NCCSIA Announces 2015 University Division All-State Softball Teams

The North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) announced its selections for the 2015 University Division All-State Softball Teams on Tuesday. Twenty-four student-athletes representing seven different North Carolina universities were named to the 2015 NCCSIA University Division All-State Softball Teams.

Western Carolina leads the way with four first-team honorees and five overall selections. Charlotte also has five total honorees, while Campbell and Elon have four each, Gardner-Webb has three, North Carolina Central two and Appalachian State has one.

The first-team All-State pitchers are comprised of Jordan Garrett of Western Carolina and Julia Callicutt of Campbell University. Garrett was named second-team All-SoCon and a member of the Southern Conference All-Tournament team. She started 41 games for the Catamounts and went 16-16 with a 2.26 ERA and 206 strikeouts in 220.1 innings. Callicutt was named first-team All-Big South after a season in which she started 27 games and went 14-10 with a 2.36 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 172.2 innings. She led the Big South in ERA and opposing batting average and was third in the conference in strikeouts.

North Carolina Central’s Emerie Germ earned first-team honors behind the dish. Germ was named second-team All-MEAC and finished the season hitting .343 with seven home runs, 26 runs scored and 26 RBI.

Campbell’s Ericka Nesbitt leads a group of four players from four different schools that comprise the first-team infield. She is joined by Elon’s Hannah Olson, Charlotte’s Chelsea Lisikatos and Western Carolina’s Crystal Cyr. Nesbitt led the Big South with a .441 batting average and was named second-team All-Conference. The shortstop scored 45 runs and stole 17 bases on the season. Olson was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team after hitting .331 with 33 runs scored and 18 RBI in her freshman season. Liskatos led Charlotte with a .295 batting average and tied for the team lead with 10 home runs while also scoring 24 runs and driving in 29. Cyr hit .269 in her junior season and led WCU with eight home runs and 30 RBI.

The first-team All-State outfield is made up of Stephanie Jones from Campbell, Courtney Price from Western Carolina and Casey Hargett from North Carolina Central. Jones was named first-team All-Big South for the third time of her career in 2015. She hit .343 with 47 runs scored and 34 RBI and was 20-23 in stolen base attempts. Price hit .327 with seven home runs, 26 runs and 29 RBI. She was named to the SoCon All-Tournament team. Hargett was named second-team All-MEAC after finishing the season with a .361 batting average, 27 runs and 22 RBI.

Western Carolina’s Taylor Sigmon and Gardner-Webb’s Rachel Cumiskey fill the final two spots on the first-team as Sigmon was selected at the utility position and Cumiskey was selected at designated player. Sigmon started 53 games in the field and hit .242 with seven home runs and 27 RBI. She also made 31 appearances in the circle, going 3-5 with six saves, a 2.11 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 63 innings. She tied her own school record for saves in a season and was second on the team in strikeouts. Cumiskey started 49 games for the Runnin’ Bulldogs and finished the season wit a .313 batting average, eight home runs and 35 RBI. The freshman led GWU in RBI and was named second-team All-Big South in her first collegiate season.

The NCCSIA All-State second-team is comprised of Charlotte’s Lexi Betancourt, Harley Pace, Natalie Capone and Grace Beatty, Elon’s Kayla Caruso, Laiana Hall and Kara Shutt, Gardner-Webb’s Scarlett Harris and Kellie Beres, Western Carolina’s Heather Chastain, Appalachian State’s Cynthia Gomez and Campbell’s Katie Baker.

Nominees were submitted by North Carolina sports information professionals and voted on by the NCCSIA members.

Founded in 2002, the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) is comprised of sports information professionals from NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions from the state of North Carolina. The purpose of the organization is to promote collegiate athletics at all schools. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina, and whose area of responsibility lies within sports information.

NCCSSIA selects all-state teams in the University (Division I) and College (Division II, III, NAIA) divisions for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball.

North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association
2015 University Division All-State Softball Teams

First Team

Pos.  Name                    Class  School                        Hometown
P     Jordan Garrett &        Sr.    Western Carolina University   Henderson, N.C.
P     Julia Callicutt         Sr.    Campbell University           Asheboro, N.C.
C     Emerie Germ             Sr.    NC Central University         Canton, Ga.
IF    Ericka Nesbitt % $      Sr.    Campbell University           Salisbury, N.C.
IF    Hannah Olson            Fr.    Elon University               Yorktown, Va.
IF    Chelsea Lisikatos       Sr.    Charlotte                     Cold Spring, N.Y.
IF    Crystal Cyr             Jr.    Western Carolina University   Citra, Fla.
OF    Casey Hargett           Jr.    NC Central University         Greenville, N.C.
OF    Stephanie Jones %       Sr.    Campbell University           Black Mountain, N.C.
OF    Courtney Price &        So.    Western Carolina University   Matthews, N.C.
UTL   Taylor Sigmon           Jr.    Western Carolina University   Catawba, N.C.
DP    Rachel Cumisky          Fr.    Gardner-Webb University       Chesterfield, Va.

Second Team

Pos.  Name                    Class  School                        Hometown
P     Lexi Betancourt         Jr.    Charlotte                     Garner, N.C.
P     Kayla Caruso            Jr.    Elon University               Kennesaw, Ga.
C     Heather Chastain        Sr.    Western Carolina University   Dunnsville, Va.
IF    Cynthia Gomez &         Sr.    Appalachian State University  Oxnard, Calif.
IF    Scarlett Harris         Jr.    Gardner-Webb University       Sherrills Ford, N.C.
IF    Haley Pace              Fr.    Charlotte                     Winston-Salem, N.C.
IF    Natalie Capone          Sr.    Charlotte                     St. Charles, Ill.
OF    Alaina Hall &           So.    Elon University               Suwanee, Ga.
OF    Kellie Beres            Sr.    Gardner-Webb University       Greenville, N.C.
OF    Kara Shutt              Fr.    Elon University               Greensboro, N.C.
UTL   Katie Baker             So.    Campbell University           Hickory, Ga.
DP    Grace Beatty            Fr.    Charlotte                     Charlotte, N.C.

& – Named to 2014 All-State Team
% – Named to 2013 All-State Team
$ – Named to 2012 All-State Team