Childers Helps Lead VA Legends To ASA National Title
7/28/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
July 28, 2008
Spartanburg, S.C. -
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"Having people like Morgan Childers on your team is why you are successful."
Bobby Wills - Head Coach VA Legends
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Childers, a rising sophomore from Kings Mountain, N.C., was one of three pitchers on the team made up of college players. The win by the Legends this year marks the third straight U23 national championship for the organization. The team has been known for its pitching with last year's title team boasting the likes of Angela Tincher who led Virginia Tech to the ACC championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament en route to being named the player of the year in college softball in 2008. This year, Childers joined several top college players on the squad, including Francesca Enea (Florida), Lillian Hammond (Tennessee), Kristina Hilbreth (Florida), Tayl'r Hollis (LSU), Jennifer Lapicki (Tennessee), Sarah Malene (Charlotte), Rachael Mitchell (LSU), Stacey Nelson (Florida), Ashton Payne (South Carolina), Rhea Taylor (Missouri) and Ashton Ward (Tennessee).
The VA Legends went 7-2 in the tournament, claiming a 9-1 victory over the Georgia Fire in the championship game to claim its third straight national championship. Childers saw action in six of the team's nine games, finishing the tournament with a 2-1 record. She tossed 17 innings with 13 strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA. She ranked second on the Legends in ERA and gave up just nine hits.
Childers was pitching in the tournament less than a month after having surgery on her nose to repair damage suffered in a freak injury during a pre-season game in the fall of 2007. She broke her nose and had it treated to the extent that she could play this past spring. However, she had to have surgery this summer to fully repair the nose and missed a month of preparation leading up to the ASA Nationals with the VA Legends.
"Morgan had a very good national tournament for us," said Legends head coach Bobby Wills. "Considering she had surgery in late June and couldn't pitch until she arrived in Auburn, she did great."
Childers brushed knocked off the rust of not having pitched in a month when she started the tournament opener, tossing four innings as the in a 5-2 loss to the Georgia Fire. She saw her second action of the tournament in the third game for the Legends, pitching the final four innings in relief to pick up the 6-0 win over the New Jersey Elite. She allowed just one hit and had two strikeouts. She had four strikeouts and allowed just one hit in her next outing, also in relief, as she finished the final two innings in the 5-0 win over East Cobb. It was almost a mirror image in her fourth appearance in the tournament as she finished the last two innings of the 4-0 victory over East Cobb in the Legends' fifth game of the tournament. She allowed just two hits and struck out one in the game as the Legends improved to 4-1 for the tournament.
After taking the sixth game off, Childers turned in what was arguably her best and most valuable performance of the tournament in the seventh game of the tournament for the Legends. With the team playing in the finals of the loser's bracket, she entered the game in relief with the score tied at 2-2. She tossed three shutout innings with four strikeouts and allowed just one hit to earn the 5-2 victory and lead the Legends to an appearance in the national championship game.
"She pitched her best when we needed her the most in the finals of the loser's bracket," said Wills. "(Her performance) allowed us a chance to defend our national title.
"I had heard many good things about the character of Morgan prior to the tournament. All of the coaches and players were very impressed with her both as a person and a pitcher. It was a pleasure to have her with us on and off the field. Having people like Morgan Childers on your team is why you are successful."
Childers had a standout season for Upstate in 2008. She led the Spartans in the circle as Upstate claimed a share of the A-Sun regular season championship in its first season playing on the Division I level and in the Atlantic Sun Conference. She earned the win in 27 of the Spartans' 34 victories, including 12 of Upstate's 16 wins in the A-Sun. She led the A-Sun in wins (27), a 1.37 ERA and a .171 opponent's batting average en route to being named the A-Sun Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year. It marked the first time in league history that a player earned pitcher and freshman of the year honors in the same season. A first team all-conference selection, her 27 wins was the fifth-best mark in conference history. She also earned a spot on the A-Sun All-Freshman Team, finishing 2008 with a 27-5 record and two saves.
