Record-High Charlotte Softball Honorees On All-Conference Teams
The Charlotte softball team had seven players named to the American Athletic All-Conference teams this year, the league office announced Tuesday morning.
Headlining the honorees is RHP Georgeanna Barefoot, who was named the league’s Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference, while catcher Lexi Winters was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Infielders Arianna Rodi and Ella Chancey were named First Team All-Conference selections, while RHP Sam Gress and INF Cori Hoffler earned Second Team honors. Freshman OF Olivia Williams was tabbed to the All-Rookie team, giving the Niners seven all-conference representatives, the most in school history.
Barefoot was dominant in her senior season, posting a 12-2 record with a 2.27 ERA. She held opponents to a .212 batting average all while ranking seventh in the country in appearances with 39.
Behind the plate, Winters allowed just 18 stolen bases all season, and only one in conference play. As a team, the Niners tied for the 14th-fewest stolen bags allowed in Division I (20) and by far the fewest in The American (three).
On the All-AAC First Team, Rodi put together a breakout sophomore campaign. The first baseman from Cranston, R.I. hit .357 while mashing 19 homers and 47 RBI. Her home run total ranks eighth nationally and second in the single-season school records. She also ranks top-50 in slugging (.764) and total bases (120).
Chancey ended the year hitting .310 with six homers and 38 RBI. In conference games, she finished fifth in batting average (.388), second in hits (33), and tied for fourth in RBI (26). The Athens, Ga. product also stole seven bags.
Earning second team all-conference honors was Hoffler, who led the team with 39 runs and posted a .443 on-base percentage, the highest of her career. The fifth-year senior also chipped in 25 walks, six steals, and 25 RBI. On April 28 against UAB, Hoffler set the program record for games played with 238.
Gress, another second team selection, continued her dominant ways in the circle. The Harrisburg, Pa. native went 13-8 with a 2.30 ERA in 106 ⅔ innings of work. She had 80 strikeouts to just 28 walks, holding opponents to a .208 batting average. Gress was nearly unhittable in the back half of the season, allowing just five earned runs over her last 36 innings for a 0.97 ERA.
On the all-rookie team, Williams was a spark plug for the Niners, batting .300 with 19 RBI in 48 games. She also led the team with 10 stolen bases in as many attempts. Williams had a penchant for hitting in clutch situations, batting .370 with 14 RBI in 27 at-bats when coming off the bench.
The seven all-conference award winners are the second-most in The American behind only Florida Atlantic (eight). The Niners broke their previous record of six all-conference honorees set in 2006.
Charlotte had a historic regular season, winning 36 games which marked the program’s most since 2010. They also set a school record with 21 conference victories. CLT ended the year on a program-best 14 game winning streak and clinched a share of the American Conference regular season championship in their debut season in the league.