ROCK HILL, S.C. – Properly rewarded for completing one of the most noteworthy regular seasons in program history, the seventh-ranked Lincoln Memorial University softball team was showered with All-South Atlantic Conference accolades on Thursday morning, representing four all-conference 1^st Team members and a pair of 2^nd Team honorees. The Lady Railsplitters' all-league accomplishments don't stop there, however, as sophomore Emma Frost was christened the SAC Pitcher of the Year, second baseman Ty-Kella Goins garnered the SAC Player of the Year nod, and fourth-year Head Coach Ritchie Richardson was selected by conference officials as the SAC Coach of the Year.

Joining Frost and Goins on the all-conference 1^st Team list is the tandem of junior shortstop Sierra Hucklebee and senior designated player/catcher Audrey Petoskey, while first baseman Emma Webb and outfielder Madison Henry landed spots on the all-league 2^nd Team unit. Behind 34 total wins (the highest number of any team in NCAA Division II) alongside their second South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship in a three-year stretch, LMU's all-SAC domination puts a firm exclamation point on what's already been perhaps the most historic season in the history of the program awaiting the league tournament's opening round on Friday afternoon at a neutral site.

Arguably one of the greatest Lady Railsplitter softball performers of all-time, Goins has been chosen for all-SAC recognition for the fourth time in her illustrious career, saving the best for last as a graduate by earning the league's prestigious Player of the Year award. A staple throughout 135 victories and counting since 2017 (one year prior to Coach Richardson's arrival), Goins' remarkable blue and gray tenure includes a spot in the top five across nine different statistical categories in school history, planting a top ten placement in 13 categories altogether. A native of Ramseur, N.C., Ty-Kella became the all-time program record holder for most runs scored in a career with 198 approaching the SAC Tournament. Among a novel of accomplishments over the course of her five-year tenure in Harrogate, Goins currently ranks second in school history in hits (262) and doubles (61), placing third in RBI (142) and fourth in career batting average (.384). Starting 201 of 203 games with the Lady Railsplitters, Ty-Kella earns the SAC Player of the Year award thanks to a .380 BA in 2021, alongside 52 hits, 46 runs, and 14 doubles, all of which are the highest totals on the roster. Behind 38 RBI and a .664 slugging percentage, Goins' 73 putouts and 30 assists at the second base position have aided LMU to one of the most highly-touted defensive infields in the country, holding a fielding percentage of .981. One of three different LMU players to have been named a D2CCA All-America recipient, the superstar 2B has begun her final chapter donning the blue and gray in spectacular fashion by being named the best the conference has to offer.

Completing possibly the most efficient sophomore campaign in the circle that Lincoln Memorial softball has ever seen, Lady Railsplitter ace Emma Frost was tabbed the league's Pitcher of the Year thanks to a fearsome 2021 that saw 140 strikeouts in just 123.2 innings of work. Compiling a conference-best individual record of 16-2 this semester, Frost's 2.09 ERA and opposing batting average limitation of .197 has helped guide the blue and gray to eight consecutive weeks in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association top ten rankings, walking only 24 of 442 batters faced since early February. Retiring at least seven batters on 12 separate occasions in 2021, Frost tallied a career-best in K's on two different dates this season, setting a new personal high in a perfect game vs. Mars Hill on March 17^th, in which the Morristown, Tenn. product canned 12 players on zero hits, runs, or walks allowed to feature the highest number of strikeouts in a five-inning bout in the history of the program. A two-time conference Pitcher of the Week standout this spring and one of the brightest stars on a roster full of them, Frost becomes the first Lady Railsplitter to be named the SAC Pitcher of the Year in just her second season with the university.

One of two Lincoln Memorial seniors next to Goins, Petoskey became the third all-conference selection to snag a spot on the 1^st Team list thanks to her team-high slugging percentage of .773 along with 43 RBI, also the highest figure on the roster. Tallying 40 hits, nine doubles, and 12 home runs in 2021 (standing just four HR's away from matching the most in a single year among any LMU player ever), Petoskey's career slugging clip of .678 ties the Highland, Michigan native for second place in school history. Launching 26 homers over her four-year tenure in Harrogate, the DP/catcher wrangled in at least three RBI on seven different occasions this year, including a career-best six runs-batted-in vs. Davenport on February 20^th. Registering two hits or more eight different times this semester, Petoskey has gathered a reputation of one of the most dangerous LMU batters in recent memory, now with an All-South Atlantic Conference 1^st Team membership to prove that claim.

Two years removed from snagging the SAC Freshman of the Year award, shortstop Sierra Hucklebee lands an all-league 1^st Team spot for the first time in her career thanks to her most efficient offensive season thus far. A nearby native of Knoxville, Tenn., Hucklebee's .379 batting average stands firmly in third place on a lethal LMU roster, also ranking third on the team in hits and doubles with 50 and 11 respectively, behind 32 RBI. Second only to Goins in runs scored with 40 this year, Sierra's defensive statistics rival her consistent numbers at the plate, possessing a .984 fielding percentage with 72 assists on 49 putouts. Just outside the top five in school history for a total slugging percentage of .626, Hucklebee managed at least two hits in 15 different appearances this spring, blasting three long-balls to bring her career home run total up to 16. One of five Lady Railsplitters to start all 39 games entering the postseason, Hucklebee stands as one of seven players on the roster to have a perfect stolen-base collection this semester, lauded an all-SAC 1^st Team member for her efforts as a junior.

Barely missing out on a 1^st Team plaque despite her reputation as one of the most consistent players on both sides of the field for the blue and gray, first baseman Emma Webb stands as the fifth Lady Railsplitter to be honored by the conference on Thursday with a 2^nd Team nod. The team-leader in collective batting average at .402 in 2021, Webb's .476 on-base percentage, 51 hits, 13 doubles, and 34 RBI have proved among the most valuable statistics to Coach Richardson's squad while proving just as formidable when on defense. Making the switch from third base to first after her sophomore campaign, the Knoxville, Tenn. product has completed her second season in a row with a flawless fielding percentage of 1.000, hauling in 185 putouts without a single error accredited to her. Accumulating 13 performances of at least two RBI this year while producing two or more hits 17 different times, Webb's status as the team's go-to cleanup hitter has never wavered this spring during another stellar regular season showing.

Rounding out the Lady Railsplitters' impeccable list of All-South Atlantic Conference honorees this season, sophomore Madison Henry joins the party for her first career all-league placement on the 2^nd Team list along with Webb. Stepping up to a major role from her freshman stint by primarily batting second in the order, Henry gathered 26 hits on 25 runs scored while possessing an on-base percentage of .447. Recording seven outings of at least two hits despite missing some playing time due to COVID-19 contact tracing issues, the Louisville, Tenn. native witnessed her best performance to date at Lee University back in February, swinging her first collegiate home run on a career-high four RBI. Another defensive workhorse among a roster known for its sturdy work in the outfield, Henry's .963 fielding percentage on 24 putouts has helped LMU reach a win total just four away from mirroring the most for a single year in program history.

Among the six players recognized under All-SAC esteem including Coach Richardson's league Coach of the Year accolade, the Lady Railsplitters were chosen as one of eight teams under consideration in Wednesday night's NCAA Division II Southeast Regional criteria along with three other South Atlantic Conference representatives. An official ranking of those teams under consideration will be unveiled in two weeks, although LMU's attention lies for this weekend in the form of the SAC Tournament, to begin on Friday afternoon versus UVA-Wise in the round of eight.

Taking place at host institution Tusculum over the weekend, the top-seeded Lady Railsplitters will meet the eighth-seeded Cavaliers for the fifth time this spring, having swept UVA Wise on two different dates at Dorothy Neely Field, albeit with more resistance the second time around. The schedule for the semifinals and championship rounds of the SAC tourney are currently both slated for Saturday afternoon, although the conference has placed a contingency plan for a possible postponement date of Sunday should high chances of precipitation come to fruition. First pitch against the Cavs is set for 1:30 p.m. on Friday in Greeneville, Tennessee.

The full list of Thursday's all-conference receivers can be found below:
 
2021 SAC Softball All-Conference
 
All-SAC First Team
OF – Savannah Moorefield, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF – McKenzie Barneycastle, Newberry
OF – Sydney Goertzen, Catawba
1B – Kayson Boatner, Anderson
2B – Ty-Kella Goins, Lincoln Memorial
SS – Sierra Hucklebee, Lincoln Memorial
3B – Heaven Maness, Wingate
DP – Audrey Petoskey, Lincoln Memorial
UTL/Non-P – Kylee Leonhardt, Lenoir-Rhyne
UTL/P – Aubrey Reep, Wingate
C – Katie Russell, UVA Wise
P – Emma Frost, Lincoln Memorial
P – Harlie Duncan, Anderson
 
All-SAC Second Team
OF – Macey Hughes, Carson-Newman
OF – Madison Henry, Lincoln Memorial
OF – Matti Cantrell, Anderson
1B – Emma Webb, Lincoln Memorial
2B – Katie Wilbur, Limestone
SS – Jordan Dean, Catawba
3B – Hannah Towery, Newberry
DP – McKenna Falwell, UVA Wise
UTL/Non-P – Carlee Brawley, Catawba
UTL/P – Lacie Rinus, Carson-Newman
C – KaraLynne Levi, Carson-Newman
P – Morgan Beeler, Lenoir-Rhyne
P – Alexandrea Sullivan, Newberry
 
Honorable Mentions
OF – Kelsi Scott, Coker
OF – Anna Alloway, Tusculum
OF – Paige Meyer, Newberry
1B – Haley Simonds, Newberry
2B – Sarah Barrett, UVA Wise
SS – Leah Sohm, Carson-Newman
3B – Ashley Evans, Mars Hill
DP – Hailey Hill, Newberry
UTL/Non-P – Ashley Parnell, Limestone
UTL/P – Lauren Rakes, Lenoir-Rhyne
C – Mikayla Goodwin, Coker
P – Madison Hunter, Catawba
P – Marissa Adame, Mars Hill
 
Freshman of the Year
Heaven Maness, Wingate
 
Player of the Year
Ty-Kella Goins, Lincoln Memorial
 
Pitcher of the Year
Emma Frost, Lincoln Memorial
 
Coach of the Year
Ritchie Richardson, Lincoln Memorial
 
How to Follow
 
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms —@LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram — for more LMU softball coverage across the 2021 season.