Published: May 14, 2008 01:10 am            

Jeter and Blinn: A perfect fit

Former Lady Hornets star earns all-region spot as freshman with playoff-bound Buccaneers

Caley Jeter knew she was making a good choice when she signed a softball scholarship offer from Blinn College last spring.

Today she feels even better about her decision to become a Buccaneer.

The former Huntsville High School star shortstop recently finished a fantastic freshman season at Blinn. For her work, Jeter was named to the All-Region 14 softball team, which was announced last week.

Jeter hit .335 with 16 doubles, five triples and 17 RBIs this spring. She scored a team-high 38 runs and made just nine errors in the regular season.

“Jeter made steady and great plays all season long,” Blinn softball coach Rick Church told the Brenham Banner-Press last week. “She was so consistent that people got to see her at her best because she was at her best most of the time.”

Jeter says she was just doing her job. She helped the Buccaneers post a 39-14 record this season and advance to the semifinals of the Region 14 Tournament, a season after missing the tournament entirely.

“For my freshman year, I guess I did pretty good,” Jeter said. “I thought I could have done a little better, but the first year is probably a little bit more of a learning experience. I feel like I honed the fundamentals of the game. Hitting mechanics, I think I got a little better at that.

“It was a lot of fun. It was like high school, but every game was a challenge. There is a lot more talent in college softball. Every team we played had the potential to beat you, so you had to be on your game and give 110 percent every game.”

The Buccaneers were ranked in each NJCAA poll released during the season. They were 15th heading into the regional tournament, where they won twice before losing to both San Jacinto College and Galveston College.

“We wanted to go to the national tournament, but we fell a game or two short,” Jeter said.

        

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