UNCG’s Breneman Named Coach of the Year, Four Garner All-Conference Honors

UNCG’s Breneman Named Coach of the Year, Four Garner All-Conference Honors

Southern Conference Announces Postseason Awards

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball team saw five Spartans earn six Southern Conference (SoCon) postseason awards, including Head Coach Janelle Breneman earning her fourth SoCon Coach of the Year award, as announced by the league on Tuesday morning.

Breneman garners her fourth SoCon Coach of the Year honor since 2018 by leading UNCG to its sixth-straight regular-season SoCon title. The 11th-year Spartan coach has led her squad to a 34-20 overall mark this season, including a 13-4 SoCon mark, sweeping three conference opponents. The Spartans also won their Samford and Mercer series.

The 34 wins is the 20th time in program history with at least 30 wins in a year. In her 11 years at the helm, this is the eighth time with 30 or more wins. Breneman’s squad has exceled in all three phases of the game, pacing the SoCon in slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs scored, runs batted in, doubles, home runs, total bases, total plate appearances, walks, wins, and fielding double plays. The Spartans are also second in multiple categories.

Rhyann Jones

All-SoCon first team

All-SoCon freshman team

Fr | P | Daleville, Virginia

11-2 record
Leads UNCG pitching staff with 2.42 ERA
Eight complete games
Has thrown five shutouts
Has tossed 95.1 innings in 22 appearances
Was named SoCon Pitcher of the Week on March 20
Second in the conference with 2.42 ERA and 11 wins, fifth with 18 games started and 40 runs allowed, sixth with 33 earned runs allowed
81st in the national rankings with 1.47 walks allowed per seven innings

Brooklynn Maxwell

All-SoCon first team

Jr | INF | Virginia Beach, Virginia

Started in 42 games at third base and 12 games at shortstop this season
Is currently on a 15-game on-base streak and a seven-game hitting streak
Has 15 multi-hit games
Has a career-highs in: RBI, batting average, slugging percentage, runs, hits, doubles, walks, stolen bases
In the SoCon, Maxwell is second with 46 runs scored and 200 plate appearances, third with .460 on-base percentage and 34 walks, fifth with 56 hits, sixth with .344 batting average, 12 doubles, sixth with 87 total bases, seventh with 163 at bats.
In SoCon defensive categories, Maxwell is third with 126 assists and seventh with 10 double plays.
Nationally, Maxwell is 61st with 0.63 walks per game and 87th with 0.85 runs per game.

Grace Loftin

All-SoCon first team

Soph | OF | Conover, North Carolina

Preseason All-SoCon first team
Started and played in 53 games in the outfield this season
Has averaged .245 at the plate (34-for-139)
Scored 27 runs, five home runs
0.979 fielding percentage with 95 catches
Has eight multi-RBI games and multi-hit games
Has career-best numbers in runs scored, doubles, and walks
In the SoCon, Loftin is second with 14 doubles and seventh with 23 walks

Jorde Chartrand

All-SoCon first team

Soph | P/DP | Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada

SoCon Player of the Week (April 17 and May 8)
Has 14 multi-hit games, eight multiple-RBI games
Started in the circle 12 games and 39 games starting as designated player
Among the SoCon, Chartrand is: fourth in batting average (.367), fifth in slugging percentage (.602) and runs batted in (36), ninth in on base percentage (.411) and total bases (77).
Among the SoCon in pitching categories, Chartrand is first in saves (4), second in games in relief (18), third in opposing batting average (.231) and games finished (14), fourth in appearances (30), seventh in batters struck out (81), ninth in batters struck out looking (18) and wins (7), 10th in innings pitched (99.1)
Her four saves in the circle are 28th in the nation.

Up Next
UNCG (30-24, 13-4 SoCon) earned the top seed in the 2023 SoCon Tournament after winning its sixth-straight SoCon Regular Season Title and ninth SoCon title in program history.

The Spartans will face the winner of the No. 4 Western Carolina/No. 5 Mercer matchup on Thursday, May 11 with a first pitch at 12:30 p.m. at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Courtesy of Denise Archetto
Assistant Athletic Director For Strategic Communications
UNC Greensboro