LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference placed seven student-athletes on the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA) All-West Region team.
The list was highlighted by three first-team, two second-team and two third-team selections.
Texas Lutheran University led the conference with six players earning all-region honors, while Centenary College had one player recognized.
Maitlin Raycroft and Kyla Lockley from Texas Lutheran joined Centenary College's Anna Dunn as the league's first-team honorees.
Raycroft, a senior pitcher, had another standout season as a pitcher for the Bulldogs, posting five no-hitters this season, while finishing the season with a record of 20-1. She is currently 13th in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings (9.3) and sixth in hits allowed per seven innings (3.80). Her ERA of 1.22 is second on the team and 18th in all of Division III.
Earlier this spring, Raycroft was named the SCAC’s Pitcher of the Year. This is the second year in a row that she has earned first team All-West region honors.
Lockley, a senior third baseman, leads the league with 55 hits, and is second in the SCAC with a .423 batting average. She has scored 46 runs and tallied 27 RBI on the season. Her 43 stolen bases (1.05 per game) ranks sixth in the nation. This is her second year in a row to be reocognized by the NFCA, but her first to be named to first-team.
Dunn, a senior outfielder, led the SCAC with a .424 batting average, a .915 slugging percentage, 52 RBIs, 15 home runs, and 108 total bases, breaking the Ladies single season record in all five categories. She also broke the conference single-season home run record in the 2018 SCAC championship.
Texas Lutheran's Cassie Roche and Kassie Maddox earned second team honors.
Roche, a sophomore short stop, had a strong season with the Bulldogs, earning SCAC Player of the Year honors. Roche ranks in the top-10 in several statistical categories, finishing the year fourth in runs scored (35), fourth in doubles (12), fourth in stolen bases (22), sixth in sluggin percentage (.590), seventh in batting average (.390) and 10th in total hits (41).
Maddox, a junior utility player, was a force offensively and on the mound for TLU this season, posting a team-low ERA of 1.17 as she pitched 42.0 innings in 10 appearances. At the plate, Maddox hit .369 with 28 runs scored and 40 RBI (second in the SCAC). She hit five home runs on the season, which ranks third in the league.
Rounding out the All-Region awards, TLU's Madisyn Cates and Kelly Jurden were recognized on third team.
Cates, a sophomore second baseman, hit .392 this season with 23 runs scored and 24 RBI. Of her 38 hits, 10 were for extra bases, including seven doubles and three home runs. Defensively, Cates only recorded one error all season, and was error-free in conference play.
Jurden, an outfielder for the Bulldogs, had an impressive freshman campaign, finishing the year with a .362 batting average. She recorded three doubles and a pair of triples for a .417 slugging percentage. Jurden ranks third in the league with runs scored and second in stolen bases with 29. Jurden played error-free defense all season.
To view the full NFCA release, click here.
