Haller hits conferece record 17th homerun

The Jackets hosted the Chattanooga Mocs for a doubleheader on Wednesday. Freshman sensation Whitney Haller earned three homeruns against the Mocs and hit 4-7. She currently holds the single-season school and conference record in home runs with 17, which is also tied for the record in the NCAA. She also holds the school record for RBI and runs scored in a single season.

Senior Amy Hosier hit a walk-off home run in the second game to lead the Jackets past the Lady Mocs. Sarah Wood earned the win for the first game, and Whitney Humphreys won the second for the Jackets. The Jackets had a combined 18 hits on Wednesday.

The Tech softball team hosted ACC rival Florida State last weekend in Atlanta and dropped two of the three against the Seminoles.

Haller hit two homeruns and had five RBIs for weekend. Although she does not worry about statistics, Haller currently leads the conference in homeruns, RBIs, runs scored, total bases and slugging percentage. The freshman sensation states that she is a “team player” and adds that there is still “much room for improvement.”

Head Coach Ehren Earleywine summarized Haller’s performance as “amazing.”

“I would have only expected an upperclassman to perform like her...I would hate to think where we would be without her performance on the basis of a win-loss standpoint,” Earleywine said.

During the first game, sophomore Whitney Humphreys allowed three runs over five innings. Earleywine claimed that Humphreys is Tech’s “hottest pitcher.” During the past weekend “Humphreys gave us a chance to win and pitched strikes.”

Sophomore Aileen Morales scored the only run after a sacrifice fly by senior Christine Sheridan, and freshman Blair Shimandle doubled and went 2 for 3. The Jackets committed four errors, three of which occurred in the same inning, as the Seminoles took the first game by a score of 9-1. According to Earleywine, the pitching “did not hold up” and the Jackets did not have “a chance to come back”.

“Our biggest problem was communication,” Haller said. “We were not listening to the coaches or listening to each other.”

Earleywine was “frustrated” after losing the series to the Seminoles.

“Florida State out-hit us. Our pitchers had a dry spot, and we came short of our goal of winning the series,” he said.

The Jackets took the lead in the first inning of the second game as Morales scored on a Haller single. The Jackets scored four runs in the second inning on a homerun by Haller and a combination of RBI-hits by Sheridan and Morales.

Junior Kristina Hull and Morales each had an RBI in the seventh inning as Tech tacked on two more runs. Junior Caitlin Lever earned a single, stole a base and scored a run.

Haller, at the pitcher position. capped off the game with her school-record sixth save. Haller currently holds the school record for saves in a season and leads the conference in the category this season. The Jackets won the second game by a score of 8-3.

“We just played the game for ourselves,” Haller said. “We didn’t worry so much. We wanted to show that we are not a team than can run ruled.”

On Sunday, Hosier and Hull drove in three runs between them as the Jackets collected a total of eight hits.

“Hosier is one of our most consistent players,” Earleywine said. “She is always hitting and swinging the bat well. If I was a player, she would relax me because of her poise. She brings confidence to the other hitters.”

On the mound, sophomore Humphreys and freshman Lacey Richardson allowed just two hits between them. Haller gave up a pair of runs, one of which was a home run hit by Michelle Snyder.

Hull and Haller each had a home run on Sunday, but it was not enough as the Jackets fell to the Seminoles, 7-4.

Earleywine wants “to get the taste out of his mouth” in reference to the past weekend. “We definitely look forward to another opportunity to regain our respect.”

The Jackets play a three-game series this weekend at N.C. State, and the next home game is Tuesday, April 11 against Georgia Southern at 4 p.m.