The South Atlantic Conference announced its 2016 Softball
All-Conference Team on Tuesday, with two members of the Tusculum
College team earning recognition from the league's 12 head
coaches.
Senior outfielders Carolyn Williamson and Miranda Beeler were
selected as honorable mention after helping the Pioneers to a 21-31
overall record and a 6-16 mark in the SAC this season. Williamson
was honorable mention All-SAC last season and a second-team pick in
2014, while Beeler was second-team All-Conference as a freshman in
2013.
Williamson led the Pioneers in batting average (.322) and also led
the team in hits (47) and triples (5). She was tied for second on
the team with 24 runs scored and was third in both runs batted in
(19) and stolen bases (15). Williamson had a team-high 14 multi-hit
games and finished the season with a six-game hitting streak.
For her career, Williamson ranks fifth in program history with 199
hits, the most by any Pioneer since moving to Division II in 1999.
The Knoxville native finished with a career batting average of .312
in 191 games (all starts), while ranking second in program history
in at-bats (638), seventh in runs scored (105), tied for sixth in
triples (12), seventh in total bases (244), second in hit by
pitches (15), tied for eighth in sacrifice bunts (23), third in
stolen bases (49) and tied for eighth in fielding percentage
(.978).
Beeler hit .317 for the Pioneers in 49 games this season (33
starts) and led the team in runs scored with 28. She was second on
the team in stolen bases with 22, including a school-record four
steals against Milligan on March 17. She had nine multi-hit games,
including four hits in the game against Milligan that she set the
stolen base mark.
In her career, Beeler appeared in 148 games (122 starts), missing
the entire 2015 season due to injury. She finished with 112 hits
(all singles) and scored 82 runs, while stealing 58 bases in 64
attempts to finish second in program history in career steals.
Tusculum also earned a pair of conference statistical championship,
as the team finished the year with a school-record 107 stolen bases
in 52 games (1.94 per game). The Pioneers had four players finish
in the top 10 in the league in stolen bases, paced by freshman
Taylor Battle who had a league-high 29 thefts in 52 games (0.58 per
game). Her 29 stolen bases were the second-most in program history,
the most in the Division II era and already the ninth-most in a
career at Tusculum.
Mellena Helms of Wingate was named Player of the Year while Catawba
righthander Carley Tysinger was named Pitcher of the Year for the
third time in her career. Outfielder Erin Boone of SAC champion
Lenoir-Rhyne was honored as Freshman of the Year, while the Bears'
Shena Hollar was voted Coach of the Year for the sixth time after
leading Lenoir-Rhyne to its seventh title in the last 11 years.
2016 South Atlantic Conference Softball All-Conference Agate
1st Team
OF - Erin Boone, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF - Christina Walker, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF - Kristen Stinnard, Catawba
1B - Sydney Landreth, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B - Elayna Siebert, Carson-Newman
SS - Madison Carter, Lenoir-Rhyne
3B - Misty Doran, Wingate
DP - Taylor Lail, Mars Hill
UTL - Mellena Helms, Wingate
C - Taylor Laskey, Wingate
P - Carley Tysinger, Catawba
P - Stacey Houser, Wingate
2nd Team
OF - Christina Linton, Newberry
OF - Taylor Rosenbalm, Queens
OF - Riley Morris, Coker
1B - Lindsay Dean, Carson-Newman
2B - Madison Poe, Lenoir-Rhyne
SS - Kinsey Parrish, Brevard
3B - Jordin Phillips, Lenoir-Rhyne
DP - Katherine Shumaker, Catawba
UTL - Maude McCoury, Newberry
C - Sarah Kenley, Lenoir-Rhyne
P - Maryann Hoskins, Lenoir-Rhyne
P - Jamie Hrobak, Brevard
Honorable Mention
OF - Carolyn Williamson, Tusculum
OF - Naomi Sapp, Wingate
OF - Miranda Beeler, Tusculum
1B - Ashton Whitaker, Queens
2B - Natalie Willis, Newberry
SS - Kristen Toppel, Carson-Newman
3B - Ashley Gallman, Coker
DP - Mackenzie Cates, Lenoir-Rhyne
UTL - Emily Kenley, Lenoir-Rhyne
C - Cailah Niles, Anderson
P - Samantha Smith, Lincoln Memorial
P - Augie Pena, Anderson
Freshman of the Year
Erin Boone, Lenoir-Rhyne
Player of the Year
Mellena Helms, Wingate
Pitcher of the Year
Carley Tysinger, Catawba
Coach of the Year
Shena Hollar, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Statistical Champions
Team Batting Average - Lenoir-Rhyne (.349)
Team Slugging Percentage - Lenoir-Rhyne (.520)
Team On-Base Percentage - Lenoir-Rhyne (.406)
Team Runs Scored Per Game - Lenoir-Rhyne (6.63)
Team Home Runs Per Game - Wingate (0.84)
Team Triples Per Game - Wingate (0.34)
Team Doubles Per Game - Lenoir-Rhyne (1.94)
Team RBIs Per Game - Lenoir-Rhyne (5.82)
Team Stolen Bases Per Game - Tusculum (1.94)
Team ERA - Catawba (1.73)
Team Strikeouts Per Game - Catawba (9.21)
Batting Average - Christina Walker, Lenoir-Rhyne (.415)
On-Base Percentage - Cailah Niles, Anderson (.503)
Slugging Percentage - Cailah Niles, Anderson (.719)
Home Runs Per Game - Lindsey Dean, Carson-Newman (0.28)
RBIs Per Game - Cailah Niles, Anderson (0.98)
Runs Scored Per Game - Erin Boone, Lenoir-Rhyne (1.12)
Triples Per Game - Mellena Helms, Wingate (0.16)
Doubles Per Game - Taylor Rosenbalm, Queens (0.36)
Stolen Bases Per Game - Taylor Battle, Tusculum
(0.58)
ERA - Carley Tysinger, Catawba (0.89)
Strikeouts Per Seven Innings - Carley Tysinger, Catawba (10.4)
Pitching Victories - Carley Tysinger, Catawba (27)