SAC Announces Softball Award Winners
Carson-Newman outfielder Kelli Hensley has been named the SAC Softball Player of the Year and Lenoir-Rhyne’s Maryann Hoskins the conference’s Pitcher of the Year, leading Wednesday’s announcement of the league’s regular-season award winners.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman outfielder Kelli Hensley has been named the SAC Softball Player of the Year and Lenoir-Rhyne's Maryann Hoskins the conference's Pitcher of the Year, leading Wednesday's announcement of the league's regular-season award winners.
Hensley finished the regular season with a .494 batting average, which currently stands as the third-best mark in SAC history. She also led the conference in hits with 85 and triples with seven, and ranked second with a .536 on-base percentage, third in runs scored with 49 and fifth in stolen bases with 14.
Hoskins, meanwhile, helped guide Lenoir-Rhyne to a share of the regular-season SAC title by going 19-7 on the mound – with the 19 wins tying for second-most in the conference. She also ranked second in the league with a 1.18 ERA, second in strikeouts with 199 and second in opponent batting average at .183.
Moving across the All-SAC First Team infield are Wingate catcher Taylor Laskey, Anderson first baseman Danielle Swygert, Mars Hill second baseman Jamie Hockaday, Lenoir-Rhyne shortstop Jody Mizelle and L-R third baseman Haily Jarman.
Laskey ranked in the conference's top 10 in doubles, home runs, RBI, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, while Hockaday led the league with 59 RBI, a .556 on-base percentage and a .737 slugging percentage. Mizelle finished third in hits with 65 and fifth in runs with 46, and Jarman ranked third with 14 doubles and ninth with 37 RBI.
Joining Hensley in the first-team outfield are Anderson's Molly Child and LMU's Brianna Mulkey. Child led the SAC with 13 home runs and ranked third with a .416 batting average, and Mulkey's 19 stolen bases tied for second-most in the conference.
Rounding out the First Team are Wingate's Kayla Saliga at designated player, Brevard's Alyssa Miller at utility, and Hoskins and Wingate's Stacey Houser as pitchers. Saliga's 55 hits are ninth-most in the SAC, Miller ranked in the top 10 in hits, doubles and batting average, and Houser led the league with 21 wins.
Making up the All-Conference Second Team infield are Lenoir-Rhyne catcher Sarah Kenley, L-R first baseman Sydney Landreth, Wingate second baseman Mellena Helms, Anderson shortstop Abby Child and Mars Hill third baseman Robyn Stanek. Queens' Taylor Rosenbalm, Coker's Sydney Weatherford, Catawba's Kristen Stinnard, Anderson's Courtney Czentnar and Tusculum's Carolyn Williamson are the outfielders, Queens' Kaitlyn Bodine is the designated player and LMU's Amanda Snow is the utility player. Catawba's Carley Tysinger and Anderson's Katelynn Howser complete the team as its pitchers.
In addition to her All-SAC accolades, Czentnar was also voted as the Conference's Freshman of the Year after tying for second in the league with 11 home runs and ranking sixth with 41 RBI.
Also earning All-Conference honors as honorable mention selections are Brevard catcher Emily Boykin, Carson-Newman first baseman Caitlyn Lance, Anderson second baseman Jessica Neidigh, Wingate shortstop Alexis Burrell, Carson-Newman third baseman Sara Kelley, Lenoir-Rhyne outfielder Dakota Keller, L-R designated player Ashley Oliver, Catawba utility player Katherine Shumaker, and pitchers Kelly King of Tusculum and Jamie Hrobak of Brevard.
Completing the list of award winners is Anderson's Tommy Hewitt, who was chosen as the SAC Coach of the Year for the first time after leading the Trojans to a share of the conference title and a 38-10 overall record.
2014 SAC Softball Awards
SAC Player of the Year: Kelli Hensley, Carson-Newman
SAC Pitcher of the Year: Maryann Hoskins, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Freshman of the Year: Courtney Czentnar, Anderson
SAC Coach of the Year: Tommy Hewitt, Anderson
All-SAC First Team
C – Taylor Laskey, Wingate
1B – Danielle Swygert, Anderson
2B – Jamie Hockaday, Mars Hill
SS – Jody Mizelle, Lenoir-Rhyne
3B – Haily Jarman, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Kelli Hensley, Carson-Newman
OF – Molly Child, Anderson
OF – Brianna Mulkey, Lincoln Memorial
DP – Kayla Saliga, Wingate
UTIL. – Alyssa Miller, Brevard
P – Maryann Hoskins, Lenoir-Rhyne
P – Stacey Houser, Wingate
All-SAC Second Team
C – Sarah Kenley, Lenoir-Rhyne
1B – Sydney Landreth, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B – Mellena Helms, Wingate
SS – Abby Child, Anderson
3B – Robyn Stanek, Mars Hill
OF – Taylor Rosenbalm, Queens
OF – Sydney Weatherford, Coker
OF – Kristen Stinnard, Catawba
OF – Courtney Czentnar, Anderson
OF – Carolyn Williamson, Tusculum
DP – Kaitlyn Bodine, Queens
UTIL. – Amanda Snow, Lincoln Memorial
P – Carley Tysinger, Catawba
P – Katelynn Howser, Anderson
All-SAC Honorable Mention
C – Emily Boykin, Brevard
1B – Caitlyn Lance, Carson-Newman
2B – Jessica Neidigh, Anderson
SS – Alexis Burrell, Wingate
3B – Sara Kelley, Carson-Newman
OF – Dakota Keller, Lenoir-Rhyne
DP – Ashley Oliver, Lenoir-Rhyne
UTIL. – Katherine Shumaker, Catawba
P – Kelly King, Tusculum
P – Jamie Hrobak, Brevard