STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern junior third baseman Hannah Farrell and sophomore outfielder Mekhia Freeman have been named to the 2018 All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team, announced today in advance of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championships.
The Eagles (28-24) are the seventh seed and open up action in the tournament at 1:30 p.m. ET against sixth-seeded South Alabama (28-25) in a first-round contest at Lawson Park in Lafayette, La., on Wednesday. For the second straight year, Georgia Southern features a pair of All-Conference performers.
Freeman earns second-team honors as an outfielder for a second straight season. The Senoia, Ga., native hit .331 this season with seven doubles, two home runs and 25 RBI. She was also a preseason All-Conference selection in January by the league's coaches. Freeman collected 12 multi-hit games this season and made just one error in 81 chances, starting 50 games in center field for the Eagles. She joins Taylor Rogers (2015-16), Dixie Raley (2016-17) and Emily Snider (2016-17) as two-time All-Sun Belt Conference honorees.
Farrell, meanwhile, earns her first All-Conference honor for the Eagles. The Jesup, Ga., native hit a team-best .333 with 10 doubles, nine home runs and 21 RBI in 2018, with a team-best 13 multi-hit games. She carries an 11-game hitting streak into this week's Sun Belt Conference tournament, and had a penchant for game-winning hits in 2018, delivering a walk-off home run in the seventh to beat Detroit Mercy, 7-5, on March 9th as well as an RBI double in the top of the eighth to give the Eagles their first road win over a nationally-ranked team in 60 tries, defeating No. 22 Louisiana, 3-2, on April 21st.Â
The 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championships begin tomorrow with an 11 am contest between No. 8-seed ULM and No. 5-seed Troy. The Eagles and Jaguars follow at 1:30 p.m. The winner of game one faces No. 4-seed UTA at 4 p.m., then the winner of the Georgia Southern/South Alabama game faces No. 3-seed Georgia State at 6:30 p.m. You can find the complete bracket, including links to live stats and live ESPN+ video, here. The championship game takes place on Saturday, May 12th, at 2 p.m.
