NEWBERRY – Five Newberry College softball players have been named to all-South Atlantic Conference teams: Hailey Drawe, Haley Simonds and Devon Morrison earned first team all-conference honors, while Christina Linton and Natalie Willis earned second team all-conference selections.
Hailey Drawe, a senior from Spring Hill, Fla., earns first team all-SAC honors for the first time in her career. Drawe recorded a .338 batting average, 27 RBIs and 30 runs scored. She also ranked fourth in the South Atlantic Conference in triples (4) and third in assists. Drawe had 13 multiple hit games and an eight-game hitting streak.
Haley Simonds, a freshman from Pasadena, Md., earns first team all-SAC honors at the designated player position. Simonds finished third in the SAC in home runs (11), slugging percentage (.752) and sixth in on-base percentage (.486). Simonds compiled a .397 batting average, a team-leading 48 RBIs and 12 multiple hit games.
Devon Morrison, a senior from Tampa, Fla., earns first team all-SAC honors for the first time after the best season of her Newberry career. Morrison notched an 18-5 overall record and a 1.95 earned run average, and ranks third in the SAC in wins, complete games (18) and shutouts (6). She also notched 102 strikeouts and a .220 batting average against in 150.2 innings pitched. Morrison’s 1.95 ERA is good for fourth in the SAC.
Christina Linton, a senior from Odessa, Fla., received second team all-SAC honors for the second consecutive season. Linton started all 45 games in the outfield, recording a .338 batting average, 23 RBIs and 29 runs scored. The senior was second on the team with six home runs. Linton had seven multiple hit games and finished eighth during SAC play in walks (11).
Natalie Willis, a sophomore from Lexington, was honored with second team all-SAC after receiving honorable mention last season. Willis finished fourth in the SAC in batting average (.418) and fifth in hits (64). She led the team with 11 doubles and 12 stolen bases, and recorded a .995 fielding percentage. Willis led the team with 19 multiple hit games.
Newberry will face No. 6 Wingateon Thursday at 10 a.m. in the opening round of the 2017 SAC Championship in Hartsville.
