LYNCHBURG, Va. – Two Emory & Henry College softball players have been named to the 2013 VaSID All-State College Division Softball Second Team, VaSID officials announced Monday. Freshman third baseman Hannah Bays (Abingdon, Va.) and senior catcher Ashley Ebersole (Maurertown, Va.) pick up all-state honors to go along with their long list of accomplishments from the 2013 season.
Bays adds All-State honors to her All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference First Team and NFCA All-Atlantic Region Third Team accolades. She became the first Wasp to be named all-region since 2004 and the first All-ODAC First-Teamer since 2005.
The Abingdon High School product had a stellar season this spring, as she led E&H in home runs (12) and RBI (49) while finishing second on the team in batting (.336), hits (38), doubles (eight) and at bats (113). Her dozen round-trippers set a new Emory & Henry single-season record.
Ebersole picks up accolades from VaSID after earning All-ODAC Second Team honors in April. She was also named ODAC Player of the Week on March 11, the first E&H player to do so since 2008. She led the Wasps in batting (.363), runs scored (41), hits (41) and walks drawn (17). Ebersole's 11 home runs, 31 RBI and eight doubles were good for second on the team.
Midway through the season, Ebersole became the first-ever Emory & Henry player to hit 10 home runs during a season. Her 11th home run in the final doubleheader of the year gave her 22 career homers, tying the school record.
E&H finished the 2013 season with a 12-26 overall record and a 4-16 mark in ODAC play. Despite a young squad where many freshmen and sophomores were called upon to play substantial innings, the Wasps showed great improvement as a team in many areas, including batting, on base percentage, and fielding.
The VaSID All-State teams are selected by sports information directors of member institutions of the Virginia Sports Information Directors across the Commonwealth of Virginia. VaSID, founded in 1983, selects teams in two divisions (University and College) for 12 sports and three single-division teams in addition to Academic All-State teams across all sports.
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2013 VaSID College Division All-State Softball Teams
First Team
P – MacKenzie Creech, Jr., Virginia Wesleyan
P – Micalah Sacre, So., Virginia Intermont
C – Madison Gilman, Fr., Randolph-Macon
1B – Sabrina Hill, So., Chistopher Newport
2B – Kelly Keys, Jr., Virginia Wesleyan
3B – Hannah McCloud, Fr., Virginia Intermont
SS – Sharese Jarvis, So., Randolph-Macon
OF – Tori Higginbotham, Jr., Virginia Wesleyan
OF – Kelley Foate, Jr., Christopher Newport
OF – Leona Rainey, Sr., Roanoke
DP/UT – Courtney Allman, Sr., Eastern Mennonite
Second Team
P – Kaitlyn Culler, Sr., Ferrum
P – Heather Lewis, Sr., Randolph-Macon
C – Ashley Ebersole, Sr., Emory & Henry
1B – Alea Bier, Sr., Roanoke
2B – Melanie Tenney, Jr., Lynchburg
3B – Hannah Bays, Fr., Emory & Henry
SS – Taylor Dix, Fr., Averett
OF – Kimberly Brady, Fr., Shenandoah
OF – Krystle Brenneman, Sr., Virginia Intermont
OF – Kristina McLaughlin, Jr., Christopher Newport
DP/UT – Lindsey Inzana, Jr., Virginia Wesleyan
VaSID Player of the Year – Tori Higginbotham, Jr., Virginia Wesleyan
VaSID Pitcher of the Year – MacKenzie Creech, Jr., Virginia Wesleyan
VaSID Rookie of the Year – Hannah McCloud, Fr., Virginia Intermont
VaSID Coach of the Year – Brandon Elliott, Virginia Wesleyan
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