LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For a third year in a row, the Emory & Henry College Softball Team has seen some of its own recognized on the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Atlantic Region Teams. The NFCA is the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
RELATED – NFCA All-Region Teams
Sophomore first baseman Kendall Varner (Bassett, Va.) and freshman left fielder Anna Thomas (Climax, N.C.) were both selected to the All-Atlantic Region Third Team. It marks the second time in three years that the Wasps have earned multiple all-region honors.
Varner makes it back-to-back seasons that Emory & Henry has had an all-region first baseman. The Bassett High School graduate was also an All-ODAC First Team selection, batting .395 with a .493 on-base percentage and a .815 slugging average. She paced the team in runs scored (42) and also led in home runs (12) and extra-base hits (25) as she pounded out 49 hits and 32 RBI from her spot at the top of the lineup. Varner reached base safely in 17 straight games and also had a 10-game hitting streak on the season.
Thomas becomes the first outfielder to earn all-region accolades since Mandy Smith was named All-America in 2003. The 2019 ODAC Rookie of the Year and an all-league second-teamer, Thomas led the team with an even .400 batting average and knocked 15 doubles. She added 46 hits, scored 33 runs with an OPS of 1.023, as she stole 10 bases, drove in 27 runs and led the team with five sacrifices. Thomas had 12 multi-hit games, nine multi-RBI and eight multi-run contests and strung together a seven-game hitting streak early in the season.
Emory & Henry finished the season with a 26-18 record and its second appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament in three years. The Wasps were second in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference regular season with a program-best 14-6 league mark and fourth in the ODAC Tournament.
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