Wallace State softball coach Jayne Clem, former players Rachel Ragland and Mackenzie Hill all part of NJCAA All-Star team at Canadian Open this month

HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State softball coach Jayne Clem and recently-graduated players Rachel Ragland and Mackenzie Hill are among the elite collection of National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Star players and coaches competing at the 2015 Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship, which begins Friday.
It’s the second consecutive year Wallace State softball will be well represented at the Canadian Open. Clem was head coach of the team last season and joined by former Wallace State stars Kori Benson and Madeline Lee.
“It should be another fun experience, and I think we have a good chance to finish in top four of the international division. We have a lot more pitching depth and depth at all positions this year. Last season was the first time in 12 years the NJCAA sent a team to Canada, so we didn’t have as many nominations across the country,” Clem said. “This year’s team looks good on paper. We had a lot of players to choose from.”
The NJCAA All-Stars roster includes 16 graduating sophomores from 12 member colleges across all three divisions. They’ll oppose some of the world’s elite players over the course of a week before entering a nine-team, double-elimination tournament in Surrey, British Columbia. Opponents on the schedule include the Canadian-based Rivercity Hornets, Team Canada, Team Cuba, Team Dominican Republic, Team Mexico, Team Japan and Team Puerto Rico.
Eligible team members have to be sophomores who graduated from their respective institutions, maintaining at least a 2.5 GPA along the way. Junior college coaches across the county submitted their player nominations and a national committee selected the team members.
Clem and Dodge City (Kan.) Community College coach Howie Smith are leading the team for the second consecutive season and will be joined on the coaching staff by Lana Ross of Iowa Western, Chris Robinson from Jones County (Miss.) and Ryan Connell of DuPage (Ill.).
Meanwhile, Ragland and Hill each have a final chance to represent Wallace State.
Ragland racked up a slew of individual postseason awards after compiling a 25-7 record, seven saves and conference-best 1.32 ERA in her final season at Wallace State. Ragland, who also recorded 210 strikeouts, was named the 2015 Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Player of the Year, a NJCAA first-team All-American and the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) Community College Player of the Year after leading the Lady Lions to their ninth ACCC title and third NJCAA Division I national tournament appearance in four seasons.
Hill, who served as Wallace State’s leadoff hitter and second baseman all season, hit at a .360 clip and led the Lady Lions with 23 doubles and 62 runs scored. She was also tied for first on the team with 55 RBIs.
Hill, a Lawrence County graduate, was an All-ACCC North Division first-team selection and ACCC all-tournament selection. She scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the ACCC title game, sending Wallace State to the national tournament in St. George, Utah.
Additionally, Ragland and Hill were both recognized last week as NJCAA Athletes of Distinction for their academic achievements as sophomores.
Ragland has signed to play for Auburn-Montgomery next season and Hill with UAH.
Clem said Ragland and Hill are both honored to play for the NJCAA All-Star team.
“They’re both very excited. They’ve got to experience a lot in their two years at Wallace State. They got to play against elite professionals when the USSSA Pride visited us last November and now they get to play these international teams,” Clem said. “Rachel and Mackenzie have helped continue our tradition and will always be great representatives of Wallace State.”
Clem has established Wallace State softball as one of the elite programs among all of the NJCAA ranks, winning a pair of national championships (2008, 2013) and adding a pair of runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2010. She has guided the Lady Lions to nine conference championships, including in 2015, and has been named the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Coach of the Year 11 times.
Clem’s career record of 823-217 in 16 seasons at Wallace State currently ranks in the top 15 among the winningest active coaches in NJCAA softball.
Joining Ragland on the NJCAA All-Star pitching staff are Raven Cole and Destin Vicknair from LSU-Eunice and Rachel Henks from Iowa Western.
Hill is one of seven infielders on the team. The remaining infielders are Raven Campos, Northeast Oklahoma A&M; Tori Dew and Lauren Holifield, Jones County (Miss.); Dana Hieda, Iowa Western; Carah Nunez, San Jacinto-South (Texas) and Tara Walls, Kirkwood (Iowa).
Outfielders on the team are Danielle Bottley, Midland (Texas); Lindsey Karlin, Dodge City (Kan.); Chasney Jenkins, Kirkwood (Iowa) and Alex Turner, Southwest Tennessee.
Vivi Marquez, from Rock Valley (Ill.) Community College, is the team’s catcher.
The tournament concludes July 13.
For more information on the Canadian Open Fastpitch International Championship, including a full schedule and results, please visit www.canadianopenfastpitch.com.
For more information about the NJCAA, visit NJCAA.org. For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit wallacestate.edu.