MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Martin Methodist Softball team racked up a bevy of awards Wednesday night at the Southern States Athletic Conference Softball Championship Awards Banquet.
OFFICIAL SSAC RELEASE
The RedHawks saw 10 members of the program receive recognition, ranging from achievements and accomplishments on the diamond as well as those within the community and in the classroom.
Seniors Brittany Bishop and Dharianna Familia earned berths on the league's First Team All-SSAC list, while sophomore Taylor Ferguson claimed a nod on the Second Team All-SSAC squad. Freshman Becky Collins was named to the league's All-Freshman team and senior Courtney Grooms garnered a Gold Glove Team nod.
Bishop earned her First Team All-SSAC nod thanks to a sensational season in the circle for the RedHawks. The senior racked up 24 wins with just four defeats in her 28 starts. Bishop held her opponents to an icy .209 batting average and allowed just 35 earned runs in 187.2 innings of work for a 1.31 earned run average.
Familia, meanwhile, garnered the First Team All-SSAC nod thanks to her performance at the plate in 2016. The senior shortstop led the RedHawks in both batting average (.382) and runs batted in (43). Familia also led the RedHawks with 18 doubles, five triples and six home runs. Familia's doubles and triples also led the conference as a whole and her .701 slugging percentage ranked second in the league.
Ferguson posted a .358 batting average and notched a team-high 64 hits to help cement her Second Team All-SSAC honor. The sophomore also scored a team-high 42 runs and notched 11 extra-base hits.
Collins landed her All-Freshman honor after a standout campaign both in the field and at the plate. Collins appeared in 39 of the RedHawks 55 contests and posted a .315 batting average to go along with a .359 slugging percentage. Collins notched 29 hits and drove in 16 runs on the year.
Grooms earned her Gold Glove nomination thanks to a spotless season in center field for the RedHawks in 2016. The senior started all 55 ballgames for the RedHawks and made 60 putouts in her 64 chances to go along with four outfield assists.
In addition to the RedHawks honored for their on-field talents, the RedHawks also received recognition for achievements in the classroom and the community as seven members of the squad were named to the All-Academic team and Baylee Hammons was honored as the team's Champions of Character representative.
Morgan May, Kate Vanlandingham, Courtney Grooms, Nikki Hodges, Taylor Hurford, Kaycee Hurd, Jazmen Howard and Baylee Hammons all received All-Academic recognition.
SSAC All-Academic honors are given to student-athletes who excel in the classroom. Nominees must have completed two terms of attendance and earned at least 24 semester hours of college level work, have attained a grade point average of 3.25 or higher based on all courses attempted at the current institution and from all previously attended institutions, and be participating in his or her sport during the semester in which the nomination is made.
The RedHawks now shift their attention toward their first ballgame in the SSAC Softball Championship, which begins Thursday morning in Montgomery, Alabama. The RedHawks earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament and are scheduled to meet No. 6 seed Faulkner (Ala.) at 2 p.m.
