2015 G-MAC Softball All-Conference Team
GREENWOOD, Ind. – The 2015 All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball Team includes talented first, second and all-freshman groups, honored for their accomplishments this spring.
For three-time league champion Trevecca Nazarene, the majority of the individual awards were presented to Trojans with G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year Lindsey Stephens, G-MAC Pitcher of the Year Haley Fagan and G-MAC Coach of the Year Ben Tyree, all receiving repeat honors.
Alderson Broaddus’ rookie shortstop Samantha Turner was selected as the G-MAC Freshman of the Year.
TNU made conference history by advancing to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Midwest Regional as an at-large selection.
The Trojans beat Truman State and Ashland for a shot at the regional title as the No. 7 seed, officially representing the G-MAC’s first wins at the NCAA Regional level.
The veteran presence of Tyree helped guide the Trojans to a 40-10 overall record as TNU went 4-0 at the conference tournament in Xenia, Ohio. Tyree has been the G-MAC Coach of the Year for three years running.
Stephens was a dynamic two-way player while batting .403 and driving in a conference-best 48 RBI. She also led the G-MAC in doubles with 17 and tied for the league lead in triples with five and hits with 62.
Her batting average ranked third overall only behind a pair of freshman teammates (Bailey Alexander, Danielle Tyson) and she additionally carved out an 8-4 record in the pitcher’s circle with 63.1 innings logged.
The sweet-swinging senior lefty was just one of six Trojans named to the all-conference team. Last year, Stephens earned co-G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year status while this year’s selection was outright.
Voted was conducted for the all-conference team by the league’s head coaches.
For the second straight year, Fagan handcuffed offenses to the tune of a 1.29 ERA and 23 wins. She was named G-MAC Pitcher of the Year after collecting six different weekly conference awards throughout the course of the regular season.
The dominant junior will be back in the fold next year after she pitched 185 innings in 30 games. She led the conference in innings pitched, strikeouts (170) and ERA.
Turner burst on to the collegiate scene for the Battlers, leading her team in hitting (.398) and hits (47) while manning the all-important middle infield defensive position at short. She played in 37 of the team's 38 games and had four doubles, four triples and three home runs to go with 28 runs batted in.
The 2015 all-conference was initially revealed at the conference tournament banquet at the Athletes in Action Sports Complex, site of this year’s G-MAC Championship.