Bears Claim Three Superlative Awards as the 2023 @ASUNSoftball Postseason Awards are Announced
Bears Claim Three Superlative Awards as the 2023 @ASUNSoftball Postseason Awards are Announced
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2023 All-Conference Awards & Honors
ATLANTA - Central Arkansas highlighted the 2023 ASUN Conference Softball postseason awards and honors with three superlative selections, voted on by the league's 14 head coaches and announced by the league on Tuesday, . For the third consecutive season, the Liberty garnered Player of the Year (Caroline Hudson) while Central Arkansas earned Defensive Player of the Year (Madi Young), Pitcher of the Year (Jordan Johnson) and Coach of the Year (Jenny Parsons) marking the first superlative honors for the UCA program. The league's Freshman of the Year honor (Jaliyah Holmes) went to a pitcher for the third-straight season and is the second consecutive year the honor was given to a Jacksonville State rookie.
Hudson marks the third season in-a-row that a Flame earned Player of the Year honors as the Paris, Tenn., native currently leads the ASUN with 14 homers, 17 doubles (tied), and 49 RBI, while batting .335 with a team-leading .676 slugging percentage. She started 29 of Liberty's games as a designated player and 26 at catcher this season. In conference play, she batted .350 with an ASUN-leading 10 doubles to go along with five homers and 20 RBI. She had one of the biggest hits of the season, a three-run home run to sink Montana Fouts and No. 13 Alabama; was one of three homers this season against Top 25 opponents (also Duke and Central Arkansas).
Central Arkansas' Madi Young takes home the Defensive Player of the Year honor after starting every game at shortstop, batting .331 across 145 at-bats with seven doubles, two triples, and two home runs to her name, while driving in 28 runs. Young ranks sixth in the ASUN with 26 walks and ninth with an OB% of .432. Young has three walk-offs this season, with two during the conference slate. The Kansas native has turned the second-most double plays among non-first basemen in the ASUN with 11, including seven in conference games and has the second-highest fielding percentage among players with at least 90 assists.
Jordan Johnson earned UCA's first Pitcher of the Year honor for the program; Johnson has thrown 154.0 innings this season, racking up a 19-3 record with one save. Among ASUN pitchers with more than five wins, she is tied for the fewest losses. In conference, her record is a perfect 13-0, with 11 complete games. Three of her 19 wins were against top-50 RPI teams, with wins over Arkansas, Liberty and McNeese. The Kansas native's 1.64 ERA is the second-lowest in the conference and is one of just three ASUN pitchers with a sub-2.00 ERA; Johnson ranks fourth in the ASUN with 149 strikeouts, and third in conference games with 75 strikeouts.
Jaliyah Holmes shined in the circle and quickly became the ace of Jax State's staff, tossing 147.1 innings and recording a 16-6 overall record. The Georgia native stayed consistent in the circle with a 2.33 ERA overall and 2.32 ERA in league play which ranked second-best among freshmen pitchers; she finished 8-2 in starts versus ASUN opponents and recorded a save as well. In non-conference she recorded a perfect game, retiring 21-straight Western Michigan batters.
Parsons captures her first unanimous Coach of the Year accolade after leading the Bears to a 22-2 league record and the #1 seed in the ASUN Championship. Parsons led UCA to three Power Five wins this season including a pair of victories over a nationally-ranked opponent Arkansas twice, other Power Five wins included one over Kansas. The Bears posted six series sweeps in conference action and rank 19th in the final RPI standings of the regular season.
Player of the Year: Caroline Hudson, Liberty
Pitcher of the Year: Jordan Johnson, Central Arkansas
Defensive Player of the Year: Madi Young, Central Arkansas
Freshman of the Year: Jaliyah Holmes, Jacksonville State
Unanimous Coach of the Year: Jenny Parsons, Central Arkansas
ASUN Softball All-Conference First Team
P - *Kayla Beaver, Central Arkansas (Jr. | Jackson, Tenn.)
P - Jordan Johnson, Central Arkansas (Sr.| Paola, Kan.)
C - *Caroline Hudson#, Liberty (Jr. | Paris, Tenn.)
IF - *Kylie Griffin, Central Arkansas (So. | Greenbrier, Ark.)
IF - Mary Kate Brown#, Central Arkansas (Jr. | Atkins, Ark.)
IF - Madi Young, Central Arkansas (Jr. | Derby, Kan.)
IF - Lindsey Richardson, Jacksonville State (Jr. |Moody, Ala.)
OF - Tremere Harris#, Central Arkansas (Jr. | Conway, Ark.)
OF - Kk Madrey, Liberty (So. | Newnan, Ga.)
OF - Rachel Roupe#, Liberty (So. | Sharpsburg, Md.)
UT - Lou Bowers, Eastern Kentucky (Sr. | Tyrone, Ga.)
UT- Meagan Ricks, FGCU (Sr. | Winter Haven, Fla.)
UT - Kari Holzrichter, Jacksonville (Jr. | Olathe, Kan.)
Note: A tie in voting resulted in a 13-person All-Conference First Team
ASUN Softball All-Conference Second Team
P - Karlie Keeney^, Liberty (Jr. | Providence, KY)
P - Autumn Courtney, Queens (Fr. | Tappahannock, Va.)
C - Georgia Land#, North Alabama (Sr. | Lawrenceburg, Tenn.)
IF - Lexie Osowski-Anderson, Austin Peay (Sr. | San Diego, Calif.)
IF - Morgan Nelson, Central Arkansas (Jr. | Bentonville, Ark.)
IF - Emma Jones, Jacksonville State (Jr. | Anniston, Ala.)
IF - Rachel Craine, Liberty (So. | Middletown, Del.)
IF - Devyn Howard#, Liberty (Sr. | Tarpon Springs, Fla.)
OF - Stella Henry, Kennesaw State (Fr. | Trenton, Ga.)
OF - Shannon Glover#, North Florida (Sr. | Oviedo, Fla.)
OF - Kayla Harper, North Florida (Sr. | Modesto, Calif.)
UT - Kami Eppley, Stetson (So. | Jacksonville, Fla.)
Note: A tie in voting resulted in a 12-person All-Conference Second Team
ASUN Softball All-Conference Third Team
P - Angelina Bonilla, FGCU (Jr. | Coral Gables, Fla.)
P - Jaliyah Holmes, Jacksonville State (Fr. | Sharpsburg, Ga.)
C - Kamrie Rich, Lipscomb (Sr. | Hixson, Tenn.)
IF - Kylie Campbell, Austin Peay (So. | Ninety Six, S.C.)
IF - Maggie Pertee, Eastern Kentucky (So. | Uniontown, Ohio)
IF - Hailey Jones, North Alabama (So. | Summertown, Tenn.)
IF - Meagan Fortner, Liberty (So. | Cedar Hill, Mo.)
IF - Vianna Barron, Eastern Kentucky (Jr. | Elk Grove, Calif.)
OF - Jenna Wildeman, Central Arkansas (Jr. | Bentonville, Ark.)
OF - Lauren Hunt, Jacksonville State (Sr. | Gadsden, Ala.)
OF - Brianna Clary, Stetson (Sr. | Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
UT - Brinaya Bailey, Kennesaw State (Sr. | Loganville, Ga.)
Note: A tie in voting resulted in a 12-person All-Conference Third Team
ASUN Softball All-Freshman Team
P - Autumn Courtney, Queens (Tappahannock, Va.)
UT - Colleen Bare, Central Arkansas (Pickerington, Ohio)
OF - Emily Chiarella, FGCU (Lutz, Fla.)
IF - Tiffany Meek, FGCU (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
P - Jaliyah Holmes, Jacksonville State (Sharpsburg, Ga.)
OF - Morgan Nowakowski, Jacksonville State (Huntsville, Ala.)
OF - Stella Henry, Kennesaw State (Trenton, Ga.)
P - Kenley Hilleary, Kennesaw State (Decatur, Ala.)
IF - Brynn McManus, Liberty (McMinnville, Ore.)
OF - Kaylyn Belfield, Lipscomb (Kannapolis, N.C.)
P - Hannah Marien, Stetson (Longwood, Fla.)
* - Denotes unanimous selection
# - Denotes a two-time selection to the All-Conference Team
^ - Denotes a three-time selection to the All-Conference Team
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The ASUN, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, boasts a membership of institutions that share visionary leadership, bold ambition and creative innovation. As a nimble adaptive conference, unafraid to blaze a national pathway for better service to our student-athletes, teams, and institutions, the ASUN has a proud history of firsts, national academic and athletic achievements and a conference culture that walks the walk with its four ASUN Beams. Students First! Rise. Connect. Impact. #ASUNBuilt by Austin Peay (Clarksville, Tenn.), Bellarmine (Louisville, Ky.), Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), Eastern Kentucky (Richmond, Ky.), FGCU (Fort Myers, Fla.), Jacksonville (Fla.), Jacksonville State (Jacksonville, Ala.), Kennesaw State (Ga.), Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.), Lipscomb (Nashville, Tenn.), North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), Queens (Charlotte, N.C.) and Stetson (DeLand, Fla.).