Gators softball dominate SEC awards

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

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.