The North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) announced its selections for the 2012-13 College Division All-State Softball Teams Thursday. Twenty-three students representing 13 different North Carolina universities and colleges were named to the all-state teams.
NCAA Division II Southeast Regional finalist Lenoir-Rhyne University placed three students on the first team. St. Augustine’s University and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke both had two first-team honorees. Guilford College, Mount Olive College, Catawba College, and Wingate University each put one student on the first team.
Two of Lenoir-Rhyne’s picks are repeat all-state selections. Senior first baseman Jessica Fellmeth, a three-time All-State honoree, and junior third baseman Haily Jarman helped the Bears to a 37-16 record and the number-26 ranking in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) NCAA Division II Poll. Fellmeth, a First Team NFCA NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region pick, led the Bears in batting average (.359), doubles (13), runs batted in (29) and on-base percentage (.497). She was also named 2013 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the Bears to their fourth-consecutive tournament title.
Jarman returned to the All-State team after hitting .331 with a club-best 33 runs scored, 55 hits, 92 total bases and a .554 slugging percentage. She also swatted seven homers and earned second-team All-Southeast recognition on the NFCA and Daktronics/Division II Sports Information Directors teams. The Bears’ third All-State pick is pitcher Maryann Hoskins, who went 17-8 with three saves and a 1.79 earned run average as a rookie. She was a first-team All-SAC selection and joined Fellmeth and Jarman on the All-SAC Tournament squad.
The sister tandem of Daja White and Jo’Landa White helped St. Augustine’s to its first winning season in 10 years and a fourth-place showing at the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championships. Daja, a rookie outfielder, ranked 10th in NCAA Division II with a .476 batting average and shared the team lead with eight home runs. The honorable mention Daktronics All-American stole 30 bases and boasted an .835 slugging percentage. Jo’Landa, a sophomore catcher, hit .422 with eight homers and 29 RBI. The second-team Daktronics All-Southeast selection is part of a college-division all-star team touring Italy this summer.
UNC Pembroke’s Brea Hartley earned First Team Daktronics All-America honors for her efforts as a utility player. She hit .407 with 10 homers and 40 RBI in 55 games split between catcher, designated player and the outfield. She joined teammate Taylor Cloninger as first-team Daktronics All-Southeast honorees. Cloninger, an outfielder, batted .363 with 10 homers among 61 hits and 32 RBI. UNC Pembroke’s leadoff hitter was also a first-team selection on the NFCA’s Division II All-Southeast squad.
Guilford junior Cynthia Hayes ranked among NCAA Division III batting average leaders for most of the year before a knee injury ended her season after 28 games. The first-team NFCA All-Atlantic Region second baseman finished with a .598 average, setting school and Old Dominion Athletic Conference records. The first-team All-State squad’s lone Division III member also set Guilford standards for on-base percentage (.611), slugging percentage (.805) and stolen bases (19).
Sophomore Beth Overman hit a team-leading .358 and helped Conference Carolinas champion Mount Olive to a 34-15 record. The first baseman was a second-team Daktronics All-Southeast honoree, collected 36 RBI and smashed nine of the Trojans’ school-record 36 home runs.
Chowan’s Leigh Ward hit .476 thanks to 70 hits and had 29 stolen bases in her sophomore campaign, good enough for NFCA first-team All-Atlantic recognition. The outfielder was a second-team Daktronics All-Atlantic pick and a second-team All-CIAA honoree. She helped the Hawks go 26-23 and reach the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Kayla Saliga of Wingate is the All-State team’s designated player after leading the Bulldogs with a .346 batting average and .628 slugging percentage. She belted five homers in 29 games and captured second-team All-SAC honors.
Freshman Carley Tysinger became Catawba’s first NCAA Division II softball All-American (Daktronics, 3rd team) thanks to a sterling 1.21 earned run average that ranked ninth in the nation. The Daktronics Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year finished fourth nationally in strikeouts (324), ninth in shutouts (10), 10th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.6) and 14th in wins (25-9).
Greensboro College placed three students (Sarah Connolly, Jackie Nicholson and Sarah Tompkins) on the second-team All-State unit. Chowan’s Liz Hipple, a 2012 All-State honoree, and Alora Lincoln were second-team picks along with Kelsey Maffucci and Stacey Houser of Wingate. Meredith College’s Amanda White, another returning All-Stater, joined Connolly, Salem College’s Kierston Garner and Mars Hill College’s Robyn Stanek as the second-team infielders. Fayetteville State University’s Spencer Embler was the squad’s utility player.
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 – 2013 College Division All-State Softball Teams
First Team Pos. Name Class School Hometown P Carley Tysinger Fr. Catawba College Lexington, N.C. P Maryann Hoskins Fr. Lenoir-Rhyne University Havelock, N.C. C Jo’Landa White So. Saint Augustine’s University Leland, N.C. IF Jessica Fellmeth & % Sr. Lenoir-Rhyne University Waxhaw, N.C. IF Cynthia Hayes Jr. Guilford College Seagrove, N.C. IF Haily Jarman Jr. Lenoir-Rhyne University Wadesboro, N.C. IF Beth Overman So. Mount Olive College Elizabeth City, N.C. OF Taylor Cloninger Jr. UNC Pembroke Jacksonville, N.C. OF Leigh Ward So. Chowan University Oriental, N.C. OF Daja White Fr. St. Augustine’s University Leland, N.C. UTL Brea Hartley So. UNC Pembroke Lexington, N.C. DP Kayla Saliga So. Wingate University Asheboro, N.C. Second Team Pos. Name Class School Hometown P Stacey Houser Fr. Wingate University Mooresville, N.C. P Alora Lincoln So. Chowan University Smithfield, Va. C Sarah Tompkins Fr. Greensboro College Wilmington, N.C. IF Sarah Connolly Fr. Greensboro College Mount Airy, N.C. IF Kierston Garner Fr. Salem College Danbury, N.C. IF Robyn Stanek So. Mars Hill College Winston-Salem, N.C. IF Amanda White & So. Meredith College Wilmington, N.C. OF Liz Hipple & Jr. Chowan University Chincoteague, Va. OF Kelsey Maffucci Sr. Wingate University Rockledge, Fla. OF Jackie Nicholson So. Greensboro College Snow Camp, N.C. UTL Spencer Embler Jr. Fayetteville State University Thomasville, N.C. & - Named to 2012 All-State Team % - Named to 2011 All-State Team