Normally, it takes freshmen a while to adjust to the speed of the game in college softball.
That certainly wasn’t the case for Eupora’s Delta Claire Newman.
Newman started the year off by going 2-for-3 for the Lady Rangers of Northwest Mississippi Community College as the first baseman had eight multi-hit games and ended the season with a team-leading .359 batting average. Newman was named a first-team All-MACJC selection for her efforts. Newman was also second on the team with a .519 slugging percentage and 56 total bases. Newman also saw action in eight games on the mound.
“I feel like as a team, we might not have had the best year but we grew as a team,” Newman said. “Myself, I was really able to adjust and make the most of the situation I was in.”
Newman said the speed of the college game was the biggest difference for her.
“It’s definitely a different game,” Newman said. “Everything just happens a lot faster. You have to be ready all of the time. And in high school, you were probably only going to face one pitcher. But you might see three or four pitchers in a game and they are all good. So you have to be able to adjust to the different pitchers that you see.”
Newman started in 30 of the 35 games she played in for the Lady Rangers. Newman said despite the rough season in which the Lady Rangers went 8-35 overall, there were some highlights.
“We had one game where we were down by two or three runs and it was two outs and I got a clutch hit that tied the game and we eventually came back to win the game,” Newman said. “And then there was my first collegiate home run against Holmes and that was a big moment for me as well.”
Newman said she will spend the majority of her summer working in Webster County and staying in softball shape. She said she may play with some travel teams but hasn’t made that decision yet.
Newman said she is majoring in pre-nursing and hopes to be able to continue playing softball after her two years at Northwest are up.
“I would like to play somewhere,” Newman said. “I definitely want to keep pursing my career. I have talked to the W (Mississippi University for Women) and that’s about it. But we still have another season to go so we will see how it goes.”
Newman garners All-MACJC Softball Honors
Infielder Delta Claire Newman and pitcher Lacey Coats of Northwest Mississippi Community College have been named to the 2019 All-MACJC softball team, the league announced on May 31.
Both freshmen, Newman received First Team All-MACJC honors as Coats collected a second team nod.
Earning the start in 35 of the team's 43 games, Newman led the Rangers with a .349 batting average, 12 doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs. In addition to a .977 fielding percentage at first base, the Eupora native also saw some time in the circle, making eight appearances and two starts in 14 innings of work.
Becoming the team's primary starting pitcher as the season progressed, Coats had a strong freshman campaign and finished 7-11 with a team-best 3.06 ERA, along with 87 strikeouts and 42 walks. The Hernando product also made her presence felt at the plate, batting .409 with six RBIs despite only seeing 22 at bats.
2019 Northwest Team Awards
Most Valuable Pitcher – Lacey Coats
Heart of a Champion – Briley Terry
Slugger Award – Delta Claire Newman
Scholar Athlete Award – Sarah Johnson
Golden Glove Award – Maddy Politte.
