Huntsville Leader

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the Division II Conference Commissioner's Associations Softball All-South Region Teams have been announced, and The University of Alabama in Huntsville has been represented by First Team choices Kiara Akles, Shelby Booker, and Kaylee Vaught in addition to Second Team honoree Layton Murphy.

 

UAH had more players selected both to the First Team and overall in the South Region among those honored by the NFCA.

 

On the D2CCA lists, UAH had more players on the First Team than any other South Region institution, and its four awardees overall match West Florida and Valdosta State for the most among the region's three conferences – the Gulf South Conference, the Sunshine State Conference, and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

 

This marks the third time that Akles has appeared on both the NFCA and D2CCA All-Region lists, earning First Team status in both 2018 and 2019. The Heflin, Alabama, native is currently batting .388 on the year with 11 doubles and 11 home runs while driving in 55 runs and scoring 29 times herself. Her slugging rate is .716, giving her an OPS of 1.168.

 

Booker earns her first D2CCA nod and garners her third recognition from the NFCA, and she enters the NCAA tournament with impressive numbers including a .412 batting average thanks to 73 hits including five doubles, six triples, and a home run, and she has scored 49 times. She has also been impressive on the base paths, with 24 steals in 26 attempts.

 

Vaught also earns her first selection to an all-region squad, matching Booker with the .412 average thanks to 75 hits with 14 doubles, four triples, and six home runs included, and she has knocked in 42 runs while scoring 44 times herself. Her .632 slugging percentage ranks second on the team.

 

Murphy has turned in an impressive season in also earning her first all-region accolades, posting an 18-8 record with a 3.07 ERA while racking up 86 strikeouts. Murphy had a particularly impressive stretch that spanned the entire month of April plus four games into May where did she not lose a game, going 13-0 during that period.

 

These four all-region choices and their teammates will return to action on Thursday in the opening game of the NCAA Division II South 1 Regional against Nova Southeastern. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the Auburn Montgomery campus.

Original source can be found here.