Special to GC
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After the Gators won the Southeastern Conference championship on Sunday, SEC Player of the Year Kelsey Stewart and SEC Pitcher of the Year Lauren Haeger lead a group of six Florida Softball players to receive All-SEC accolades. The awards were voted on by the conference’s 13 head coaches and announced Tuesday by the league office.
Junior Kirsti Merritt joins Haeger and Stewart as First Team All-SEC selections, while infielder Nicole DeWitt and utility player Aleshia Ocasio earned spots on the Freshman All-SEC team. Florida is the top fielding team in the country according to the latest NCAA statistics, and Stewart and double-play partner Kathlyn Medina represent the Gators on the SEC All-Defensive team.
Stewart becomes the fifth Gator to be named SEC Player of the Year, and the first since Michelle Moultrie in 2012. The Wichita, Kan., native has been chosen to an All-SEC Team in each of her three years (2014 – First Team, All-Defensive; 2013 – Second Team, Freshman All-SEC). Haeger takes home UF’s third SEC Pitcher of the Year award, and the first since Stacey Nelson won the honor for the second consecutive season in 2009. The right-hander earns her third career All-SEC selection (2013 – First Team; 2012 – Freshman All-SEC). In Head CoachTim Walton’s 10 seasons, the Orange and Blue have earned four conference Player of the Year selections and three Pitcher of the Year accolades.
Merritt receives her second All-SEC accolade (2013 – Freshman All-SEC), while Medina gains all-conference status for the first time in her career.
Florida now has accumulated 41 All-SEC selections by 19 players in Walton’s tenure and 65 all-conference honors in program history. The Gators have received 18 SEC All-Defensive accolades by 11 players since the league introduced the award in 2008. The Orange and Blue have had 27 Freshman All-SEC selections in the Walton era and 30 dating back to the accolade’s inception in 2004.
Below is a look at the accomplishments of each of Florida’s All-SEC performers:
Kelsey Stewart
SEC Player of the Year
First Team All-SEC
SEC All-Defensive
*Ranks among league leaders in hitting (fifth, .452), hits (first, 84), runs scored (third, 63), doubles (third, 16), triples (T-1st, eight), stolen bases (T-8th, 22), and on-base percentage (12th, .502)
*In league play, leads the SEC with a .536 average that is 78 points ahead of the No. 2 hitter
*Has 45 hits against conference opponents – 12 more than any other player
*Has turned eight double plays, which is tied for eighth in the conference
*Has committed just five errors in 147 chances
*Named SEC Player of the Week once (Week 11)
Lauren Haeger
SEC Pitcher of the Year
First Team All-SEC
*Holds a 23-0 record, which marks the second-best start to a season for a pitcher in league history
*Ranks among the conference’s best in ERA (second, 1.46), victories (third, 23), strikeouts (fifth, 164) and opposing batting average (sixth, .194)
*Earned the win in Game 1 of each of Florida’s eight SEC series
*Is one of two pitchers in the country to be undefeated with at least 20 wins
*Holds the SEC record for career home runs (67) and the Florida benchmark for career RBI (248)
*Stands among league leaders in RBI (eighth, 59), home runs (T-10th, 15), walks (fourth, 41) and slugging (15th, .689)
*Named SEC Pitcher of the Week three times (Weeks 2, 9 and 11)
Kirsti Merritt
First Team All-SEC
*Has set career bests in hitting (.331), doubles (11), slugging percentage (.609) and on-base percentage (.513)
*Ranks among league leaders in on-base percentage (ninth), doubles (T-11th), stolen bases (12th, 17)
*In conference play, stands among the conference’s best in in on-base percentage (10th, .500) and doubles (T-5th, six)
Nicole DeWitt
Freshman All-SEC
*Ranks among team leaders in hitting (third, .345)
*Stands among the Gators’ all-time freshman leaders in on-base percentage (first, .486), hitting (fourth)
*Has not committed an error in 56 chances
*Named SEC Freshman of the Week twice (Weeks 9 and 11)
Aleshia Ocasio
Freshman All-SEC
*Ranks among the SEC’s best in ERA (eighth, 2.07), opposing batting average (seventh, .204), strikeouts (10th, 135), wins (T-10th, 16), saves (T-9th, two)
*In league play, stands among league leaders in wins (T-11th, six), strikeouts (12th, 47) and ERA (15th, 3.80)
*Owns wins over seven ranked opponents
Kathlyn Medina
SEC All-Defensive
*2015 Senior CLASS Award top-10 finalist
*Has had a hand in nine of the Gators’ 17 double plays
Florida will open play at the SEC Tournament in Baton Rouge, La., on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET against the winner of Wednesday’s Texas A&M-South Carolina game. The SEC Network will televise the contest. Florida Sports Talkwill have the radio broadcast with Adam Schick (play-by-play) and former Gator All-American Megan Bush (analysis) on the call. In addition, a live stats link will be available on the schedule page on GatorZone.com.
First Team All-SEC
P – Lauren Haeger, Florida
P – Alexis Osorio, Alabama
P – Carley Hoover, LSU
IF – Kelsey Stewart, Florida
IF – Emily Carosone, Auburn
IF – Bianka Bell, LSU
IF – Alex Hugo, Georgia
IF – Kasey Cooper, Auburn
OF – Haylie McCleney, Alabama
OF – Alaynie Page, South Carolina
OF – Emily Crane, Missouri
OF – Kirsti Merritt, Florida
C – Kellsi Kloss, LSU
DP/U – Sahvanna Jaquish, LSU
Second Team All-SEC
P – Chelsea Wilkinson, Georgia
P – Tori Finucane, Missouri
IF – Marisa Runyon, Alabama
IF – Sami Fagan, Missouri
IF – Demi Turner, Alabama
IF – Tori Vidales, Texas A&M
IF – Jade Rhodes, Alabama
OF – Tiffany Howard, Auburn
OF – Bailey Landry, LSU
OF – A.J. Andrews, LSU
OF – Sydni Emanuel, Georgia
C – Annie Aldrete, Tennessee
DP/U – Tina Iosefa, Georgia
Freshman All-SEC
P – Alexis Osorio, Alabama
P – Carley Hoover, LSU
P – Aleshia Ocasio, Florida
P – Paige Lowary, Missouri
IF – Tori Vidales, Texas A&M
IF – Demi Turner, Alabama
IF – Amanda Sanchez, Missouri
IF – Meghan Gregg, Tennessee
IF – Scarlet McSwain, Tennessee
OF – Nicole DeWitt, Florida
OF – Cortni Emanuel, Georgia
OF – Emily Griggs, LSU
OF – Elantra Cox, Ole Miss
C – Ashley Walters, Texas A&M
DP/U – Tiara Duffy, South Carolina
SEC All-Defensive
P – Rainey Gaffin, Tennessee
C – Griffin Joiner, Kentucky
1B – Sandra Simmons, LSU
2B – Emily Carosone, Auburn
2B – Kelsey Stewart, Florida
SS – Kathlyn Medina, Florida
3B – Kasey Cooper, Auburn
LF – Tiffany Howard, Auburn
CF – Haylie McCleney, Alabama
RF – Emily Crane, Missouri
Player of the Year: Kelsey Stewart, Florida
Pitcher of the Year: Lauren Haeger, Florida
Freshman of the Year: Alexis Osorio, Alabama
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Haylie McCleney, Alabama and Devon Wallace, Arkansas
Coach of the Year: Clint Myers, Auburn