Jan. 26, 2012
Arlington, Texas - UT Arlington had four players named to the 2012 Preseason All-Conference Softball Teams for the Southland Conference.
Sophomore Callie Collins was named to the 2012 Preseason All-Conference Softball First-Team for the Mavericks. Collins was one of the more dominant pitchers in the conference last season, notching 18 wins on the season with an impressive 1.60 earned run average. Collins, who was named 2011 Pitcher of the Year, tied for the league lead in wins and was second in ERA, opposing batting average (.187) and strikeouts (197) while pitching 188.1 innings last season.
Along with Collins' selection to the first team, the Mavericks have three players named to the second team. Seniors Charne Office and Courtney Enocksen represent their positions at outfield and shortstop, respectively, while sophomore Taylor Zink was named second-team third baseman.
Nicholls State senior Ashley Ray, the 2011 Southland Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year, highlights a talented list of returning players on the 2012 preseason conference softball teams, the league office announced Thursday.
Ray, a Lafayette, La., native, became only the third player in conference history to be named both the player and newcomer of the year in the same season. The Colonels' third baseman set a Nicholls' record and led the Southland with 17 homeruns last season. Ray also led the conference in runs batted in (51), total bases (123) and slugging percentage (.723) and ranked second in batting average (.369) and third in hits (62). In addition to being a threat behind the plate, Ray was also very efficient in the field, recording a conference-best 142 assists last season.
Other award winners returning are Central Arkansas junior Melanie Bryant, the 2011 Southland Hitter of the Year, UTSA sophomore Molly Fichtner, last season's freshman of the year recipient.
A native of Hernando, Miss., Bryant was the first Bear to be named hitter of the year after leading the conference in batting average (.429) and becoming only the second player in Southland history to hit above .400. The UCA catcher also led the league in hits (70) and was second in total bases (108) and third in RBI (37) and doubles (12).
In her first season of collegiate play, Fichtner ranked in the top 10 in 10 different offensive categories last season. The Roadrunner catcher from Houston, Texas, tied for the league-lead in runs scored (38), placed second in on-base percentage (.486), third in batting average (.358) and slugging percentage (.669) and fifth in total bases (99). Fichtner was the third UTSA player to earn freshman of the year honors.
Central Arkansas leads all teams with three first-team all-conference nominees. First-team selections for the Bears include Bryant, senior utility player Kasey Britt and senior designated player Katie McGregor. UCA also has one second-team honoree with senior outfielder Nicole Beals to give the Bears a total of four all-conference selections.
Joining UCA with four selections to the preseason all-conference teams are Texas State and UT Arlington. Representing the Bobcats on the first team are junior first baseman Haley Lemons and junior pitcher Anne Marie Taylor. Junior second baseman Anna Hernandez and senior utility player Chandler Hall were named to the second team.
Nicholls State had two first-team all-conference selections with Ray and senior shortstop Megan Gaspard, while McNeese State, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi had one representative each on the first team. Claire Terracina, a senior outfielder, is the lone Cowgirl while sophomore second baseman Cali Burke is the sole Lady Demon on the first team. Completing the honors are junior outfielder Kelsey Nichols from Southeastern and senior outfielder Hannah Schwartz from A&M-Corpus Christi.
UTSA had two second-team all-conference selections while McNeese, Northwestern, Sam Houston State and A&M-Corpus Christi had one apiece to round out the preseason all-conference teams.
