2010

2010 nearly a perfect 10 for . Lady Warriors lhc Spnng ol 2010 was- game," said ECCC seventh– n' t quite a perfect I0 for the year coach Scott Hill. "Even fastpt tch sllflball team at though you know that you've East Ccnt1 al Community done so well , it's still tough College, but it didn ' t miss by because you're playing hard much. and you've played well I he Lady Warriors against those teams firushed fourth in the that are there. NJCAA Division fl " I felt like we Championships in were just as good as Normal, Ill., in late , anybody there. That May. It was their first rain was tough on trip to the national everybody, but I tournament. think if the tourna- Prior to that, the ment bad been Lady Warriors won played like it was the rugged MACJC Marty schedu led, a different South Division regu- Stamper team may have won lar season chanipi- and maybe that could onship with a 17-7 league have been us. mark. ".But I was just very proud About the only title that of how we played all season eluded the ECCC girls in long. There were a couple their 47- ll -1 season·was the times we had to face a little MACJC state tournament adversity during the season crown. Even that was within when we had a couple of real reach as the Lady Warriors tough division losses, but we lost 2-0 to Pearl River in the overcame them and that's tournament ftnals. been the story of this " It was very special to go team...they overcame a lot out in that way," said first and played weU when they baseman Brittney Cochran of needed to." Newton County. "To be on a None played better in region championship team Illinois than former Newton when that 's never happened County High School stand– before at EC is special...as a out Kasie Buckley as she sophomore espec ially." was named the Most "I told somebody the Valuable Offensive Player in other day that it was tough the national tournament after when you lose that last balling .636 with three home

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East Central freshman center fielder Summer Alexander of Newton County High School receives congratulations from her teammates after hitting a home r un in an early-season win over Northwest Mississippi.

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both Buckley ( 16 2) and Taylor Bailey (27-9) return to the pitcher's ci tcle in 2011. " I try to be realistic," Hill said. "We want to go back and we want to do as well. We know that for us to do well this year a lot of good thmgs had to happen. "To get back next year, a lot of good things would have to happen. We might have just as good a team, but for whatever reason, the breaks may not go our way. "Getting a taste of it this yeaJ, we sure would like to do it again, but you've got to have some good things hap– pen for you."

runs, a double, three singles, and seven RBI. " I didn 't expect to get it, but it felt good," Bueldey said of the prestigious honor. Cochran, who was select– ed team captain, had an idea back in the Fall that this Spring could be special at EC. " T came into this year knowing we had more than enough talent to get there," Cochran said. " Just pushing everybody to get to that point was what I wanted to do." With the national tourna– ment appearance now a real– ity instead of mere ly an unfulfilled dream, the bar is already raised high for the

2011 Lady Warriors.

Building on the 2010 team's success will be the objective from here on in terms of keeping ECCC on the national scene. The No. I goal is sim– ple..:'To get back to where we were," Buckley said. "We lose six really good players and it's going to be hard to replace them, but hopefully we can do that." That would include play– ers like sophomore catchct Paige Holscn of Union who caught every game in 20 l 0 And sophomores Hannah Lee in lefi fteld and Hailey Chisolm at third base. The good news is that