Contact: John Simms 304-766-5760
INSTITUTE, W.Va — West Virginia State University’s softball team is ranked 25th in the country in the current National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll released this week.
It is the first time the program has received a national ranking. West Virginia State is the only WVIAC team in the rankings.
The Yellow Jackets currently have a 17-6 record.
The Yellow Jackets were selected to the NCAA tournament field for the second time in program history last season where they advanced to the second round. The WVSU squad is led by senior pitchers Sara Pelegreen and Kelsey Lorraine.
“It’s really awesome because we know it’s never been done by a softball team here before,” Lorraine said. “We just hope we can live up to expectations as the season goes on.”
Lorraine currently has an 8-3 record and is second in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with an earned run average of 1.47. Pelegreen is 6-1 and eighth in the conference with a 2.17 ERA.
Team members are Victoria Crawford, Anna Eggleston, Dee Dee Loftis, Poppy Ramey, Megan Schoolcraft, Sydney Kaplan, Jade Weinkauf, Alana Weyant, Codi Evick, Hannah Griffith, Mattie Best, Desiree Griffith, Sabrina Schouten and Holly Huskey.
Head Coach Bob Allen, in his ninth season with the team, said, “It’s wonderful, we’ve had a pretty good season and I hope we can continue to play well.”
The Yellow Jackets next play a doubleheader at the University of Charleston at 6 p.m. Saturday.