Lady Hawks' McDowell to play college softball at Georgia's Savannah State

By JOHN McCALLUM

Editor

Another former Cheney High School player is taking her talents to the collegiate level. Officials at Savannah State University in Savannah, Ga. have confirmed that 2012 CHS graduate Mandy McDowell signed a letter of intent this past June to play softball for the NCAA Division I school.

McDowell was a four-year varsity player for the Lady Hawks under head coach Gary Blake and helped lead the team to 2A state tournament appearances in 2010 and 2012. She was a three-time All-Great Northern League first-team selection, twice as a utility player and in 2012 as a pitcher.

As a senior, McDowell was 4-3 on the mound with a 1.56 ERA in 36 innings. She gave up 16 hits, no home runs, and eight earned runs while striking out 68 and walking 27, averaging 13.22 strikeouts per seven innings with a season high 16 against Selah as Cheney finished second in the 2A regional tournament.

McDowell was 18 for 49 at the plate, .367, with two home runs and 19 RBIs for a .612 slugging percentage in 2012. As a pitcher and position player at first base she had a .973 fielding percentage with 32 putouts in 63 innings and just one error.

As a junior McDowell went 6-3 on the mound with a 2.50 ERA and 86 strikeouts against 45 walks. She had a .966 fielding percentage and was 21 for 51, .412, at the plate with 15 RBIs and 17 runs for a .667 slugging percentage. As a sophomore she led the team in batting with a .478 average.

McDowell joins a Tigers softball program that is coming off its first-winning season in school history. As members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Savannah State finished 26-24 overall, 12-3 in MEAC play and was the top seed out of the South Division to the conference tournament.

The Tigers finished the year fourth overall in the MEAC. They had four All-MEAC first-team selections, MEAC Rookie of the Year in third baseman Amber Hallman and MEAC Coach of the Year in Jose Gonzalez.

To follow McDowell and her Tigers teammates go online at http://www.ssuathletics.com or http://www.facebook.com/ssuathletics, on Twitter at @savstatetigers and on YouTube at youtube.com/savstatetigers.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.