Conference Carolinas Sees Eight Student-Athletes Named D2CCA All-Region
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Softball All-Region teams were announced this week and Conference Carolinas had eight student-athletes recognized in the southeast region.
Makayla Cuthbertson of Francis Marion, Jessica Campbell of King and Courtlynn Cooney of Mount Olive earned first team honors while Madison Walter of King, Taylor Watford, Megan Matsil and Danielle Karacson of Francis Marion and Kylie Emanuele of Mount Olive earned second team honors.
A junior shortstop from Indian Trail, North Carolina, Cuthbertson batted .430 with a school-record 77 runs scored, 10 doubles, eight triples, three homers and 47 runs batted in. She posted a .514 on-base percentage batting in the leadoff spot and stole a team-leading 28 bases in 29 attempts. She registered 27 multi-hit games, ended the season on a 10-game hitting streak, safely reached base in 49 of the team's 55 games and currently ranks second nationally in NCAA Division II in runs scored per game (1.40). She also earned first-team All-Conference and NFCA All-Region honors this season.
Campbell earned first team All-Conference honors as an outfielder and earned the same All-Region recognition from the NFCA as she finished third in the league in hitting with a .468 average and a league-best 87 hits. A junior from Graysville, Tennessee, Campbell tallied 11 home runs with eight doubles, five triples and drove in 44 runs. She also scored 68 times for the Tornado. Nationally, Campbell ranks 2nd with a .480 batting average, 9th with 147 total bases, 16th with an average of 1.17 in runs per game. She set single season King school records in hits, batting average, on-base percentage and runs scored and is second all-time in slugging percentage and total bases. Earlier this season she tied a school record with a 22-game hitting streak and ended the season on a 16-game hitting streak. Starting a school-record 60 games, Campbell was only held hitless seven times this season. Campbell posted 31 multiple hit games and 12 multiple RBI games and closed the season, going 7-for-10 with two doubles, drove in two and scored twice in three games at NCAA Southeast Regional.
Cooney, a junior outfielder from Mechanicsville, Maryland, led the league in hitting with a .503 average with 40 runs scored and 13 RBIs. A first team All-Conference performer, Cooney had two doubles and two triples this season and led the league with 36 stolen bases in 42 attempts. In 145 plate appearances this season she struck out just nine times. She also earned first team NFCA All-Region honors.
Walter, a senior from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, garnered first team all-region honors from the NFCA and was selected first team All-Conference Carolinas. The Lebanon, Pa., native led Conference Carolinas with a 2.13 ERA, a mark that was under 2.00 until the NCAA Southeast Regional. The 2.13 ERA ranks fourth in the region and 97th in NCAA Division II. She is 19th in the country with four saves and 39th with six shutouts, both rank second in the region, while her WHIP of 1.24 ranks 10th in the region and third in Conference Carolinas.
Matsil, also a native of Indian Trail, N.C., led the team with a .455 average (second highest in team history) and a program single-season record 81 hits. The senior second baseman also scored 50 runs, recorded 17 doubles, six home runs, and 45 RBIs. She registered a .495 on-base percentage, was 5-of-6 in stolen bases, and fielded at a .974 clip. She posted 26 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI contests, had a 21-game hitting streak during the year, and safely reached base in 50 of 55 games. She also earned second team NFCA All-Region honors.
Karacson, a native of Bartow, Fla., hit .339 and led the squad with 14 home runs, and a team-record 65 RBIs. The senior outfielder also recorded 19 doubles, scored 51 runs, posted a 408 on-base percentage and a .701 slugging percentage, and was 7-of-8 in stolen bases. She registered 16 multi-hit games and a team-best 15 multi-RBI contests, and during the season had a 17-game hitting streak.
Watford, a native of Lamar, S.C., batted .441 with 37 runs scored, 21 doubles, 12 homers, 59 RBIs, and a school-record 130 total bases. The senior first basemen had a slugging percentage of .807 which was the second highest in team history and her on-base percentage of .532 was the fourth best ever. She fielded at a .989 clip with only three errors and registered 19 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI contests.
Emanuele, a junior utility player from Corona, California, earned second team honors after hitting .362 on the season with a team-leadking 1.146 on-base plus slugging percentage. She drove in 39 runs and scored 26 for the Trojans with 13 doubles, 10 home runs and three triples. She was also 8-for-9 in stealing bases.
Cutherbertson, Campbell and Cooney are now eligible to earn D2CCA All-America honors which will be announced on May 24.
The full D2CCA release is available here.