College Softball News – Guilford’s Cynthia Hayes Named First Team All-State (College Division)

GREENSBORO, N.C. –Guilford College junior Cynthia Hayes (Seagrove, N.C./Southwestern Randolph) earned First Team College Division All-State softball recognition from the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) Thursday. 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 ninth straight year.

Cynthia Hayes 2014

A 5-6 infielder, Hayes earned First Team All-Atlantic Region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association last month to become the Quakers’ initial first-team all-region pick in school history. She also received Second Team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) laurels after hitting a league-record .598 with eight doubles, two homers and 24 runs batted in (RBI). The Quakers’ starting second baseman suffered a season-ending injury in the second week of April, which ended her season after 28 games. As a result of the injury she fell just shy of the minimum requirements for ranking among the NCAA Division III statistical leaders. Despite missing the Quakers’ final 10 contests, Hayes set Guilford season standards for batting average, on-base percentage (.611), slugging percentage (.805) and stolen bases (19). She ranked first in the ODAC in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, sixth in hits (52) and seventh in stolen bases.

Hayes enjoyed a Guilford-record 20-game hitting streak and hit in all but one contest this season. She had 18 outings with two or more hits and five multiple-RBI games. Hayes went 2-for-3 with a grand slam and five RBI in a March 20 tilt with Frostburg State University and was 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBI later in the day versus Rutgers University-Newark. She was 3-for-4 with four runs scored, two doubles, three RBI and three stolen bases in an April 3 victory over Salem College.

After 95 games in three seasons, Hayes owns a .438 batting average with 18 doubles, 42 RBI and a school-record 38 stolen bases. The two-time All-ODAC honoree has six career triples, which stand third in Guilford history. She is sixth all-time with 94 runs scored.

Coach Dennis Shores’ Quakers posted a 19-19 overall record and went 5-15 in the ODAC. Shores could return as many as 19 letter winners in 2014, including Hayes.