Huntingdon softball looking to defend conference title

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The goals are simple for the Huntingdon softball team this weekend.

The Lady Hawks want to extend their unbeaten streak in conference play, win a second straight Great South Athletic Conference title and earn a return trip to the NCAA Division III Regionals.

"We definitely want to repeat and have an opportunity to go farther than we did last year," Huntingdon head coach Gynger Williams said. "Our goal this season has been to be undefeated in the conference. That takes a lot of determination, but these girls have been out to prove themselves."

The tournament begins on Friday and will be hosted by Salem College. The tournament will be played in Clemmons, N.C. Top-seeded Huntingdon will play the winner of Salem and Pine Manor on Friday at 1 p.m. Central.

"This weekend means a lot to us (seniors). If we lose, it's over," senior catcher Brittany Richardson said. "We have to win it to keep going. We're playing well right now and we just need to be focused, keep doing the things we've been doing and play our game."

Since beginning the season with a 0-6 record, Huntingdon has won 23 of its last 26 games and enters the tournament with a six-game winning streak. The Lady Hawks (23-9) are 16-0 in the GSAC this season. During the past two seasons, Huntingdon has won 20 straight games against conference opponents and 34 its last 35 conference games.

"We've improved during the course of the year," senior pitcher Melissa McClure said. "At the beginning of the year, we had some players taking on new roles and we had to make some adjustments. We've played some good competition that made us better and once we won our first conference game, it felt like the team really started to come together. We've gone undefeated in conference this season and we want to try and end on a good note."

For the full tournament schedule, go to the tournament website at: http://www.salem.edu/athletics/varsity/softball/2013-great-south-softball-tournament#.UXl3GKJJNk1