The Emory University softball program has placed five players on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's (NFCA) All-Atlantic Region Team.
Senior first baseman Megan Light (Atlanta, GA) and sophomore third baseman Hannah Sendel (Greenwood Village, CO) both garnered first-team recognition while senior Amanda Kardys (Union, NJ) was chosen to the second team. Rounding out the group with third-team nods were senior Ally Kersthold (San Luis Obispo, CA) and junior Micah Scharff (St. Louis, MO).
Light, a starter in all 44 contests she has seen action this year, has enjoyed a an outstanding season at the plate, hitting a team-high .468 (65-139) with that mark placing her first among University Athletic Association players and 46th nationally in the D-III ranks. Named the Most Outstanding Player of the Atlanta NCAA Regional this past weekend, Light has socked a school-season record 18 home runs, slotting her in the No. 2 spot nationally, and has driven in 64 runs, good for another seasonal standard in the Eagles' record book. The team leader with 21 multi-hit contests, Light holds down the No. 3 position in the D-III ranks with a 1.000 slugging percentage. Named the University Athletic Association's Most Valuable Player for the third time in her career, she has scored 54 runs, tops in the league. This marks Light's fourth berth to the all-region squad and third first-team nod.
Sendel has been a potent bat in the formidable Eagle offense, and heads into this weekend's Atlanta Super Regional hitting at a .407 clip (57-of-140), good for the No. 8 spot on the conference chart. Sendel has swatted 14 home runs this year, ninth in D-III and good for the No. 2 position on Emory's seasonal ladder. Another Eagle named to the Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team this past weekend, she is second in the conference with 57 RBIs and her 57 hits are fifth.
Kardys has been both the ace and workhorse of the Eagles' pitching staff, crafting an outstanding record of 27-1 with her victory total a school record. She has hurled a league-high 180 2/3 innings, tying the second-highest effort in school history, and struck out 87 batters. Kardys has15 complete games to her credit in 30 starting assignments and has thrown seven shutouts. She came through with a two hit, complete-game gem in last Sunday's 6-1 win over Piedmont that gave Emory the Atlanta Regional crown. It marks the second straight season that Kardys has earned an all-region berth.
Kersthold, one of two players to have started all 46 games, owns a .342 hitting mark (51-of-149) and has driven in 31 runs. Named to the NCAA Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team, Kersthold has produced 13 contests of two or more hits and driven in two or more runs on eight occasions. Her conference-leading 22 doubles is a program seasonal record and tied for the No. 6 position on Emory's all-time list in that category. It is the second time in her career that Kersthold has been chosen to the all-region team.
A starter in 39 games, Scharff is currently hitting at a .325 clip (40-of-123) and is third on the team with 41 RBIs and fourth with 10 doubles. Most recently, she was named to the Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team after hitting .364 with two RBIs, one of which was a two-out double in the top of the seventh inning that scored Alyssa Pollard with the game-winning run and capped a three-run frame in a 13-12 triumph over Piedmont. She has produced 12 multi-hit contests and 10 games of two or more RBIs.
Emory, 39-7 on the year, will host Trine University (41-4) in the NCAA Atlanta Super Regional this Friday and Saturday (May 16-17).