HobbsDailyReport.com
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – One of the top high school softball pitchers from the Hickory area is headed to the NCAA Division I tournament as she prepares to close her college career at USC Upstate.
Lexi Shubert, who starred at Fred T. Foard High, is a senior pitcher who will lead USC Upstate into an NCAA game on Friday in Knoxville, Tenn., against Ohio State. Game time is 4:30 p.m.
USC Upstate (44-11) won the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASC) as a top seed on Saturday, edging Florida Gulf Coast 8-0 behind another sparkling outing for Shubert.
Shubert — the daughter of former Bandys basketball player and former Foard basketball and softball coach David Shubert – threw a three-hitter on Saturday, going five innings. She gave up no runs, walked two and struck out three to improve to 19-4.
She has an ERA of 1.43 through 35 appearances, pitching 156 1/3 innings, and has 158 strikeouts and 14 walks.
USC Upstate is on an eight-game win streak as it prepares to meet Ohio State (35-16). The other teams in the Knoxville Regional are Longwood (28-27) and Tennessee (44-10).
The NCAA field has 64 teams, and the winners of the first regional advance to Super Regionals scheduled May 25-28 at locations to be determined.