Courtesy Georgia State Sports Communications
Congratulations to the Georgia State softball team. After losing an opportunity last weekend to host the CAA tournament by losing their series at Hofstra, they had to turn around and go right back up to Hempstead, NY for the tournament knowing that Hofstra stood in the way of an NCAA tournament bid. When the smoke cleared both the Panthers and Pride were meeting in the finals and led by Lauren Jones at the plate and pitcher Alana Thomas, Georgia State defeated Hofstra twice, 4-2 and 2-0, last Friday at the Hofstra Softball Stadium to claim the conference title. Georgia State will travel to Athens, Ga. For the NCAA Regional that also features host UGA, Florida State and Alabama-Birmingham. In game one Jones belted a three-run homer in the sixth inning to help the Panthers erase a 2-1 deficit and force the decisive second game, in which she broke a scoreless tie with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning. Thomas started both games in the circle, and after allowing just one run in four innings of the first game, she tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout in the championship game. “We all had a feeling before the year began that it could be a special one,” said Thomas. “We had faith in each other throughout the year and it was a complete team effort. We always say ‘big team, little me’ and that was evident this week.” Thomas was named Most Outstanding Performer of the tournament. Although she was credited with only one victory, Thomas was masterful throughout, allowing only one earned run in 18-1/3 innings over three games. In winning the CAA Championship, Georgia State overcame a remarkable run of dominance by Hofstra, which has won the league title eight of the nine years since the CAA began softball play in 2002. “The team has had a ‘refuse to lose’ attitude all year long, along with enthusiasm and a willingness to work hard,” said interim head coach Roger Kincaid. “Today’s effort was a microcosm of the season as a whole. The energy in the dugout was out of this world and was a key part of us being able to win two games against a team of Hofstra’s caliber.” Georgia State will now face Georgia in Athens Friday. Although the title is GSU’s first since joining the CAA, the Panthers have won five previous conference championships in the New South Women’s Athletic Conference (NSWAC) and Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC). Georgia State last appeared in the NCAA Softball Tournament in 1994
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