Wallace State softball coach Jayne Clem collects 800th career win as Lady Lions sweep Marion Military Institute over weekend

HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State softball coach Jayne Clem reached the 800-win milestone over the weekend after the 10^th– ranked Lady Lions prevailed in a conference doubleheader at Marion Military Institute.
Sophomore pitcher Rachel Ragland struck out 10 batters in a one-hit gem, lifting Wallace State to a 6-0 victory in the finale and sending Clem to another career achievement with the Lady Lions.
“You’ve got to have good players in order to reach a number like 800. This number represents all of the hard work from all of the players we’ve had over the last 16 seasons. You can be the best coach there ever was, but if you don’t have good players, you can’t win,” said Clem, whose team has won six straight and 17 of 18 games.
Clem has established Wallace State softball into a perennial state and national contender, leading the program to a pair of NJCAA Division I national championships (2008, 2013), two national runner-up finishes (2009, 2010) and eight conference tournament championships (2003, 2005, 2007-10, 2012, 2013).
Clem, who has been named the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Coach of the Year 11 times, maintains a career 800-213 record (.790 winning percentage) in her 16^th season.
Wallace State’s unblemished mark in ACCC action this season continued at Marion Military. The Lady Lions (37-10, 10-0 ACCC) edged the Lady Tigers 2-1 in extra innings in the opener before the shutout in Clem’s 800^th win.
In last Thursday’s walk-off win against Shelton State, Wallace State’s Mackenzie Hill drove in Olivia Royals with a double.
Both repeated the feat in Saturday’s opener.
Royals began the eighth inning with a leadoff single, stole second and came around to score the eventual game-winner on another double by Hill, giving Wallace State a 2-1 lead.
Amanda Medders and Ragland made it stand up.
Medders was the winning pitcher, improving to a conference-best 19-2 on the season. She went 7 1/3 innings and allowed one run on six hits, striking out seven and walking two.
Ragland recorded the final two outs of the eighth for her team-leading sixth save.
Freshman Katie Parr handed Wallace State a 1-0 lead in the fourth with her third homer of the season. Marion Military tied it up at 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning.
Royals finished 2 for 3 with a run scored and two stolen bases for Wallace State. She leads the conference with 33 stolen bases.
Hill finished 1 for 4 with the RBI double, Ragland was 1 for 3 and Sam Riley added a single in her only plate appearance.
Ragland, a Pleasant Grove native, blanked Marion Military to sweep the twinbill, notching her fourth shutout of the season. She allowed only four baserunners (one hit, three walks), lowering her ERA to a team-best 1.25.
“Amanda Medders and Rachel Ragland have both been great for us all season. They’ve matured as pitchers and have a much better defense behind them this season. They are keeping us in every game. Some games we don’t hit the way I want us to, but we’re finding ways to grind it out,” Clem said.
Hill finished 2 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI for Wallace State at the plate, and Andrea McKenzie was 1 for 3 with a double, two RBIs and a stolen base.
Medders and Julia Dailey each had an RBI single for the Lady Lions and Ragland, Royals and Sarah Ellen Battles each singled and scored a run.
Clem reached the 700-win plateau on April 18, 2013, and made it to 800 less than two years later.
Wallace State seeks to remain undefeated in league play Tuesday as it hosts Central Alabama CC in a doubleheader beginning at noon at Bobby McCracken Stadium.
Wallace State baseball splits with Lawson State
Wallace State’s baseball team split a four-game series with Lawson State over the weekend.
The Lions (17-8, 5-3 ACCC) won 6-0 in Friday’s opener before falling 5-4 in eight innings at James C. Bailey Stadium.
Wallace State also prevailed in Sunday’s opener on the road, winning 5-2. The Lions lost 1-0 in the series finale.
Sophomores Bailey Chesser and Hunter Belue combined to throw a two-hit shutout in Friday’s victory. Chesser was the winning pitcher, improving to 3-0 on the season.
Freshman Jon Sumner led Wallace State at the plate with a solo homer and an RBI double. Ryan Goodman added a two-run double.
Goodman had an RBI single in Friday’s extra-inning loss, while Darian Prewitt scored a pair of runs.
Wallace State sophomore Luke Porter (4-0) tossed his second complete game of the season in Sunday’s 5-2 victory.
Auston Neal had a pair of RBIs in the win, collecting an RBI single and sacrifice fly for the Lions, Lance Cleveland had a two-run single and Drake Tucker added an RBI single.
Wallace State continues conference play Thursday at Snead State.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit wallacestate.edu.