LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty Flames softball team is making waves once again as they prepare for their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Under the leadership of seasoned coach Dot Richardson, the Flames have demonstrated remarkable resilience and skill, securing their spot in the tournament with high expectations.
Liberty boasts some of the top talents both at the plate and in the circle. Pitcher Elena Escobar has delivered an impressive season, achieving the second-best ERA in the conference at 2.64. On the offensive front, Rachel Roupe and KK Madrey have been standout hitters throughout the year. The Flames, familiar with the pressures and thrills of the tournament, enter with even higher hopes following their Super Regional exit last year.
Coach Dot Richardson emphasizes the importance of being present and focused:
“The reality is you need to be ready for now. The players have to be in the present, but we have experienced regionals in a big way and it’s getting to be expected as you just mentioned. We’ve had some big wins in regionals, but you have to finish your job. So our goal right now is to say we have a great competition in the Athens regional, and I think it will be very strong and there are people there that are going to be very comfortable there because the travel is not too far and some highly ranked teams that deserve to be there so it’s going to be one game at a time.”
“We’ve upset teams last year and the year before and it’s like a constant thing and that’s why a lot of people are scared to play us,” KK Madrey said. “They might be like, ‘oh yeah they’re ranked lower than us’ but they could beat any team in the country.”
“I think the biggest key is everyone understanding their role,” Rachel Roupe added. “At this point in the season it’s not time to be selfish. It’s time to go out. This past weekend they were team wins as you guys have seen so we need every single person to just step up and embrace the role they have.”
The Liberty Flames will start their tournament run against Charlotte in the Athens Regional at 3 PM on Friday, a team they defeated earlier in the season. Also competing in the regional are Georgia and UNC Wilmington, promising a competitive field.