GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guilford College senior Kimberly Keys (Laurinburg, N.C./Richmond Senior) earned College Division All-State softball recognition from the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) Friday. The squad consists of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA student-athletes from North Carolina colleges and universities. North Carolina sports information directors submitted nominees and NCCSIA members selected the team for the eighth straight year.
A two-time all-state honoree, Keys hit a team-leading .373 with 10 doubles and 25 runs batted in (RBI). She hit safely in all but eight contests and enjoyed 16 multiple-hit games. Her club-high 53 hits ranked seventh among Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) leaders and rank sixth in school history. The Quakers’ starting center fielder collected six hits, including her lone home run of the year, and plated four in Guilford’s ODAC sweep of host Sweet Briar College April 14.
Keys graduates as Guilford’s career leader in batting average (.393), games (160), at-bats (532), hits (209), doubles (39), total bases (279) and RBI (121). She was a Second Team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region honoree in 2010 and earned NCCSIA College Division All-State honors the same year. The team captain twice received All-ODAC commendation.
Coach Dennis Shores’ Quakers ended the season with a 17-23 overall record, 4-14 in the ODAC. He expects as many as 14 letter winners back in 2012.