Trojans Earn Daktronics All-Southeast Region Honors

Posted: May 13, 2014

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - After helping lead the Anderson University softball team to a school-record 43 victories and its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, sophomore Molly Child and seniors Abby Child and Danielle Swygert have earned Daktronics All-Southeast Region accolades, as announced Tuesday morning.

Swygert, a first-baseman, was named to the first team along with Molly Child, who roams center field for the Trojans. Abby Child earned the second-team nod at shortstop. The trio also helped lead the Trojans to the South Atlantic Conference Tournament crown and a share of the league's regular-season title, as the Trojans garnered the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional.

Swygert and Abby Child were four-year fixtures with the Trojan infield, as Child set a school record by starting 204 consecutive contests during her career, while Swygert notched 200 career starts in four seasons.

Molly Child, a two-time First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference selection, has not missed a contest in her two-year career and earned the all-region accolade after also being named to the SAC All-Tournament Team. Child was 5-for-14 (.357) during the tournament, including a pair of key doubles, and scored four runs while driving in three runs. She led the SAC with 62 runs scored and 130 total bases, while ranking in the top five in six additional offensive categories. The hard-hitting outfielder belted a pair of grand slams during the regular season and posted a team-high 18-game hitting streak.

Swygert garners the award for the second consecutive season, while ranking third in the conference in doubles (15), fourth in the conference in RBI (55), fifth in batting average (.393) and slugging percentage (.681), and sixth in hits (64). Swygert belted five home runs over the final 14 games of the campaign, while recording a 10-game hitting streak and a seven-game hitting streak in the midst of the season.

Abby Child belted a career-high 15 home runs this season and holds the school record with 47 career round-trippers. She was named SAC Tournament MVP after recording seven hits in 12 at-bats (.583) during the four-game span, punctuated by three home runs, eight RBI, three walks and three runs during the tournament. Child led the SAC in home runs, walks (38), RBI (62) and slugging percentage (.745), while ranking third in runs scored (55) and sixth in both hits (64) and doubles (14). The shortstop also collected second-team all-region honors following her sophomore campaign.

Fourteen student-athletes from 10 different schools earned All-Southeast Region First-Team distinction this season, with the voting reflecting balance on the all-region teams. The University of North Georgia's Victoria Sink was named Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year, while Armstrong Atlantic State University's Alexis Mercer took Player of the Year Honors. Sink is 24-1 with a 1.68 ERA and 114 strikeouts over 175 1/3 innings this season. Mercer, a shortstop, hit .439 this season adding 22 home runs and 49 RBI.

The first-team selections will move on to the All-America ballot. The Daktronics All-America programs honor student-athletes in Division II athletic programs. The voting, nomination and calculations are all conducted by the school's sports information directors.

The D2SIDA All-America softball team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition. The teams are voted on by the members of D2SIDA, NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors Association.

The online nomination and voting processes are powered by Sidearm Sports. Headquartered in Syracuse, N.Y., Sidearm Sports is the official provider of college athletic websites for over 600 sports organizations at all levels of competition. To receive more information on how your institution can partner with Sidearm Sports for a customized website solution, visit www.sidearmsports.com.

2014 Daktronics Softball All-Southeast Region

DISTRICT 3 - Southeast Region
Pitcher of the Year: Victoria Sink, North Georgia
Player of the Year: Alexis Mercer, Armstrong

First Team
C - Taylor Laskey, Wingate
1B - Danielle Swygert, Anderson
2B - Jamie Hockaday, Mars Hill
3B - Haily Jarman, Lenoir-Rhyne [2]
SS - Alexis Mercer, Armstrong [2]
OF - Molly Child, Anderson
OF - Kelli Hensley, Carson-Newman
OF - Whitney Okvist, Georgia College ^
P - Victoria Sink, North Georgia
P - Carley Tysinger, Catawba [1]
P - India Kornegay, USC Aiken [2]
DP - Layce Walker, Armstrong
UT [non pitcher] - Kaitlyn White, USC Aiken
UT [pitcher] - Courtney Poole, North Georgia

Second Team
C - Casey Googe, Columbus State ^
1B - Kim McMillian, North Georgia
2B - Lauren Bessent, Flagler [2]
3B - Sara Kelley, Carson-Newman
SS - Abby Child, Anderson #
OF - Brianna Mulkey, Lincoln Memorial [2] #
OF - Kelsey Akers, Mount Olive
OF - Mackenzie Conley, Flagler
P - Maryann Hoskins, Lenoir-Rhyne
P - Hannah Light, King [2]
P - Stacie Houser, Wingate
P - Brandi Hole, Lenoir-Rhyne
DP - Kayla Saliga, Wingate
UT [non pitcher] - Abi LeRoy, Georgia College
UT [pitcher] - Amanda Snow, Lincoln Memorial