Kissimmee, FL–May 10, 2016- A few weeks ago, Pride Softball gained a spectacular draft class made up of eight stellar athletes hailing from the biggest conferences in softball.
Four of those draftees have earned All-SEC honors joining a long line of Pride players who earned the same accolades years prior from Hannah Rogers to Chelsea Thomas.
SEC Pitcher of the Year went to Pride draftee Kelsey Nunley out of Kentucky. Nunley became the first Wildcat in school history to earn the league’s top pitching award and the only Wildcat to be recognized as a first-team All-SEC selection for 2016. Nunley finished the regular season with a 20-5 record and seven complete-game shutouts.
Pride draftee, Haylie McCleney, out of Alabama joins her future teammate with a spot on the first-team All-SEC selection. McCleney also earned her spot on the 2016 SEC All-Defensive team for the fourth year in a row. On top of that, McCleney was recently named the SEC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and became the 4th in Alabama history with 300 hits, 200 runs and 100 stolen bases. Pride outfielder Kelly Kretschman remains 1st in Alabama history with 368 hits, 288 runs and 133 stolen bases.
Earning their spot on second team All-SEC are Florida Gator teammates Aubree Munro and Kirsti Merritt. Kirsti is no stranger to SEC accolades being voted onto the 2015 first team All-SEC as well as 2013 All-Freshman. Munro joins Haylie McCleney on the 2016 SEC All-Defensive Team in her senior season, the only Gator to do so. Both Merritt and Munro have been a part of a decorated Gator team that continues to strengthen their legacy time and again.
The SEC Tournament begins tomorrow with four first-round games in Starkville, Mississippi the same location the Pride will host the PA Rebellion in June as part of their home series campus tour.
Competition begins 11am (CT) with a Missouri vs. South Carolina match-up at Nusz Park. Tune in for some great softball and watch several of our draftees battle it out before they come together to play as one this coming summer.
The complete 2016 SEC Softball Postseason Awards:
First Team All-SEC
P – Delanie Gourley, Florida
P – Aleshia Ocasio, Florida
P – Kelsey Nunley, Kentucky
IF – Kasey Cooper, Auburn
IF – Alyssa DiCarlo, Georgia
IF – Bianka Bell, LSU
IF – Meghan Gregg, Tennessee
IF – Tori Vidales, Texas A&M
OF – Haylie McCleney, Alabama
OF – Amanda Lorenz, Florida
OF – Sydni Emanuel, Georgia
OF – Emily Crane, Missouri
C – Ashley Walters, Texas A&M
DP/U – Kayli Kvistad, Florida
Second Team All-SEC
P – Sydney Littlejohn, Alabama
P – Chelsea Wilkinson, Georgia
P – Carley Hoover, LSU
IF – Leona Lafaele, Alabama
IF – Jade Rhodes, Auburn
IF – Alex Hugo, Georgia
IF – Tina Iosefa, Georgia
IF – Sami Fagan, Missouri
OF – Kirsti Merritt, Florida
OF – Cortni Emanuel, Georgia
OF – Taylor Gadbois, Missouri
OF – Keeli Milligan, Texas A&M
C – Aubree Munro, Florida
DP/U – Rainey Gaffin, Tennessee
Freshman All-SEC
P – Kelly Barnhill, Florida
P – Matty Moss, Tennessee
P – Samantha Show, Texas A&M
IF – Alyssa DiCarlo, Georgia
IF – Lacey Sumerlin, Georgia
IF – Hailey Lunderman, Ole Miss
IF – Aubrey Leach, Tennessee
IF – Kaitlyn Alderink, Texas A&M
OF – Amanda Lorenz, Florida
OF – Regan Nash, Missouri
OF – Brooke Vines, Tennessee
OF – Keeli Milligan, Texas A&M
C – Reagan Dykes, Alabama
DP/U – Abbey Cheek, Kentucky
SEC All-Defensive
P – Rainey Gaffin, Tennessee
C – Aubree Munro, Florida
1B – Leona Lafaele, Alabama
1B – Jade Rhodes, Auburn
1B – Maisie Steed, Kentucky
1B – Tori Vidales, Texas A&M
2B – Emily Carosone, Auburn
SS – Christian Stokes, Kentucky
3B – Kasey Cooper, Auburn
LF – Kallie Case, Alabama
CF – Haylie McCleney, Alabama
RF – Emily Crane, Missouri
Player of the Year: Kasey Cooper, Auburn
Pitcher of the Year: Kelsey Nunley, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year: Amanda Lorenz, Florida
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kasey Cooper, Auburn
Coach of the Year: Rachel Lawson, Kentucky
About USSSA Florida Pride
The USSSA Florida Pride is a professional franchise in the National Pro Fastpitch League that is owned and operated by USSSA. The amateur organization of USSSA has multi-sport coverage and encompasses teams and players from the United States and abroad.
About USSSA
USSSA is headquartered in Osceola County, Florida. USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA.
About National Pro Fastpitch (NPF)
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), an Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball since 2002, provides elite female athletes with an opportunity to pursue a professional career in diamond sports beyond their collegiate success. The 2016 NPF season will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Coverage includes the NPF College Draft presented by Bownet on Thur., April 14, followed by 23 regular-season games, a Championship Series Preview Special and the 2016 NPF Championship Series. The NPF recently announced that the Scrap Yard Dawgs, located in The Woodlands, Texas, will join the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits, Dallas Charge, Pennsylvania Rebellion and USSSA Florida Pride for the 2016 season. National Pro Fastpitch players hail from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand, representing the most accomplished and talented athletes in the sport of women’s softball.
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