2018 All-Association Softball Team
Six members of the Emory University softball squad have been selected to the 2018 All-University Athletic Association Team. The all-league honorees were chosen by the conference coaches based on their entire play this season.
The Eagles of head coach Penny Siqueiros placed three players on the first team and three on the second team.
Freshman pitcher Jacqueline Spizizen (West Bloomfield, MI) highlighted the Emory contingent with a first-team nod as well as being tabbed as both Pitcher and Rookie of the Year. Spizizen has registered a won-lost mark of 16-5 with her victory total topping the UAA, ranking 31st nationally and tied for the No. 15 position on the program's all-time season ladder. She owns the best ERA in the league and is 33rd among all D-III hurlers with a mark of 1.43. Named the UAA Pitcher of the Week on five occasions this year, she leads the conference and is 21st nationally with six solo shutouts. She has struck out 135 opposing hitters, second in the UAA, and her average of 7.7 strikeouts per seven innings places her second in the loop. She is the 11th player in program history to be afforded UAA Rookie of the Year honors.
Junior outfielder Jenna Wilson (Malvern, PA) garnered her initial first-team berth, bouncing back from an injury-shortened 2017 campaign to lead the squad with a .456 hitting mark (47-103), good for second place in the UAA. Wilson, who has delivered a team-high 15 multi-hit contests this year, posts a team-high .477 on-base percentage, with that mark ranking third on the UAA chart. A starter in 33 of the 38 games she has seen action in, she is first on the club and second in the conference with 20 stolen bases (20 atts.), currently tied for the No. 3 spot on the program's seasonal list.
Junior shortstop Cassie Baca (South Pasadena, CA), the lynchpin of the Eagles' infield, rounded out the program's first-team honorees. One of three players to have appeared in all 38 games (37 as a starter), Baca has produced a team-high 22 RBIs and is tied for the team lead with five multi-RBI outings. Baca figures prominently on the squad in a number of offensive categories including first in at-bats (116), tied for second in doubles (5), third in hits (35) and second in walks (10). She is hitting .302 (35-of-116) and has eight performances of two or more hits to her credit.
Emory's three representatives on the second team were senior outfielder Sarah Flanders (Peachtree City, GA), sophomore infielder Jessy McLean (Matlacha, FL) and sophomore catcher Greta Wilker (Belding, MI).
Flanders has enjoyed a fine season, registering a .315 showing at the plate with 23 hits in 73 plate appearances. Named the UAA Hitter of the Week on two occasions this year, (Apr. 30 & Feb. 12), she is third on the team with 17 runs scored, has socked four doubles and is seven-for-seven in stolen bases.
McLean has seen action in all 38 games, 37 as a starter, and holds down the No. 2 spot on the club and is ninth among UAA players in batting average at .362, collecting 38 hits (second on the team) in 105 trips to the plate. Tied for the team lead with 20 runs scored, McLean has stroked a team-high nine two-baggers (sixth on the UAA ladder), and she is tied for second on the squad's score sheet with 19 RBIs. She has totaled 11 multi-hit efforts and is tied for first on the club with five multi-RBI contests.
Wilker, a starter in 31 of 34 games, is hitting .275 (25-of-91) and is tied with McLean for the team lead with 20 runs scored. She has come through with five doubles and has smashed a pair of home runs. Wilker has recorded seven multi-hit contests and has driven in two or more runs a team-high tying five times.
Emory finished off the regular season with an overall record of 28-10 and captured the league title with a dominating 15-1 record. The Eagles will host the NCAA D-III Atlanta Regional this weekend (May 11-13), and will open the postseason on Friday at 2:30 pm against Maryville College.