Her home address is unique to a softball program that rarely draws players from north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Many times throughout Sam St. Hilaire‘s four-year run at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., the Lady Statesmen discovered that their lone New Englander wielded a talent level that was out of the ordinary, too.

St. Hilaire likely will wrap up that career this weekend. Delta State (33-24) opens play in the Gulf Coast Conference tournament at 9:30 a.m. Thursday against Valdosta State.

Seeded third in the West division, the Lady Statesmen must win the four-day, double-elimination event to qualify for their first NCAA Division II national tournament berth since 2002. They need two wins to extend a streak of 35-win seasons to seven.

Whether it’s on the mound, roaming the outfield or swinging the bat, Delta State’s hopes likely rest on the shoulders on the talented lefty from Turner. St. Hilaire, who led Leavitt Area High School to consecutive Class A state titles in 2002 and 2003, is third on the Delta State squad with a .325 batting average.

She has clouted 10 doubles while driving in 16 runs and stealing six bases.

St. Hilaire has batted .325 or above in three of her four seasons at Delta State, including a junior campaign in which she connected at a .347 clip with 17 RBIs.

Before leaving to continue her career in a warmer climate, St. Hilaire was best known for her dominance as a pitcher. She has experienced peaks and valleys at the collegiate level, but three straight wins down the stretch have boosted her senior docket to 8-6 with a staff-leading 2.62 ERA. St. Hilaire has spun six complete games while striking out 53 over 93 1/3 innings.

Against West Alabama on April 12, St. Hilaire allowed only three hits over the complete-game route in a 2-1 victory. Her RBI single tied that contest in the fifth inning.

In her last appearance, a 3-0 victory, St. Hilaire again yielded only three hits through 6 1/3 innings in the opening game of a doubleheader against Ouachita Baptist. She fueled Delta’s triumph in the nightcap with an RBI double and a run scored.

Those performances on the hill ran St. Hilaire’s career pitching record to 42-24. That includes a spectacular freshman season in which she was 21-7 with 20 complete games, winning Gulf Coast Rookie of the Year and West Division Pitcher of the Year honors.

Husson gains momentum

After losing its legendary head coach to illness in December and welcoming a roster top-heavy with freshmen to its winter workouts, Husson College could have considered this a lost baseball season.

Nothing about the early results contradicted those rebuilding thoughts. Thanks to a mid-April stretch of seven wins in nine games, however, the Eagles improved to 14-21 and earned a spot in the North Atlantic Conference tournament.

Leading the charge from near the top of the order is one of those first-year recruits, middle infielder Ethan Guerette of Sabattus (Oak Hill). Husson’s fortunes turned April 13 with an 11-4 and 13-6 doubleheader sweep of Thomas. Guerette slapped three hits in the second half of that twin bill.

Other highlights of Guerette’s freshman flourish include four hits April 3 in a 14-10 victory over Salem State. Five days later, Guerette provided three hits and two RBIs, including a game-tying single in the top of the ninth inning, to ignite Husson’s valiant bid in an 11-10 loss to USM.

Guerette is joined by fellow freshmen Ryan Gordon of Rangeley and Devan Knight of Lisbon Falls. Thirteen of the 29 players on Husson’s roster are freshmen, balanced by only four seniors.

Jason Harvey is Husson’s current head coach. John Winkin, the 87-year-old boss who earned his 1,000th collegiate coaching victory two years ago, continues to recover after collapsing during a morning jog last fall.

Two locals are in the lineup for the Husson softball team, which is enjoying a stellar season at 28-10. Leading a sweep of Bates College last weekend, Jenica Kelley of Jay (Livermore Falls High School) and Megan Richard of Wilton (Mt. Blue) each notched an RBI in a five-run seventh inning of the nightcap.

Richard also registered an RBI in the opener.

Taking flight with gulls

Danielle Sargent of Sabattus (Oak Hill) is the leading hitter on the Endicott College softball team, which begins play Thursday as the No. 1 seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament. The Gulls (35-4) of Beverly, Mass., seek their sixth straight title.

Sargent is hitting .359 with seven doubles and 23 RBIs as a senior outfielder. She is one of three local players on the roster. Aly Keene of Auburn (Edward Little) is a senior outfielder, while Dani Hill of Fryeburg is completing her first season at third base.

Adam Labbe of Litchfield, also an Oak Hill product, is concluding his Endicott baseball career. Labbe has started 25 games this season, primarily as a shortstop. He checks in at .239 while scoring 23 runs. His pitching numbers are even better: Nine innings, seven hits, no earned runs.