Charlotte Softball Players Chosen For The NFCA All-Mideast Region Team
The Charlotte softball team had four players named to the NFCA All-Mideast Region team, the organization announced Saturday afternoon. Headlining the honorees was RHP Georgeanna Barefoot and INF Arianna Rodi, both named to the NFCA first team. RHP Sam Gress earned second team honors, while OF Abigail Knight was named third team all-region.
Barefoot had a dominant season in her final year in Charlotte, posting a 14-2 record with a 2.09 ERA. She held opponents to a .205 batting average and had the best K/BB ratio (3.84) and walks per seven innings (1.18) in the American Athletic Conference. The Wake Forest, N.C. native also ranks 13th nationally in appearances with 44 en route to being named the AAC Pitcher of the Year.
Rodi put together a breakout sophomore campaign that saw her hit .353 with 22 homers and 55 RBI. She ranks sixth in Division I in homers and is also top-50 in slugging (.788) and RBI. She had a 29-game on-base streak during the season and became the second CLT player ever to hit 20 homers in a season, joining her former teammate Bailey Vannoy (24 in 2022).
Gress tallied a 2.57 ERA with a 14-9 record to earn second team all-region laurels. She had a .210 opponents’ batting average while collecting 92 strikeouts. The Harrisburg, Pa. product overcame an injury during the middle of the season and was nearly unhittable down the stretch, posting a 6-0 record with a 0.98 ERA from April 17 through the conference tournament where the Niners beat Wichita State to win the American Conference Championship.
In her first season in Charlotte, Knight was a highly productive lead-off hitter, batting .309 while collecting 51 hits, 12 doubles, and 26 RBI. She started all 57 games and did not make a single error in left field (83-for-83 on chances).
The four all-region selections are the most in a single-season in program history. It is also just the third time Charlotte has had multiple first team honorees (2009, 2023). Gress is making her second appearance after being named first team all-region a season ago.
NFCA All-Region athletes are voted for by the coaches in their respective regions or divisions, and ultimately selected by elected All-American committee members to receive the prestigious accolade. These honorees are in the top 1% of student-athletes competing during the 2023-24 season. All special awards are also selected by the All-American committee members or by the entire division.
Charlotte capped off one of the best seasons in program history, making the NCAA Regionals with a 39-18 record. They posted a program-record 16-game winning streak and swept the American Conference regular season and tournament titles.