ROCK HILL, S.C.- Two Anderson University softball players earned All-South Atlantic Conference Second Team honors prior to the start of the league tournament, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
Senior pitcher Augie Pena and junior catcher Cailah Niles garnered the accolades as the fifth-seeded Trojans prepare to face fourth-seeded Coker in Thursday's opening round of the SAC Tournament.
Pena (16-6) ranked tied for first in the SAC for saves (4) and second in total strikeouts (143) while ranking tied for fourth in wins with 16. The Trojan hurler pitched a total of 133.1 innings with opponent's batting a mere .208 while in the circle. The Geneva, Ala. native also batted .230 with four doubles and seven home runs for the Black and Gold.
Niles ranked first in the league in RBI (55), tied for first in home runs (14) and 10th in batting average (.390). Niles also was named the SAC Statistical Champion in Slugging % (.787), Home Runs per game (0.29) and RBI per game (1.14). As a junior, Niles has hit a career total of 47 home runs tying both the Anderson all-time career record and the SAC all-time career record.
As a team, Anderson won the SAC Statistical category of Team Home Runs Per Game (0.97) with nine different Trojans joining together to hit a collective 47 home runs on the season.
The Black and Gold return to action on Thursday at the SAC Conference Tournament against Coker held in Hartsville, S.C. First pitch is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Byerly Park.
2017 South Atlantic Conference Softball All-Conference Agate
1st Team
OF – Erin Boone, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – Naomi Sapp, Wingate
OF – Allie Jones, Lincoln Memorial
1B – Sydney Landreth, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B - Ty-Kella Goins, Lincoln Memorial
SS – Hailey Drawe, Newberry
3B – Casey Stanek, Mars Hill
DP – Haley Simonds, Newberry
UTL – Mindy North, Coker
C – Sarah Kenley, Lenoir-Rhyne
P – Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman
P – Devon Morrison, Newberry
2nd Team
OF – Christina Linton, Newberry
OF – Sammie West, Tusculum
OF – Elaina Frantellizzi, Queens
1B – Maria Williamson, Coker
2B – Natalie Willis, Newberry
SS – Dakotah Fraley, Lincoln Memorial
3B – Mackenzie Cates, Lenoir-Rhyne
DP – Taylor Wells, Wingate
UTL – Taylor Martin, Catawba
C – Cailah Niles, Anderson
P – Sydney Miller, Lenoir-Rhyne
P – Augie Pena, Anderson
Honorable Mention
OF – Casey Simmons, Coker
OF – Kelsi Bachmann, Coker
OF – Cassidy Dahle, Mars Hill
1B – Emily Hester, Tusculum
2B – Abby Fiessinger, Carson-Newman
SS – Kristen Toppel, Carson-Newman
3B – Hannah Price, Coker
DP – Ashton Whitaker, Queens
UTL – Addison Harris, Mars Hill
C – KaraLynne Levi, Carson-Newman
P – Taylor Forehand, Coker
P – Allison Webster, Carson-Newman
Freshman of the Year
Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman
Player of the Year
Sarah Kenley, Lenoir-Rhyne
Pitcher of the Year
Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman
Coach of the Year
Vickee Kazee-Hollifield, Carson-Newman
SAC Statistical Champions
Team Batting Average – Lenoir-Rhyne (.375)
Team Slugging Percentage – Lenoir-Rhyne (.557)
Team On-Base Percentage – Lenoir-Rhyne (.426)
Team Runs Scored Per Game – Lenoir-Rhyne (7.24)
Team Home Runs Per Game – Anderson (0.97)
Team Triples Per Game – Wingate (0.34)
Team Doubles Per Game – Lenoir-Rhyne (0.45)
Team RBIs Per Game – Lenoir-Rhyne (6.50)
Team Stolen Bases Per Game – Queens (1.82)
Team ERA – Carson-Newman (1.92)
Team Strikeouts Per Game – Carson-Newman (7.25)
Batting Average – Erin Boone, Lenoir-Rhyne (.466)
On-Base Percentage – Erin Boone, Lenoir-Rhyne (.534)
Slugging Percentage – Cailah Niles, Anderson (.787)
Home Runs Per Game – Cailah Niles, Anderson (0.29)
RBIs Per Game – Cailah Niles, Anderson (1.14)
Runs Scored Per Game – Erin Boone, Lenoir-Rhyne (1.16)
Triples Per Game – Cacey Simmons, Coker (0.13)
Doubles Per Game – Sarah Kenley, Lenoir-Rhyne (0.41)
Stolen Bases Per Game –Sydney Ditto, Queens (0.59)
ERA – Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman (1.35)
Strikeouts Per Seven Innings – Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman (7.70)
Pitching Victories – Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman (21)
