College Softball News – Guilford’s Cynthia Hayes Named First All-American in School History

TYLER, Texas – Senior Cynthia Hayes (Seagrove, N.C./Southwestern Randolph) is Guilford College’s first NCAA Division III National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA) All-America honoree. Hayes, a first-team selection, attended Wednesday night’s NCAA Softball Championship banquet where the All-America teams were announced.

Cynthia Hayes 2014

Cynthia Hayes 2014 by Greensboro Sports

Seagrove, N.C./Southwestern Randolph. Guilford College Softball

Hayes, a second baseman, became the first Quaker to receive two NFCA First Team All-Atlantic region accolades earlier this month. In April Hayes became Guilford’s third three-time All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) softball selection. In a school-record 44 contests, Hayes boasts the league’s top figures in batting average (.532), on-base percentage (.599), runs (63), hits (74), and doubles (23). She set school standards for runs, hits, doubles, and times hit by a pitch in a season (11). Her league-record 23 doubles rank 10th in Division III history.

Through games of May 18, Hayes ranks sixth among Division III leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, and doubles per game (0.52). She shares the national lead with 23 two-base hits and sits third with 1.43 runs per game. Hayes had a school- and ODAC-record 31-game hitting streak and reached base in 41 straight games this season. The hitting skein is fifth-longest in Division III history. She had 25 games with two or more hits, including three four-hit efforts, and won the league’s Hitter of the Week Award Feb. 17.

The all-region honor is the latest in Hayes’ illustrious college tenure. Also an all-state performer, she concluded her career as the ODAC’s and Guilford’s career batting leader (.467). Hayes graduated with the school’s career standards for on-base percentage (.522), runs (157), hits (211), doubles (41), and time hit by pitch (23). She also holds Guilford season marks for batting average (.598, 2013), slugging percentage (.805, 2013), triples (4, 2011), stolen bases (19, 2013) and times hit by pitch. A dean’s list student and resident advisor at Guilford, she earned degrees in exercise and sports sciences and health sciences at the school’s May 17 commencement.

Hayes helped coach Dennis Shores’ Quakers to their finest season in school history. Guilford set the school standard with a 29-15 record and took third at the eight-team ODAC Tournament. The Quakers set or tied at least 17 school or individual season records and return everyone save Hayes, the team’s lone senior, in 2015.