Three Newton County softball players will be taking their talents to East Central Community College.
Seniors Shelby Anderson, Brittany Thomas and Landree Amis all signed recently to join the Lady Warriors and new head coach Eric Neel. The Lady Cougars went 23-8-1 last year and return the core of their team this season.
For head softball coach Just Chaney, he couldn’t be prouder of the three.
“They’re reaping the benefits of what they’ve done over their high school careers, so I’m ecstatic and just a proud dad,” Newton County softball coach Justin Chaney told The Meridian Star. “Each in their own way, their leadership (is their biggest strength). Their willingness to do whatever it takes to win. They’re team people, and those are easy to coach, and that’s hard to replace. It’s going to be hard to replace these three.”
Anderson hit .365 for the Lady Cougars last year and drove in 21 runs. On the mound, Anderson blossomed with a 9-3 record and led the Lady Cougars with a 2.28 ERA. Anderson pitched 76.2 innings and gave up 64 hits and just 14 walks while striking out 44.
Thomas had another strong year at the plate and on the mound for the Lady Cougars. At the plate, Thomas hit .361 with a team-leading six double and 13 RBIs. On the mound, Thomas had an 8-3 record and a 3.31 ERA. Thomas pitched 61.1 innings and gave up 56 hits and 21 walk while striking out 43 batters.
Amis hit .299 while catching for the Lady Cougars and tied for the team lead with 21 RBIs. Behind the plate, Amis was solid with a .980 fielding percentage which was best among all the starters and had a team high 97 putouts and just two errors.
