Carson-Newman’s Hefner, Catawba’s Tysinger Headline Daktronics All-Region Softball Team
Carson-Newman shortstop Brittany Hefner has been selected as the Southeast Region Player of the Year and Catawba's Carley Tysinger was selected as the region's Pitcher of the Year, headlining Monday's announcement of the Daktronics All-Southeast Region Softball Team.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Carson-Newman shortstop Brittany Hefner has been selected as the Southeast Region Player of the Year and Catawba's Carley Tysinger was selected as the region's Pitcher of the Year, headlining Monday's announcement of the Daktronics All-Southeast Region Softball Team.
In all, 11 SAC student-athletes were selected to the Daktronics All-Southeast Region Team, including four first-team honorees.
Hefner had one of the best seasons at the plate of any player in Division II this season. She ranks fifth in the nation with 19 home runs, second in RBI with 75 and fifth in slugging percentage at .967. The shortstop set a SAC record for RBIs in a season en route to winning the conference's Player of the Year award.
Tysinger, meanwhile, ranks third in the nation with 324 strikeouts and leads the SAC with 25 victories and a 1.21 ERA. The freshman allowed opponents to hit just .164 and surrendered only 30 extra base hits in 237.1 innings this season, while posting a 5.14-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio.
Tysinger was named both the SAC Pitcher of the Year and SAC Freshman of the Year at the conclusion of the regular season.
Joining Hefner and Tysinger on the Daktronics All-Southeast Region First Team was the Anderson duo of first baseman Danielle Swygert and second baseman Jessica Neidigh.
Swygert ranks third in the conference with a .405 batting average, second in RBI with 61 and sixth in home runs with six. Neidigh leads the league in batting average at .458 to go along with five home runs and 25 RBI. The pair led AU to a berth in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Super Regional, where they will compete later this week.
Seven more SAC players earned second-team accolades from Daktronics on Monday. Carson-Newman catcher Bri Shooemake, Tusculum first baseman Kaytlin Stroinski and Lenoir-Rhyne third baseman Haily Jarman were named to the second-team infield, while Carson-Newman's Kelli Hensley, LMU's Brianna Mulkey and Wingate's Kelsey Maffucci were each selected to the outfield.
Rounding out the SAC's All-Region selections was second-team utility player Elayna Siebert.