OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The No. 16-ranked Johnson County Community College softball team heads to Topeka, Kan., this weekend for the 2019 NJCAA Region VI/District D Division II Softball Tournament, hosted by Hummer Sports Park. The Lady Cavaliers (21-12) will take on Murray State College (24-19) on Saturday, May 11 at 10 a.m. The winner will take either Hesston College (34-11) or Kansas City Kansas Community College (36-18).
Johnson County will be looking for its third straight championship and their 20th overall in team history.
The Lady Cavaliers have won all three previous meetings with Murray State, including a 7-4 win in their run to the title last year.
One player JCCC head coach Aubree Brattin-Volkens will rely on is their team MVP, sophomore Kerrigan Dixon. She has been a key producer both in the circle and at the plate this year. Dixon stands 12-4 on the season with 92 strikeouts and conference leading earned run average of 1.33. She also has completed 10 games and posted two shutouts. At the plate, she is batting .375 (27-for-72), second-best on the squad, with six doubles, two triples, a home run, 14 runs and 14 RBIs.
Two other key run producers this season have been freshman Emily Fox and sophomore Kerry Murphy. Fox is hitting at a .343 clip (34-for-99) with seven doubles, a triple, three home runs, 26 runs and 31 RBIs. She is the team leader in hits, doubles, runs and RBIs. Fox also leads the team with 14 stolen bases, and she has only been caught once.
Murphy is right behind with a .341 average (28-for-82) with four doubles, a team-best six homers, 19 runs and 23 driven in.
Murray State has a powerful offense. They have eight players with 20-plus RBIs and the team has belted 61 home runs over 43 games, and have a total of 148 extra base hits.
Mikayla Rutland is the Aggies leading hitter at .383 (51-for-133). She also has 20 extra base hits including 10 home runs. She also leads the team with 40 runs scored and 32 driven in.
Savannah Ashford is next at .362. She also has 51 hits with 23 going for extra bases. Peyton Griffin, a .267 hitter, lead the team with 12 home runs. She also leads with 31 strikeouts.