LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- The Tusculum University softball team had 13 student-athletes named 2021-22 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes, the Association announced on Monday (Aug. 1) afternoon. The Pioneers were among over 7,500 student-athletes that earned the honor, including 1,646 across Division II.
The rankings and honors recognize the academic prowess of softball teams across the Association's membership, ranging from high schools to NCAA Division I institutions. Student-athletes earning a 3.50 GPA or higher for 2021-22 are eligible for the individual award, while teams must have a collective grade-point average of 3.00 to be named.
Tusculum was among seven current South Atlantic Conference programs to be named on the team list, finishing the academic year with a 3.46 GPA. Lincoln Memorial and Newberry led the SAC with 16, ahead of Tusculum, Coker, and Emory & Henry with 13 apiece. Carson-Newman tallied 11, followed by Anderson and Mars Hill with eight each.
Anna Alloway, a native of Louisville, Tennessee, started all 48 games in her fifth and final year at Tusculum. The utility player finished her first semester of her graduate program with a 4.0 GPA after earning her elementary education degree in December 2021. Alloway posted 52 hits including 13 doubles, one triple, five home runs and a team-best 34 RBI. She batted .338 while scoring 18 runs and was tied for the club-lead with three sacrifice flies while earning All-SAC second team honors as she split time in the outfield and at designated player. During her 200-game career, she established new program bests with 30 home runs and 370 total bases. She finished her career listed in TU's top-10 in numerous statistical categories including: at-bats (637 – 3rd), runs (105 – T8th), hits (225 – 3rd), doubles (51 – 4th), RBI (139 – T5th), on-base percentage (.396 – 7th) and sacrifice flies (8 – T2nd). Alloway became the program's first three-time recipient of the NCAA Division II Softball Academic All-America® Award as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Ashley Harbison, an outfielder from Knoxville, racked up a 3.78 GPA as a junior biology/pre-medicine major. Across 13 games, she had 17 plate appearances with four hits, one double, two runs batted in, a sacrifice fly, and one run scored.
Hannah Hughes moved into a full-time starting role, primarily as the Pioneers' shortstop during her senior season. The Baxter, Tennessee native earned an impressive 3.94 grade-point average as a business administration student. Hughes played in 47-of-48 games and racked up 13 runs, 29 hits, seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 15 RBI, five walks, four sacrifice bunts, and one sacrifice fly across 127 plate appearances. In the field, she finished with a .928 average with 69 putouts and 72 assists, aiding in seven double plays.
Hailing from Port Orange, Florida, Hayley Lazo was TU's first baseman in 46-of-48 games and is the program's current career leader in fielding percentage (.992). The political science and criminal justice double major averaged a 3.76 GPA in the classroom during her third year as a Pioneer. Across 141 plate appearances, Lazo notched 33 hits, seven doubles, 20 runs batted in, 21 runs scored, nine walks, 12 hit by pitches (tied for most in a single-season at TU), four sacrifice bunts, and one steal. She tallied 264 putouts, 11 assists, and eight double plays on a .993 fielding percentage.
Kiley Longmire (Knoxville, Tenn.) saw action in 33 of the season's first 34 games before medically retiring as Tusculum's third baseman. The senior sport science major was perfect in the classroom, one of three Pioneers to record a 4.0 GPA during the academic year. Longmire finished with 30 hits (11 for extra bases), 19 RBI, 10 runs scored, three walks, two sacrifice flies, and one sacrifice bunt on a .349/.370/.570 slashline. She added 30 putouts, 70 assists, and completed three double plays from the hot corner.
Angela Masiello appeared in 19 games as a sophomore, including starts at second base and pinch running. The Mantua, Ohio native had a near-perfect 3.94 GPA as a human behavioral psychology student. In 24 plate appearances, Masiello tallied four hits, three runs scored, two RBI, two sacrifice bunts, and five steals.
Maddie McBride, an outfielder from Mint Hill, North Carolina, earned a 3.63 GPA during her second collegiate year. The sport science major played in six games, including recording a walk as one of her two pinch hit appearances. She entered as a pinch runner in the four remaining contests.
A transfer from nearby Walters State, Kallyn Newport (Seymour, Tenn.) played 41 games in left field during her first season as a Pioneer. The elementary education major collected a 3.83 GPA as a junior. Newport averaged .304 at the plate, tallying 35 hits (six for extra bases), 28 runs scored, 15 RBI, 12 walks (tied for second-most on the team), three sacrifice bunts, 12 steals, and one sacrifice fly. She added 67 putouts, four assists, and took part in a double play from the grass.
Keylon Reynolds, a sophomore from Kingston, Tennessee, made 14 appearances in the circle. The biology/pre-medicine major continued her academic success with a 4.0 cumulative GPA heading into year three. The right-hander tossed 41.1 innings across five starts, recording a 3-1 record with a save. Reynolds had 31 earned runs score with 20 walks and 35 strikeouts, adding eight assists while fielding her position.
Emily Sappington, a junior from Ashburn, Virginia, has been the Pioneers' workhorse in the circle for the last two seasons. The elementary education major finished the year with a 3.97 GPA while being a dual-threat left-hander. Sappington made 28 pitching appearances with 24 starts, collecting an 11-12 mark with one save. Across 160.2 innings, she tossed 22 complete games with five shutouts, a program-record 173 strikeouts to 53 walks on a 2.18 earned-run average. In 72 plate appearances, Sappington averaged .339 with 20 hits, seven RBI, three runs scored, 12 walks (tied for second-most on the team), and a sacrifice fly. She also added 20 assists and one putout from the center of the diamond.
Smithfield, Virginia's Claire Smeltzer spent plenty of time in the outfield corners as a sophomore. The nursing major compiled a 3.8 GPA while playing in 35 games. In 88 plate appearances, Smeltzer connected for 19 hits including five doubles, scored five runs, drove in nine runs, and drew 11 walks.
An infielder from Coal City, Illinois, Zoe Wills tallied a 3.54 grade-point average during her second year as a Pioneer. The sport science major pinch hit in her lone action of the season, versus Bloomsburg as part of the Raines Company Softball Classic.
Julia Zelinski, an outfielder from Oak Forest, Illinois, finished her sophomore season with 3.62 GPA. The history education major pinch ran in her first collegiate appearance at Francis Marion.
Tusculum finished the 2022 season with a 27-21 (13-11 SAC) mark to wrap up its fourth consecutive winning campaign and fifth in the last six years.
