DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern softball had seven players earn yearly honors from the Great American Conference, highlighted by Kelsey Meeks taking the conference's Newcomer of the Year award while Elexis Watson was named Freshman of the Year.
Meeks and Watson each earned First Team All-Conference honors as well, while Symphoni Shomo joined them as a first team selection.
Sydnee Hinkle and Destiny Riddle each earned second team All-GAC selection, while Keeshia Thompson was an honorable mention pick.
Academically, Destiny Riddle became SE softball's first GAC Elite Scholar Athlete honoree, while Meeks and Mykaela Wallace each added GAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors.
Meeks, a junior pitcher from Limon, Colo., collected the most wins in the conference in 2018 and finished with a 27-13 record in the circle while carrying a 2.81 ERA. She tossed a conference-leading 231.2 innings pitched over 45 appearances and 26 starts with 23 complete games, with two shutouts. She added 110 strikeouts on the season and held opponents to a .275 batting average.
Watson, a freshman first baseman from Muskogee, Okla., was ranked in the GAC top five in nine different offensive categories, including average, slugging, home runs, doubles, and RBI. She hit .391 on the season and finished with 66 hits, 14 of the homers and 19 of them doubles while driving in 51 runs and scoring 40 of her own. She slugged .751 and boasted a .488 on base percentage, while in the field she carried a .995 fielding percentage at first base.
Shomo, a sophomore second baseman from Tahlequah, Okla., hit .359 on the season and was ranked in the GAC and tied Watson with 66 hits on the season. She led the conference far and away and was nationally ranked in stolen bases, finishing the regular season with 40. On the year she added four doubles and a triple while driving in 13 runs and scoring 36 of her own. She also carried a .975 fielding percentage at second base.
Hinkle, a junior from Justin, Texas, served a utility role, splitting time between designated player and catcher throughout the season. She finished the year strong, ending up second on the team and top-10 in the conference in average at .372, putting up 55 hits with 14 doubles and six home runs. She drove in 34 runs on the year and scored 23 while slugging .588 and adding a .457 on-base percentage.
Riddle, a junior from Muskogee, Okla., served a utility role while splitting time between third base and pitcher. Offensively she hit .355 with 59 hits, seven doubles and a pair of home runs while driving in 35 runs and scoring 28. She also added a nearly flawless effort at third base with a .982 fielding percentage. Ion the circle she saw 26 appearances, including 16 starts, putting together a 5-5 record with a 4.24 ERA over 76.0 innings pitched with 30 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .288.
Thompson, a junior from Bonham, Texas, also split time, playing primarily in center field while adding starts at third base. She batted .353 on the season with 60 hits which included 11 doubles, a triple, and six home runs, while driving in 33 runs and scoring 41. She also boasted a .963 fielding percentage between two positions.
Wallace, a junior shortstop from Henryetta, Okla., hit .283 on the season with 43 hits, eight of them doubles and eight of them home runs while driving in 26 runs and scoring 28 times. She carried a .493 slugging percentage as well as a .351 on base percentage.
Reader Comments(0)