LORMAN, Miss. – Upon completion of the 2015 season, the Alcorn softball program had an 18-63 SWAC record over its previous five seasons. Though yesterday, the Lady Braves clinched their third consecutive winning SWAC season – a feat that had never been done before in program history.
Seniors
Robin Harrison,
Taylor Hughes and
Mariah Ortiz played an enormous role in Alcorn's turnaround on the softball field. The Lady Braves are 23-10 in the last two seasons and 34-16 over the last three years; both marks are the best in the SWAC East Division.
All three were named All-Conference selections last year.
Harrison, Hughes, Ortiz and the Lady Braves will also be playing for their second straight SWAC East Division title this week when they host Texas Southern on Thursday and Friday, starting at 1 p.m. each day.
"You are really talking about celebrating three young ladies who have made significant contributions to the success of our program," said Alcorn head coach
Josef Rankin.
Hughes experienced the last of the five consecutive losing seasons her freshman year when the team went 0-14 in 2015. The Lady Braves played with a short-handed roster that year which included just seven players at the start of the season.
However, those days seem like a distant memory.
"We slowly got better each year. Coach Rankin came in and was serious about recruiting and started bringing in players from all over. We only had 11 players by the end of my first year, but now we have an actual team. Plus, not only do we have more players but we have a lot of positive attitudes and hard-workers who want to get better," Hughes said.
Hughes has left her mark in the Alcorn record book over her four-year career. She's the school's all-time leader in both hits (183) and doubles (34). Hughes also ranks second all-time in school history in RBI's (105), third in runs scored (96), fourth in walks (67) and 11th in triples (6).
Additionally, Hughes earned both SWAC Player and Hitter of the Year honors in 2017 and was on the All-Conference First-Team.
"What else can you say about Taylor? She was here from the start. I know we had a historic win yesterday, but Taylor was here when things were in bad shape. I mean bad! She was one of the seven! She enrolled in August of 2014 and I got here two months later! Did I say it was bad? However, Taylor has endured it all. She trusted the process and she's has had a hand in the success we have experienced since 2016. That's just awesome! She's just been a model of consistency and she's put up with me for four years with a smile on her face every day," Rankin said.
Alcorn is also more than just softball to Hughes, it is a culture.
"The people at Alcorn are the best part about being out here. It's a great environment where every one is so supportive and encouraging. It makes you feel very welcome," Hughes said. "I've built such strong friendships that I'll have forever."
Hughes, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, was one of the reasons why Ortiz transferred to Alcorn. Ortiz is from Glendale, Arizona and played her first two years at Glendale Community College. Hughes and Ortiz played together on their club team while in high school.
Furthermore, Ortiz was friends with 2017 senior
Adriana Gutierrez who lettered four years at Alcorn. Gutierrez came from Phoenix, Arizona.
"I already knew Taylor and Adriana, and they helped me get in contact with Coach Rankin. It's been really great being here. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to play against big Division I schools, or have the chance to be on a team that could compete at NCAA Regionals," Ortiz said.
Ortiz was named to the All-Conference Second-Team last season. The outfielder hit for a registered 13 multi-hit games and ranked top-five in the league with 37 runs scored.
This year, Ortiz is hitting for a .321 average and .500 slugging in conference games. She's started 80 games in her two-year career at Alcorn.
"I'm going to really miss playing softball. We don't have much of an opportunity to play after our college careers, so our last game of the season will be the last game we play competitively," Ortiz said.
In the circle, Alcorn has built a pitching staff around Harrison over the last two years. Prior to Harrison's arrival, the Lady Braves only had one true pitcher on the roster.
"Last year was the first step toward building a pitching rotation. It's been key for us pitchers to always have each other's backs and support each other. It takes pressure off a pitcher knowing that someone can come in and relieve you if you're having a bad inning. It's a great feeling when pitchers can pick each other up," Harrison said.
Harrison, a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada product, earned a spot on the All-Conference Second-Team last season as Alcorn's ace. She made 13 starts and fired a team-high 103.2 innings.
"Throughout this past fall, we definitely put in a lot of extra time and came early to pitch. It's definitely been time consuming but it's been worth it," Harrison said. "I'm going to greatly miss being able to step onto a field and play competitive softball. The countless hours of being with my teammates will be something I always look back on."
Harrison again leads the Lady Braves in innings pitched with 67.2 so far. She's picked up two wins in three starts in conference with a 3.32 ERA. Harrison has 23 strikeouts in 25.1 frames against SWAC opposition.
"Mariah and Robin are two JUCO transfers who were able to come in and make immediate impacts. I really appreciate their consistency. They are pretty much the same every day. You cannot take that lightly because that makes your job as a coach a little easier. Their senior seasons have had some trials, but they are continuing to work hard and give everything they have towards being successful. Both of them have performed at the highest level in the classroom. I am really proud of them," Rankin said.
Harrison and Hughes will graduate Saturday with degrees in biology/pre-physical therapy. Ortiz is on pace to graduate in December with a degree in sports management.
"I appreciate all three of these young ladies. You have to really thank Mr. Chris and Betty Harrison, Mr. Anthony and Kristi Ortiz and Mr. Don and Kelly Hughes for the values and resources they poured into these young ladies lives. I am sure they are extremely proud of their young ladies," Rankin said.
The trio will be honored at 12:15 p.m. Friday at the Alcorn Softball Complex before the Lady Braves take on TSU.
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