LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Elon University softball team saw two members of its squad named to the 2018 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Mid Atlantic Region teams on Thursday, May 17, with senior Kara Shutt earning First Team laurels and Hannah Olson being named to the second team.
NFCA Release | All-Region Teams (.PDF)
“This is a great honor for two members who have represented our program so well during their careers,” said Elon head softball coach Kathy Bocock. “Hannah and Kara have provided great leadership to this team over their four years and I’m glad that their hard work has paid off with their All-Region selections. I am so proud of them as their coach and I think their teammates would share the same feeling.”
For Shutt, this is her third All-Region selection in her career and the second time she has received first team accolades. The Greensboro, N.C., native posted a career-year during her senior campaign as she led the Phoenix with her .425 average – the second-best single-season mark in school history – while also tying her single-season program-record with 21 doubles. She became the Colonial Athletic Association’s all-time career leader in doubles with 63 and had 74 hits on the season, tied for the second-best single-season total at Elon. She earned first team All-CAA honors last week and closed her career second all-time in school history with 253 hits.
Olson earns her first All-Region honor as the Yorktown, Va., native also posted a breakout senior season. Olson was second to Shutt with her .387 average and 16 doubles on the season and led the Phoenix with a career-best 36 RBI. She became the seventh player in school history to post 40 or more doubles in a career with 42 and also finished in the top four in school history in career runs scored with 130. Olson was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year last week, becoming the first Phoenix player to earn the award.
The All-Region awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association’s 10 regions with first, second and third-team selections. NFCA member coaches from each respective region voted on the teams, and all the honorees now become eligible for selection to the 2018 NFCA Division I All-American squads.
The 2018 NFCA Division I All-America teams will be announced at approximately 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 30, via NFCA.org.