ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team had four members of its squad earn spots on the 2018 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) University Division All-State Softball Teams as announced by the association on Monday, June 18.
Graduated seniors Hannah Olson and Kara Shutt represented the Phoenix on the NCCSIA All-State first team. Fellow graduated senior Kiandra Mitchum along with junior Tia Mitchell landed on the second team.
Shutt became the second Elon player to receive NFCA All-American laurels in 2018 after the Greensboro, N.C., native led the maroon and gold with a .425 average at the plate. She also became the program’s and the Colonial Athletic Association’s all-time career leader in doubles with 63 and tied her single-season school-record with 21 this season. Shutt also led Elon in slugging percentage (.580), runs scored (42), hits (74) and total bases (101) while also tying the team-lead in triples (three). Shutt later became the first player in school history drafted into a professional league with her selection in the American Softball Association’s (ASBA) inaugural draft on June 6.
Olson emerged as one of the team’s top run producers in 2018 as the Yorktown, Va., native batted a career-best .387 and drove in a team-high 36 RBI. She also hustled for 16 doubles and 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 selected as the 2018 CAA Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region second team.
Mitchum pitched 81.0 innings and posted a 2.59 ERA in the circle before seeing her season end on March 31 due to injury. The Mechanicsville, Va., native still led the Phoenix with 74 strikeouts and had a 6-6 record and finished her career in the top-five in school history in strikeouts with 357. She also tossed the second perfect game in school history versus Mount Saint Mary’s on Feb. 18.
Mitchell came on during the CAA season for the Phoenix in her first year at Elon. The Dublin, Ga., native batted .259 overall on the season, but was third on the squad with a .370 average during CAA play. Mitchell was fourth on the team in multi-hit games with eight including a season-best three hits at Towson on April 15.