Joey Harvey is a junior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at [email protected].Eva Kriegel struck again, and this time she sent the No. 4 seed Derek Pegues packing in yet another upset. Kriegel has apparently developed a fanbase in this tournament, and she sits comfortably in the championship match, for now, as she awaits her opponent.
This week’s contest pits pitcher against catcher, as baseball familiar face Justin Pigott takes on softball great Chelsea Bramlett. Pigott is the second senior Bramlett will face in the tournament, and if Bramlett wins, Kriegel will be the third senior she faces. Bramlett, a sophomore and the youngest athlete in the tournament, took down senior basketball star Charles Rhodes in the first round. Pigott downed women’s basketball guard Marneshia Richard to get here.
No. 2 Justin Pigott
Baseball
Senior
Picayune, Miss.
Pitcher
Pigott led MSU’s pitching squad last season with 76 strikeouts, as well as with 113.2 innings pitched. He boasted a 7-7 record with a 4.51 ERA, and was named the tournament MVP for the NCAA Tallahassee Regional at Florida State University.
His Bulldogs finished the 2007 season ranked No. 8 in the country after a trip to Omaha for the College World Series, and as a senior this season, he will look to lead his team even further.
No. 6 Chelsea Bramlett
Softball
Sophomore
Cordova, Tenn.
Catcher
Bramlett proved in Round 1 that age is not a factor, overcoming being the only sophomore in the Top Dawg tournament to send a senior packing.
Bramlett has also proved that age isn’t a factor on the softball diamond, either, quickly becoming the team’s offensive leader in just her second year on the team. Bramlett became the team’s second freshman to be named an All-American in just three years, following suit behind Courtney Bures, who earned the award in 2005.
Bramlett looks to take over the catching position this season after playing primarily in the infield last season, and the team will look to use her speed on the basepath to create some new looks on offense.