Two former area high school softball players are playing Division I softball in college and are a series away from the College World Series.

Starr’s Mill graduate Lindsay Walker is a freshman shortstop for the University of South Carolina, which will take on Northwestern in Chicago on Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. The “if” game will be directly following the second game Saturday.

Walker has played in all 62 games for the Gamecocks this season and is in the top five in every offensive category on the team. South Carolina is one of three unseeded teams still alive in the Super Regional round and Northwestern was the runner-up in the 2006 College World Series.

Fayette County graduate Ashley Holcombe is a sophomore catcher for 11th-seeded University of Alabama, which will play sixth-seeded University of Washington on Friday at 3:30 p.m. and Saturday at 12 p.m. The “if” game will be 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Holcombe is batting .254 with six home runs, 29 RBI, a .351 on-base percentage and a .423 slugging percentage in 56 starts. It’s the third straight year Alabama has played in the NCAA Super Regional.

Michael Boylan also contributed to this article.

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