Conference Carolinas Sees Six Student-Athletes Named NFCA and D2CCA All-Region
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga./LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Region teams were announced this week and Conference Carolinas had six student-athletes recognized in the southeast region.
Kylie Emanuele and Courtlynn Cooney of Mount Olive and Rikkelle Miller of King earned first team recognition from both the NFCA and D2CCA while Hannah Killough of Mount Olive earned second team honors from both associations. Erin Foster of King and Samantha Allred of UNC Pembroke joined Killough on the D2CCA second team.
A 2021 D2CCA first team all-region selection, Emanuele led Conference Carolinas in hitting this season with a .484 average (77-for-157), a .889 slugging percentage and 82 RBIs. She was named the 2022 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and was named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year Top 25 award list. A junior infielder from Corona, California, Emanuele finished the season with 21 doubles, two triples and a school record 13 home runs. She also scored 45 times and was 21-for-21 on the bases. Her 82 RBIs lead all of Division II, while her average is third-best and doubles are sixth.
A 2021 D2CCA second team all-region selection, Cooney was a 2022 Conference Carolinas First Team All-Conference outfielder and hit .442, second on the team for the Trojans and third-most overall in Conference Carolinas. A junior outfielder from Mechanicsville, Maryland, Cooney led the conference in runs scored (65) and stolen bases (46-of-47). She slugged .553 with a 1.034 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) with 11 doubles, five triples and 33 RBIs. She currently ranks fifth in the NCAA in runs scored and stolen bases.
A senior catcher/infielder from Fayetteville, Georgia, Miller hit .383 on the season and her solo home run in the 2022 Conference Carolinas Softball Championship gave the Tornado a 1-0 victory to secure the title. She ranks fourth in the southeast region with 15 home runs, sixth in hits (69), eighth in slugging percentage (.756), 10th in RBIs (49) and 13th in doubles (16). She also owns an OPS of 1.193. Miller was also selected to the 2022 Conference Carolinas Softball All-Tournament Team.
The 2022 Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Year, Killough finished the season with a league-best 19 wins and a 1.95 earned run average over 172 innings pitched. She has 20 complete games in 26 starts with eight shutouts and one combined shutout. The junior right-handed pitcher from Pageland, South Carolina also led the league with 197 strikeouts and has held opponents to a .189 batting average.
Foster, a senior outfielder from Morristown, Tennessee, was also a first team All-Conference Carolinas selection after hitting .353 on the season with an on-base percentage of .453 and a .607 slugging percentage. She has 11 doubles, three triples and seven home runs with 46 runs scored and 25 RBIs. She ranks sixth in the league with runs scored and 19th in the southeast region in runs per game.
A second team All-Conference Carolinas designated player, Allred hit a team-best .385 this season with a 1.033 OPS. She drove in 22 runs and scored 19 times in 33 games with seven doubles and three home runs. The freshman designated player from Vass, North Carolina was also a 2022 Conference Carolinas Softball All-Tournament team honoree.
The complete NFCA release is available here. The full D2CCA release is available
here.