(Front: Amy Leach. Middle from left: Shelly Aldrich and Angie Svagerko.
Back from left: Tara Hines, Lisa Horsley, and Natalie Wallace.)
Six members of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College women's fastpitch softball team will play the final home games of their careers when the Lady Cougars host Ohio Dominican College in an American Mideast Conference doubleheader at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Seniors Lisa Horsley, Amy Leach, Angie Svagerko, Natalie Wallace, Tara Hines, and Shelly Aldrich will play for the final time at McCougar Field after leading MVNC to a 71-75 record (.486 winning percentage) over the past four seasons. During that span, the Lady Cougars made two trips to the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament and finished third in 1998 and fifth this year.
Horsley, a first baseman from Grove City, Ohio, has played in 42 games after transferring to MVNC for her junior season. The former Grove City High School product, who has a career batting average of .193, is batting .190 this season with six runs batted in and one run scored.
Leach, an outfielder from Lima, Ohio, has seen action in 87 games in her four-year career and batted .180. This season, the Lima Shawnee High School graduate has played in 10 games with no official at bats and one RBI from a bases-loaded walk.
Svagerko, a second baseman from Campbell, Ohio, has posted a career batting average of .276 in 126 games. The former Ursuline High School standout is batting .316 this season with five doubles, two triples, 10 RBI, and 22 runs scored. She also leads the team with 10 stolen bases. She was selected to the NCCAA East Region Team this year.
Wallace, an outfielder from Newark, Ohio, has played in 136 career games with a .349 batting average. The former All-Ohioan at Utica High School, who ranks fourth in career doubles with 34, is batting .360 this year with a team-high 11 doubles and two home runs. She has also recorded one triple, five stolen bases, 21 runs scored, and 21 RBI. Wallace was named to the NCCAA East Region Team and the NCCAA Honorable Mention All-American Team this season.
Hines, a pitcher from Marion, Ohio, has posted a 45-36 career record with a 1.93 earned run average. The former Marion Harding High School standout is the Lady Cougars' career leader in innings pitched (541), ranks second in games started (76), complete games (71), and strikeouts (269), and is third in victories (45). Hines has compiled a 12-9 record this season with a 1.42 ERA. She was also named the NCCAA East Region Player of the Year and tabbed an NCCAA First Team All-American this year.
Aldrich, an outfielder/infielder from Marion, Ohio, has played in 141 games in her career with a .309 batting average. Another former Marion Harding star, Aldrich ranks second on MVNC's career doubles list with 38. The fifth-year senior is batting .256 this season with four doubles, one triple, 11 RBI, and 13 runs scored. She was also selected to the NCCAA East Region Team.
The Lady Cougars are currently 18-16 overall and 12-9 in the AMC. In addition to Tuesday's games, the team has a doubleheader remaining at Saint Vincent (Pa.) College on Thursday and one game at Walsh University on Saturday.
