Northwest is coming off a seventh postseason appearance in the last eight seasons under head coach Mike Rowan, closing the 2011 season with a 23-17 overall record and 14-8 mark in MACJC North Division play. Things started out slow, but the Rangers would go on to win 19 of their final 29 games.

The winningest coach in Northwest fastpitch history, Rowan is 223-106 (.678) overall at Northwest, including a stellar 108-42 (.720) ledger against division opponents. The Senatobia native will become the newest member into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame on April 24, 2012.

The Rangers will have to replace six starters from a year ago, including a trio of two-year starters in utility player and two-time all-state selection Candice Brasher, pitcher Magen Fullwood and outfielder Kayla Wilson. Brasher hit an impressive .410 for her career with 27 doubles, six home runs and 77 RBIs and also posted a 12-9 mark in the circle with a 3.13 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 109.2 innings of work.

Northwest returns three sophomore starters in middle infielders Hillari Plummer and Linsey Hebert, along with pitcher/outfielder Stormy Robison. Plummer and Robison were the only two freshmen to play and start in all 38 games on the season, while Hebert started in 31.

An all-state selection, Plummer tied for the batting crown with Brasher a year ago, hitting .431 from her leadoff position with four doubles, a home run and 13 RBIs. The speedster boasted a team-best .490 on-base percentage while also leading the team in runs (41), hits (56), walks (15) and stolen bases (10).

Hebert was fourth on the team in average, hitting .333 with eight doubles, a triple and her first career home run at any level. She scored 27 runs and drove in 17 more, also playing solid defense with just four errors in 132 chances. Robison hit .313 from the plate and was tied for second on the team with 24 RBIs. She also appeared in 13 games in the circle (four starts), posting a 3-2 record with a 2.91 ERA and two complete games in 45.2 innings of work. 

All together, the Rangers have seven players returning in addition to outfielders Cheryl Holcomb, Courtney Clay and Amanda Bies and pitcher/infielder Casey Gibson. All seven returners saw significant playing time in 2011, and will help form a solid base to a 2012 squad with high expectations. 

As a team, Northwest hit .321 a year ago, the third-best batting average in the program's short fastpitch history. The Rangers also scored 229 runs to their opponents' 138 and stole 46 of 51 bases.

In the circle, Robison and Gibson are two players Rowan feels will make a significant impact this season. Add in three new faces, and the Rangers' staff might be one of the best in the state at seasons' end.

Northwest will have to replace a big arm in Fullwood, who went 20-12 with 23 complete games, five shutouts and a 1.98 ERA in two seasons. She also had 112 strikeouts in 212.1 innings of work. 

Adding to the rotation will be some key freshmen, including Casey Baddley (DeSoto Central) who will be the Rangers' number one hurler. Baddley originally signed with Ole Miss out of high school, but ended up going just as a student before transferring to Northwest to play softball. True freshmen Emily Hatcher (Cleveland) and Jamie Kilpatric (Cordova, Ala.) also add depth to the rotation.

Around the diamond, one concern is on the infield corners after the loss of Brasher and Min Kandies. "We lost our main first and third basemen from last season," Rowan said. "So this year we will have young talent filling in those spots. Right now, both are wide open."

Some names that might find themselves battling for the corner spots are freshman infielders Marlena Ray (Strayhorn) and Anna Barham (Independence). Additionally, Hatcher and Baddley will likely find themselves also seeing action in the infield when they're not in the circle.

The outfield is an area full of returning sophomores. Holcomb, Bies, Clay and Robison could return to their roles from last season and all three are expected to be important pieces to the puzzle. However, Rowan also cautioned that "each player is being pushed by a freshman in hopes of taking their positions." Some of the new freshmen names include leftfielder Lauren Riley (Lake Cormorant), centerfielder Vicki Johnson (North Delta) and rightfielder Codie Jones (Southaven).

The 2012 schedule includes 22 home games, including 12 consecutive at Ranger Field from March 24-April 9. As they have in five of the last six years, Northwest will play in the Northeast TigerFest in Booneville Feb. 24-25, matching up against several tough NJCAA Division I opponents. Northwest will play five games in two days against Lane College, Three Rivers, Indian Hills, Calhoun and Jefferson College.

Northwest will also face non-conference foes Southwest Tennessee, Hinds, Arkansas Baptist, North Arkansas and Jackson State during the season.

Itawamba opens up the Rangers' conference schedule on March 3 in Fulton, the first of 24 scheduled games in the north division. Northwest will throw out first pitch of its 12th season of fastpitch softball on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Southwest Tennessee. The doubleheader starts at 1 p.m.

Fans can follow along with Ranger softball all year long with live stats and live streaming audio/video on the school's iHigh.com channel and the Northwest athletics website at www.nwccrangers.com. Second-year student assistant Brian Lentz and sports information director Kevin Maloney will bring you live play-by-play for selected home and away games.