Longtime head coach Mike Rowan will be the first to tell you that last season's softball team outperformed any and all preseason expectations in finishing fifth in the extremely talented MACJC.
 
"We didn't have one position player finish the year at the same position they started the year at last season," Rowan said. "Due to injuries and other factors, we had to shuffle the lineup so many times to make it work. We definitely overachieved."
 
Northwest was 22-20 overall and 16-12 in conference play, a year after finishing ninth, including upsets of No. 5 Gulf Coast, No. 12 East Central and No. 19 Pearl River and played No. 1 Jones County to a pair of close games.
 
Rowan is very optimistic about this year's team with players in their true positions, much improved pitching and defense and speed. The Rangers also have a more balanced roster with seven sophomores and 11 freshmen.
 
In the circle, Northwest returns 12-game winner and first team all-conference pitcher Harley Smith (12-10, 4.43 ERA, 11 CG, 104 K). Her 104 strikeouts, against just 14 walks, was the sixth-most in a single-season, punching out a career-high eight twice. She also posed a dual threat at the plate, hitting .319 with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs and 26 RBIs.
 
Smith will be complemented by newcomers Sarah Johnson (North Delta), Katie Brownlee (Lewisburg) and Hope Clanton (Carroll Academy) to give the Rangers four good options in the circle. Brownlee went 16-4 with four saves and a 1.14 ERA last season, striking out 165 batters against 39 walks in 129.1 total innings. Johnson was named district MVP, all-state and an MAIS All-Star, while Clanton was also team MVP and an all-conference performer.
 
"We may do it like we did a couple years ago and have each pitcher throw two innings or so to keep hitters off balance," Rowan said. "Harley and Katie will definitely be starters. Johnson is more of a power pitcher, while Clanton has held her own in the fall and will give us some good innings."
 
Behind the plate, sophomore Kendall Akerson will continue to catch Smith because the pair worked so well together last year. The Rangers have multiple freshmen to back up Akerson, including Heather Berry (South Pontotoc), Laura Fields (Grenada), Harley Stoufflet (Covenant Christian Academy) and transfer Briley Terry (Decatur, Ala./Calhoun CC).
 
Berry was a Gold Glove winner for South Pontotoc and an MAC All-Star. She's a triple threat for Northwest, able to catch and play both outfield and infield. Stoufflet moved from catcher to third base her senior year and hit .432 with two doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs to be named Co-District 10-1A MVP, while Terry is a true catcher but is transitioning to first base.

"We have more competition at catcher than anywhere else on the field," Rowan said. "We basically have five on the roster, whereas last year we were looking for one starter. It's a wide open competition."
 
Around the diamond, Northwest has a true shortstop in freshman Shelby Wilson (Copiah Academy), is transitioning Alexis McShan into an everyday second baseman and has several options on the corners. Wilson hit .416 with 18 RBIs, 27 stolen bases and a .507 on-base percentage as a senior and helped the Lady Colonels to four consecutive MAIS AAA state championships. McShan was second on the team with a .406 average last year and .485 on-base percentage. Freshmen Cameron Hall (Hernando) and Marlee Ray (Eupora) are other options in the middle infield in a pretty open competition too.
 
Sophomore Mary Thornburg, still nursing a shoulder injury, saw action in 14 games as a reserve infielder last year and hit .545 (6-for-11) with three RBIs and an impressive .615 on-base percentage.
 
Morgan Gresham, who started 37 games at third, is coming off a knee injury and won't be ready for the season-opener, so look for freshman Maddy Politte (DeSoto Central) to get the nod. Politte led the Lady Jaguars to a 21-7-1 overall record, 6A Region 1 Championship and the second round of the 6A state playoffs last season, batting .390 with 20 RBIs and a .464 on-base percentage.
 
Smith, Johnson and Brownlee, all pitchers, will see time at first base, but coach Rowan is hoping that Terry will develop into a good option to keep those three from getting injured in the chance of any collision at first.
 
In the outfield, Sarah Taylor played and started in all 41 games as a freshman, primarily in left, and hit .284 with six doubles, a triple, home run and 24 RBIs. Look for sophomores Ally Judkins and Gresham to join her as well as freshmen Ray and Berry due to their speed and bats. Judkins played second most of last season and Gresham played third, but their true positions are in the outfield.
 
Northwest loses four of its top five hitters from a year ago in a lineup that hit .323, fourth-best in school history. McShan's .406 clip is the best among returners. Judkins is the lone slap-hitter on the team.

Rowan thinks he has one of his fastest teams with players like Ray, Wilson, Hall, McShan and Judkins who will provide a big threat on the base paths. Northwest has slowly become more aggressive with 60 or more stolen bases in four straight seasons after averaging half of that the previous decade.
 
Once again the schedule doesn't do the Rangers any favors, with NJCAA Top 20 opponents like Jones, Gulf Coast, East Central, Itawamba and Illinois Central. Northwest will play its usual non-conference opponents in Blue Mountain, Southwest Tennessee and Arkansas Baptist, but has gone away from the annual Northeast TigerFest and picked up a two-day tournament in Ellisville Feb. 23-24.
 
Northwest has missed the postseason only three times in Rowan's head coaching career and will open conference play at East Mississippi on Feb. 28. The top eight teams advance to a best-of-3 playoff, followed by an MACJC and Region 23 Tournament in consecutive weekends late April-early May.