Softball | 5/10/2016 9:23:00 PM

MOBILE, Ala. – Three Georgia Southern softball players have earned all-conference honors as voted on by the Sun Belt Conference coaches. Freshman Dixie Raley was named the league's Freshman of the Year as well as an All-Sun Belt Conference First-Team selection and juniors Emily Snider and Taylor Rogers were both named to the All-SBC Second Team.
 
The three all-conference awards as well as academic awards from the 2014-15 academic year were handed out during a special portion of Family Night on Jaguar Softball Field Tuesday night. A.J. Hamilton, Morgan Robinson, Kierra Camp and Haley Carter earned Honor Roll recognition for maintaining a 3.0-3.49 GPA last season. Snider, Heather Felt, Lydia Witkowski, Michelle Mazur and Alesha Mann all made the Commissioner's List for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher in 2015.
 
The entire Georgia Southern softball team and head coach Annie Smith were also presented with an award for maintaining a team GPA of 3.0 or higher last season.
 
A true freshman who has made 42 appearances in the circle this season for the Eagles, Raley is the eighth conference freshman of the year in Georgia Southern history and first as a member of the Sun Belt. She has amassed 22 wins, which ranks tied for second in the conference and has her in the top-five nationally for wins by a freshman. She entered the final weekend of the regular-season tied for 12^th in the nation for wins and her 33 starts on the year has her currently tied for third in GS history for starts in a single season. On the year, the Milledgeville, Georgia, native has five shutouts, including one over No. 8 UL Lafayette, and she has served up three complete-game, one-hitters to go along with three saves. Raley boasts a 3.37 ERA with 177 strikeouts in 195 innings of work and her 177 batters struck out is currently sixth in program history for strikeouts in a single season. She has held opponents to a .228 batting average. Her 22 wins is second in program history for wins in single season and sets the program record for wins by freshman.
 
Snider is currently batting .302 in 2016, but that goes up to .303 against teams ranked in the top-75 of the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) and .375 in conference play. Her .375 batting average against Sun Belt Conference foes has her seventh in the league. She has 20 hits against top-75 RPI teams and she slugged .667 during the regular-season against league foes, eighth-best in the league. On the year, the Tennile, Georgia, native has collected three sacrifice flies and three sac bunts in conference action and those have her tied for first and seventh in the league, respectively. So far this season, she has recorded 14 multi-hit games and four of her six game-winning runs came in league action. She also has three game-winning hits on the season and four of her eight total multi-RBI games have been against SBC foes. Currently, Snider ranks ninth all-time in program history with 92 career runs scored.
 
A 2016 Preseason All-SBC honoree, Rogers has been named a Second-Team All-SBC selection for the second-straight year. She is currently batting .294 for the year, but that number went up to .329 in conference action and she has batted .282 against teams inside the top-75 of the RPI. As the Eagles' designated player in 14 conference games, Rogers' batting average is .268 (11-41) with nine runs scored. Six of her 11 multi-hit games have come in league games and she has scored multiple runs in seven total games, four SBC contests. A native of Dacula, Georgia, Rogers has scored four game-winning runs in conference action and six total on the year, and she has one game-winning hit.
 
The Georgia Southern softball team will open play in the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Wednesday, May 11 as the No. 5 seed in the eight-team tournament. The Eagles will begin the tourney against the No. 8 seed UL Monroe in the first game of the week at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT). The 2016 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship will be played at Jaguar Field in Mobile Alabama, and hosted by the University of South Alabama.
 
Sun Belt All-Conference First Team
Dixie Raley (Georgia Southern, Freshman, P, Exercise Science)
Alex  Stewart (UL Lafayette, Junior, P, Mathematics and Economics)
Devin Brown (South Alabama, Sophomore, P, Graphic Design)
Randi Rupp (Texas State, Sophomore, P, Management)
Lexie Elkins (UL Lafayette, Senior, C, General Studies)
Amye Barre (UL Monroe, Senior, 1B, History)
Kaleigh Todd (South Alabama, Sophomore, 2B, Education)
Sandra Mendoza (UT Arlington, Sophomore, 2B, Exercise Science)
DJ Sanders (UL Lafayette, Sophomore, SS, Biology)
Emily Messer (South Alabama, Senior, 3B, Exercise Science)
Aleah Craighton (UL Lafayette, Sophomore, OF, Biology)
Shellie Landry (UL Lafayette, Senior, OF, Exercise Science)
Rochelle Roberts (UL Monroe, Junior, OF, Psychology)
Hannah Day (Troy, Senior, OF, Exercise Science)
Sara Corbello (UL Lafayette, Senior, DP, Public Relations)
 
Sun Belt All-Conference Second Team
Katie Worley (Georgia State, Senior, P, Health and Physical Education)
Samantha Clakley (UT Arlington, Freshman, P, Exercise Science)
Ivie Drake (Georgia State, Sophomore, C, Early Childhood Education)
Stephanie Pilkington (South Alabama, Senior, C, Criminal Justice)
Mandy Blackwell (Georgia State, Junior, 1B, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Haley Hayden (UL Lafayette, Junior, 2B, Exercise Science)
Kate Benton (Troy, Senior, 2B, Physical Education)
Taylor Anderson (Georgia State, Senior, SS, Biological Science)
Corrina Liscano (Texas State, Junior, Third Base, Criminal Justice)
Emily Snider (Georgia Southern, Junior, OF, Accounting)
Haleigh Lane (South Alabama, Freshman, OF, Pre-Physical Therapy)
Haleigh Lowe (South Alabama, Sophomore, OF, Education)
Krista Rude (UT Arlington, Freshman, OF, Education)
Taylor Webb (Texas State, Sophomore, Outfield, Exercise and Sports Science)
Taylor Rogers (Georgia Southern, Junior, DP, General Studies)
 
Student-Athlete of the Year: Lexie Elkins, UL Lafayette
Pitcher of the Year: Alex  Stewart, UL Lafayette
Freshman of the Year: Dixie Raley, Georgia Southern
Coach of the Year: Michael Loteif, UL Lafayette
 
 
 
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