The Emory University softball team landed six players on the Atlantic All-Region Team as announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA): pitcher Brittany File (Carmel, CA), first baseman Ashley Powers (Fayetteville, GA), second baseman Janelle Turnquest (Austin, TX), outfielder Alyssa Pollard (Knoxville, TN), Melody Carter (Slidell, LA) and Cassie Baca (South Pasadena, CA).
File highlighted the Emory representation with a first-team berth. She has compiled a glittering won-lost record of 33-3 with her victory total leading all of Division III as well as ranking as a school seasonal record. Named the University Athletic Association's Most Valuable Player, she was selected as the Most Outstanding Player at last weekend's NCAA Mount Berry, Georgia Regional. She has tossed 202 1/3 innings and registered an ERA of 1.28 (19th nationally) to go along with a school-record 307 strikeouts, good for the No. 2 spot nationally.
Powers, Turnquest, Pollard and Carter were all chosen to the second team. Powers has seen action in all 48 Emory games, 46 in a starting capacity, and ranks second on the team in batting average with a mark of .417. She is tied with Pollard for the team lead with 58 hits and is third on the squad with 34 RBIs. A starter in 45 of the 46 contests she has played in, Turnquest has socked a team-leading 11 home runs, tying the fifth-highest seasonal mark in school history. The team leader with 18 games of having driven in two or more runs, Turnquest has a team-high 61 RBIs to her credit, placing her third among all D-III players. Pollard, tied with Powers for the team lead with 58 hits, sports a hitting mark of .408. The club's co-leader with 16 multi-hit contests, she has crossed the plate a team-best 50 times, good for a fifth-place tie on the program's seasonal ladder. In addition, Pollard has stolen a team-high 15 bases in as many attempts. Picked as an at-large selection, Carter has drawn starting assignments in 46 of the 47 games she has played in and has hit at a .379 clip. Third on the team with 55 hits she has hit safely two or more times a team-high tying 16 times. She is second on the team's score sheet with 12 doubles and 57 RBIs.
Baca was an at-large pick on the third team. A starter in all 38 games she has played in, she is hitting a team-high .421, with that mark fifth among University Athletic Association performers. The owner of 14 multi-hit games, Baca has hit four home runs and is No. 3 on the club in slugging percentage (.626).
Emory, 43-5 on the season, will host Benedictine University this Friday and Saturday (May 20-21) in the NCAA Super Regional Round of the D-III Championships.