Richard Bland Welcomes No. 10 Florence-Darlington (S.C.) Saturday
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Richard Bland College will welcome nationally-ranked Region 10 opponent Florence-Darlington (S.C.) Technical College on Saturday, April 8 for a softball doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. at the RBC Softball Field. The Statesmen are 12-16 overall, 10-5 in Region 10, currently in third place among the seven region schools competing in the sport. The Stingers, ranked No. 10 in this week's NJCAA Division II Softball Poll, are 19-6 overall, 9-3 in Region 10, currently in first place.
Scouting the Statesmen
Richard Bland is 12-16 overall after a 9-8 road win at Pitt (N.C.) Community College on April 5. The Statesmen are coached by head coach Katy Lampman, who is in her first season, while assisted by first-year assistant coaches Cassidy Clayton, Pete Berrios and Danielle Beverly.
Through 28 games, Richard Bland has been led offensively by sophomore Tabby Dabney/Mechanicsville, who is hitting .474 with six home runs, one triple, eight doubles, 25 runs, 31 RBIs and three stolen bases. Dabney is followed by freshmen Kara Morris/Kents Store (.413, 1 2B, 19 Rs, 6 RBIs, 5 SBs), Taylor Daniel/Alberta (.389, 1 3B, 5 2Bs, 23 Rs, 8 RBIs, 2 SBs), Brooklynn Bilyard/Culpeper (.388, 4 HRs, 6 2Bs, 20 Rs, 20 RBIs, 6 SBs) and Kay'Lee Justice/Suffolk (.353, 5 HRs, 2 3Bs, 8 2Bs, 22 Rs, 28 RBIs, 1 SB), along with sophomores Katelyn King/Chesterfield (.326, 2 HRs, 1 3B, 5 2Bs, 23 Rs, 18 RBIs, 2 SBs) and August Ringer/Yale (.315, 2 3Bs, 24 Rs, 6 RBIs, 5 SBs). The squad is hitting .343 with a new school-record 19 home runs, adding seven triples, 49 doubles and 150 RBIs, while scoring 6.8 runs per game.
The Statesmen pitching staff has been led by sophomore Shannon Buffington/Virginia Beach and Tabby Dabney. Buffington is 4-8 with a 4.73 earned run average and 25 strikeouts over 63.2 innings with six complete games in 15 appearances, including 12 starts. Dabney is 4-5 with a 4.81 earned run average and 38 strikeouts over 59.2 innings with five complete games in 15 appearances, including 10 starts. The team ERA is 4.92 with 100 strikeouts over 166.1 innings.
Series History
Richard Bland and Florence-Darlington are playing for the 17th and 18th times in the sport of softball, and the Statesmen currently lead the series at 9-7. The two schools split a pair of games earlier this season on February 18 in South Carolina … Richard Bland winning the first game 9-2 before dropping the second game to the Stingers 7-4.
Up Next
Richard Bland will remain at home to welcome Southside Virginia Community College for a doubleheader next Tuesday, April 11 at 3 p.m. at the RBC Softball Field. The Statesmen will travel to play on the road at Hagerstown (Md.) Community College next Thursday, April 13 at 3 p.m. in Hagerstown, Maryland. Richard Bland will return home to host Surry (N.C.) Community College for a doubleheader next Saturday, April 15 at 12 p.m. at the RBC Softball Field.