Jan. 27, 2010

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - With nine newcomers and only five returnees from last season's team, the Winston-Salem State Lady Rams will have a new look and a new attitude heading into the 2010 season. In the eighth season under head coach LaTaya Hilliard-Gray, the Lady Rams will take the field with a young, but extremely talented team this season and will provide an exciting spring for fans of Lady Rams softball.

The 2010 Lady Rams will head into the season with only five returnees from last season's team, but with five quality leaders returning, including some of the top offensive performers in school history, there will be a lot to look forward to in 2010. The infield trio of senior Whitney Hall, and juniors Bonika Terry and Kayla Woodbury, the Lady Rams will feature potent performers on both sides of the ball. With a .352 career batting average, Woodbury is the likely candidate to be the team's top performer at the plate. Her eight career home runs place her second on the WSSU career list for home runs since the 2002 season, one behind former Lady Ram Amber Shore. Terry, last season's leader in batting average, will also return with a .310 career batting average. She already claimed the WSSU career lead with 28 stolen bases. Hall will be counted on to be the senior leader at the plate and has the poise and ability to be a clutch performer for the Lady Rams in 2010.

INFIELD
Though potent offense is one of the keys to victories and another key is solid defense, the Lady Rams will have little to worry about in the upcoming season. With an experienced defensive trio returning on the infield and a talented, athletic class of newcomers, opponents will find bases hard to get against the Lady Rams this season.

The left side will be especially tough for opponents with the tandem of Woodbury and Hall leading the way for the team. Playing both third base and shortstop, Hall has been one of the top defensive players to wear the red & white. Last season, she led the Lady Rams with 59 assists and added 46 put outs and a .854 fielding percentage. The senior will be counted upon once again to lead the WSSU effort on the left side. Joining her will be junior third base Kayla Woodbury, who will also spend time at catcher for the Lady Rams this season. Woodbury is the second leading returner with 54 assists and a .972 fielding percentage.

The Lady Rams will need to replace some top notch talent on the right side with the graduation of former WSSU Female Athlete of the Year Kendall Sutton and four-year first baseman Leslie Hollis. The duo combined for 79 games and 79 starts last season. This season, the team will rely on a cast of five freshman infielders to shore up the WSSU infield defense. At 5'7" and 5'8" respectively, the freshman tandem of infielders Artreya Jernigan and Olivia McDonald are likely candidates to line up at first base. The athletic quartet of Shantel Haskins, Britney Cato, , Shantel Haskins, and Erikka Hardy will give the Lady Rams some much needed range and defensive ability both up the middle and on the right side of the WSSU infield.

OUTFIELD
One of the strong points for the Lady Rams will be the team's outfield where the team will count on juniors Candace Spinks and Ashley Shepard to provide some quality leadership. Last season, Spinks played in 36 games with 35 starts. Last season, Spinks led the WSSU outfield with 33 putouts and no fielding errors. Junior utility Ashley Shepard also saw time in the Lady Rams outfield. The Lady Rams will welcome a cast of new players this spring with four newcomers to the outfield.

PITCHERS
With the graduation of last season's entire pitching staff, including former Lady Rams Amber Shore and Elyon Taylor, the 2010 Lady Ram pitchers will have some really big shoes to fill this season. Shore finished her career as the WSSU career leader since 2002 with 41 wins and 658 strikeouts during her tenure. Though Taylor only pitched for one season as a Lady Ram, she developed into a solid pitching option for the Lady Rams.

This season, the freshman quartet of senior Malia Craft, Brittany Lane, Tiffany Burgess, and Latesha Davis will give the Lady Rams a stable of quality performers in the circle this season. Leading the way for the team will be 6'0" freshman Malia Craft. A three-time all-conference honoree in high school, she has the combination of strength and ability to be a top performer for the Lady Rams this season. Fellow freshman Brittany Lane will also give the Lady Rams another solid pitching option this season. The freshman tandem of Latesha Davis and Tiffany Burgess will round out the WSSU pitching staff in the upcoming season as well.

CATCHERS
In front of every great pitcher, there needs to be a great catcher. Fortunately for the 2010 Lady Rams' pitchers, the team has three. Behind the plate, the Lady Rams will feature a talented trio of defensive players who will provide a solid cornerstone for the WSSU defense this season. The junior tandem of Bonika Terry and Kayla Woodbury will give the team some quality experience behind the plate. The two players were strong with Woodbury posting a .972 fielding percentage while Terry added a ..960. The two combined for just 19 passed balls in 40 games last season.

Also joining the Lady Rams behind the plate this season will be freshman Latoya "Nikki" Lynch, a talented freshman from Wilmington, North Carolina where she earned all-conference softball honors at E.A. Laney High School.

SCHEDULE
For the third straight season, the Lady Rams will play a full schedule of NCAA Division I competition including a complete schedule of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference competition. The Lady Rams will open the season at the MEAC/SWAC Showdown in Conyers, Georgia where the team will take the pride of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) against a slate of foes from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Lady Rams are scheduled to take on Grambling State and Alcorn State at the tournament. The Lady Rams will also take part in the Adidas/Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The team will also renew a pair of local rivalries when they face the North Carolina Central Lady Eagles in doubleheaders in Winston-Salem, N.C. and in Durham, N.C. The Lady Rams will also head to nearby Greensboro, N.C. for a weekend series against the North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies.

Though the team will face a number of great challenges in the upcoming season, the team is definitely up for the challenge with the combination of experienced leadership and quality newcomers.