Softball, tennis teams take first in PBC

The University of North Georgia (UNG) women's tennis and softball teams have added to a banner spring with Peach Belt Conference (PBC) regular-season first-place finishes.

In addition to these two teams, three others from UNG are nationally ranked this spring: men's tennis, men's golf and women's golf.

Ranked third in the nation, the UNG women's tennis team tallied a 5-1 conference record to finish in a three-way tie for first place in the PBC ahead of the April 26-28 PBC tournament, which will be hosted by Columbus State University. UNG is the No. 1 seed thanks to its place in the ITA rankings ahead of its PBC rivals and will have a first-round bye before opening tournament play at 10 a.m. April 27 against the winner between PBC No. 4 seed Georgia College and State University and No. 5 seed Augusta University.

"I am so proud of this team and the history it has already made. We look forward to continuing to compete at the highest levels at the PBC tournament and in the NCAA postseason," women's and men's tennis head coach Kent Norsworthy said. "This group is eager to take on the pressure of tournament play."

Sporting a 20-1 overall record heading into the PBC and NCAA Division II postseason, the UNG women's tennis team has already set a school record for regular-season victories and is in striking distance of the full-season mark of 22 wins set by the 2019 team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight.

With its sights set on the postseason, the UNG softball team has wrapped up a 10th consecutive PBC regular-season championship and its 13th in the past 15 seasons. Ranked fourth nationally, the Nighthawks will host one of two four-team, double-elimination quarterfinal pods in the PBC tournament April 26-28 at Haines and Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park. UNG begins its portion of the event against No. 8 seed Augusta University at 2 p.m. April 26. No. 4 seed Flagler and No. 5 seed USC Aiken are also in UNG's pod. 

The UNG softball team tallied a 21-3 PBC mark this spring in PBC play, with a 43-8 overall record. Now the Nighthawks will take aim at a 10th straight PBC tournament title before embarking on the NCAA postseason, where they will look to add a third national championship after earning NCAA crowns in 2023 and 2015.

Pitching has been an integral part of UNG's success once again, with Tybee Denton tallying 175 strikeouts, a 1.48 ERA and a 23-2 record in 147 innings and Kristen Davis recording 108 strikeouts, a 2.14 ERA and a 17-5 record in 124 1/3 innings.

A balanced offense has tallied a .342 batting average with 58 home runs, 99 doubles and 7.2 runs per game.

The men's tennis team is ranked eighth nationally with a 12-6 record and 3-2 PBC mark and will also compete April 26-28 in the PBC tournament in Columbus, Georgia. UNG is the No. 3 seed and starts PBC tournament play at 3 p.m. April 26 against No. 6 seed Georgia College and State, with the winner taking on No. 2 seed Columbus State at 1 p.m. April 27.