Ellis County Sports Your source for Ellis County Sports News
By Travis M. Smith | KBEC Sports
An Italy senior followed the signing of her national letter of intent with a strong start to the high school softball season.
Lakota Townley initially inked her NLI with Oklahoma Panhandle State University (NAIA) in mid-November.
Through the Lady Gladiators’ first 14 games this season, Townley collectively stood in the batter’s box at 9-for-27 (.333) with four RBIs and 12 runs scored.
Her efforts, which included seven walks for an impressive .841 OPS, helped Italy to a 12-1-1 mark before the season was suspended amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
It was just one season ago that Townley finished her junior season third on the team with 20 hits in 59 at-bats (.339). She drove in 14 runs and scored a team-best 30 over the 2019 season that saw the Lady Gladiators finish with a 16-6 record.
She will now take those efforts to Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
OPSU currently competes in the Sooner Athletic Conference, an NAIA division, against Southwestern Assemblies of God University, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Central Christian, Oklahoma City, Mid-America Christian, Langston, Texas Wesleyan and Southwestern Christian.
Before having play suspended, the OPSU Aggies were 10-16 overall and 2-5 in SAC action. They had won three consecutive games against Behel College (4-2) and Southwestern Christian University (13-3, 10-0).
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Travis M. Smith, @Travis5mith
tsmith@kbec.com
