LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the first time in program history, the Catawba Valley Community College softball team has received honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
Five Red Hawk softball players were awarded All-Region accolades from NFCA. A total of 30 players were selected were in three different regions — East, South and Midwest — with 15 earning first-team honors and 15 earning second-team honors.
A total of 84 players from 33 different Division II programs earned recognition from the NFCA.
Two CVCC softball players were named to the NFCA All-Region first team, including third baseman Alleigh Himes and pitcher/utility Cali Hinnant, while shortstop Grace Andrews, outfielder Ashlyn Parsons and pitcher/utility Payton Goble earned NFCA All-Region second team honors.
"I am so happy for and proud of Cali, Alleigh, Payton, Grace and Ashlyn," said CVCC head softball coach Josh Bumgarner. "For them to be recognized like this for their accomplishments and contributions to our team speaks to the kind big-time players each of them are. This is a great day for them, for our program and to be a Red Hawk."
Hinnant, a Kings Fork, Va. native, finished the spring with a 17-8 record in 169.2 innings pitched with a 1.98 ERA. Her 220 strikeouts were the fifth-most in the nation, and she was only one of seven Division II softball players in nation to record 200-plus strikeouts.
At the plate, Hinnant added 49 hits, including a team-high 15 doubles, and 38 RBI.
A Winston-Salem State transfer, Himes finished the spring a team-high 11 home runs — part of 49 hits, including nine doubles and two triples. She drove in 37 runs and scored a team-best 46 bags.
Himes also played stout defensively at the "hot corner," maintaining a .905 fielding percentage with 72 put outs.
Both Hinnant and Himes received All-Region 10 honors for their play on the diamond this season.
A Hillsborough, N.C. native, Andrews finished the 2021 season as the team leader in a number of offensive categories, including a team-best 53 hits and 41 RBI. She also recorded a .442 batting average and a .750 slugging percentage.
Contributing on both the mound and at the plate, Goble recorded a .365 batting average with 42 hits and 26 RBI at the plate. She also pitched in 13 games, recording a 6-3 record with a 2.95 ERA and 33 strikeouts.
The speedy centerfielder Parsons finished her final season as a Red Hawk with a .403 batting average, and she tallied 50 hits, including five home runs, and 25 RBI. CVCC's leadoff hitter also recorded more than half of her teams 60 stolen bases, swiping a program-record 32 this spring.
All five players now await to see if they will receive NFCA All-America honors, which are released on Friday.