldog pitcher Danielle Ryan to give the Bears a 2-0 lead. After
Gulf Coast couldn’t handle a catch able foul ball, Emily Nieman made
the Lady Bulldogs pay by smacking the next pitch over the left field fence
for a solo homerun and a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Natalie Travasos continued her power surge
with another homerun, her fourth in three days, to cut the Phoenix
lead to 3-1. The Bears added two more runs in the sixth to essentially
put the game out of reach. The loss was also the first for Ryan,
who saw her record fall to a still amazing 28-1.
“They’re a good team,” Long said, “but we gave them way
too many chances to score. We can’t give any team more than three outs
to work with.”
Earlier in the day, Gulf Coast defeated Lansing, MI. 10-1 in six innings.
Lady Bulldogs 2-0 at NJCAA Tourney May 18, 2007
MGCCC’S Natalie Travasos smacks her third
homerun in two days.
Alicia York
(Normal, Illinois) Another big win for Gulf Coast comes courtesy of
another unlikely power source from the Lady Bulldog offense.
Right fielder Julia Lamy’s three-run homer in the top of the fifth broke
open a close game and led Gulf Coast to a 10-1, six inning thumping of Lansing,
Mich. Community College Friday at the NJCAA Fast Pitch Championship at Normal,
Illinois.
The No. 2 ranked Lady Bulldogs (43-2) will play No. 1 ranked Phoenix,
Ariz. Community College, the defending NJCAA Division II National
Champions, at 4 p.m. The winner of that game advances to the championship
game Saturday, at 11 a.m.
Our bats came alive today when we needed some offense,” said Gulf Coast
head coach Kenneth Long.
Lansing jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a solo
homerun by Danielle Dean. But Natalie Travasos answered with a two-run
shot in the top of the third, her third homer in the last two games,
to put the Lady Bulldogs ahead for good 2-1.
Gulf Coast scored two more runs in the fourth, four in the fifth, and
two more in the sixth to put the game away.
The three-run blast by Lamy was her first long ball this season.
“I knew the pitcher was gonna throw a strike, so I swung as hard as I could
at it,” said Lamy. “I couldn’t stop smiling after I hit it,
and I don’t think I will stop smiling all day.”
Lady Bulldogs pitcher Danielle Ryan improved her perfect record to
28-0, giving up one run on five hits while striking out three.
MGCCC Lady Bulldogs open up strong at NJCAA
Nationals May 17, 2007
MGCCC'S Natalie Travasos belted two homeuns
in the Lady Bulldogs 3-0 win.
MGCCC pitcher Danielle Ryan fires to the plate
against Kirkwood, Iowa.
(Normal, Illinois) The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Lady
Bulldogs got an offensive power surge from an unlikely source in their
NJCAA Fast pitch Softball Tournament opener here Thursday.
Freshman Natalie Travasos belted two solo homeruns to lead Gulf Coast
past No. 6 ranked Kirkwood, Iowa Community College 3-0. The Lafayette,
La. native had only hit one homer this season before today’s outburst.
“It must have been the bagels I ate this morning at breakfast,” Travasos
said. “I was seeing the ball really well today.”
Travasos’s first long ball, a high drive to left field aided by a brisk
20mph breeze, came in the top of the third inning to give Gulf Coast a 3-0
lead. Her second homer was a line drive shot in the top of the fifth. Alicia
York’s RBI single in the top of the first got the Lady Bulldogs going
against Kirkwood pitcher Breanna Milnes.
Gulf Coast ace Danielle Ryan was once again dominant on the mound,
giving up five hits, striking out seven, and upping her record to
27-0.
“I think getting the first win at a national tournament with this many
freshmen is a great start for us,” said Lady Bulldogs head coach Kenneth
Long. “Everybody played well even though we were a little nervous early
in the game.”
As for his team’s new homerun threat, Long said it was just a matter
of time before Travasos would start hitting for power.
“I was a big joke with her,” Long said. “She kept asking me
why she hit so many homeruns in high school but hadn’t hit many at this
level. Here in the last two weeks she’s hit three homeruns, and none were
bigger than the two she hit today.”
Gulf Coast (42-2, ranked No. 2 in the nation) takes on No. 4 ranked
Lansing, MI Community College Friday at 10 a.m. at Champion Fields
in Normal, Ill. Lansing defeated Delta Community College 8-3
and Parkland College 10-3 Thursday.
“I think after being here and seeing all these teams, I think we can hang
with anyone here,” said Lady Bulldog catcher Ashton Nelson. This first
game showed everyone that we’re here to win.”
