NFCA All-Region Teams


The Emory University softball team has placed a total of six players on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's (NFCA) All-Atlantic Region Team. 

Senior pitcher Bridget Holloway (Sparta, IL) highlighted the contingent with a first-team selection, the lone Eagle to earn that distinction.  Senior catcher Jessica Boni (Fuquay Varina, NC) and classmate Jessica Thomas (Springfield, VA) captured second-team recognition while the sophomore trio of Claire Bailey (Henrico, VA), Megan Light (Atlanta, GA) and Sophia Tarte (Tampa, FL) were third-team honorees.

Holloway crafted an outstanding record of 18-2 in the circle this season with her victory total tying for sixth place on the school's seasonal ladder.  She hurled 13 complete games (11^th on the Eagles' seasonal chart) and her ERA of 1.64 placed her fourth among University Athletic Association pitchers and among the nation's top 50.  A First-Team All-UAA selection, she tied her own school record for fewest walks allowed per seven innings with her 0.55 per-game mark placing her fourth nationally.  She finished her career with 61 victories, second all-time at Emory, and she also held down the No. 2 spot on the school's career list for complete games (45) and innings pitched (476).  It marks the second straight that she has been tabbed as a first-team pick and third time in her career that she has earned all-region acclaim.

Boni, a starter in all 39 Emory contests, enjoyed a solid season with a .333 mark at the plate.  She was second on the team with six home runs and her 38 RBIs was second on the squad and fourth among UAA players.  Boni recorded seven multi-hit games and her 11 contests of two or more RBIs were second on the team.  She drew 14 base-on-balls, tying the second-highest total on the club, and she handled all 159 chances behind the plate flawlessly.  A 2012 First Team All-UAA selection, Boni capped off her career figuring prominently in a number of career categories at Emory including RBIs (9^th, 101), doubles (10^th, 30) and homers (t-5^th, 12).

Thomas concluded the season hitting .390, seventh on the UAA ladder, and scored a team-high 35 runs while ranking second with 46 hits.  Thomas led the squad with 15 doubles, sixth on the Eagles' seasonal list, and drove in 28 runs, third on the team's scoresheet.  A First Team All-UAA pick, Thomas posted 11 multi-hit contests and knocked in two or more runs on six occasions.  Career-wise, she ranks first all-time at Emory with 26 home runs and third with 151 RBIs.  She started 159 of the 160 games she saw action, ninth on the school's all-time list, and her 196 hits place her seventh in the school's career listings.  It marked the second straight year that Thomas had captured first team all-region kudos and her fourth berth overall, having been chosen to the second team in 2010 and the third team in 2009.  

 Light appeared in 38 games and was just behind Thomas with a hitting mark of .388, good for the No. 8 position on the UAA chart.  Light topped the squad in at-bats (121), hits (47) and RBIs (39), and her 33 runs scored ranked second.  Light tied for the team lead with 13 multi-hit games and chalked up a team-best 12 contests of two or more RBIs.   Chosen as both the UAA Tournament Most Valuable Player and first team all-league performer, Light set the pace on the team with seven homers, the fourth-highest seasonal effort at Emory, and was second with nine doubles.  After two years with the program, she already is second all-time at Emory with 16 round trippers and 10^th with 100 RBIs.

Bailey, a starter in all 39 games at second base, compiled an impressive hitting mark of .375, 11^th in the league, with her 45 safeties ranking third on the team.  The owner of 12 multi-hit games, Bailey drove in two or more runs on five occasions.  Named to the All-UAA Second Team, she proved to be effective in moving runners along with her 11 sacrifice hits first on the team.  She turned in an 11-game hitting streak (Mar. 14- Apr. 21), the longest by an Emory player during the year, and closed out the regular season hitting safely in 15 of the team's last 16 encounters.

Tarte, a starter in 28 of 32 games, registered a .381 effort at the plate, 10^th in the UAA, and ranked fifth on the team with 28 runs scored and six doubles.  She totaled seven multi-hit games and was third on the squad with seven multiple-RBI outings. 

Emory ended the 2012 season with an overall record of 34-5.