9 Softball Players Earn USA South All-Conference Awards

2022 USA South Softball Awards Announced

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The USA South Athletic Conference has announced its 2022 All-Conference awards for softball. Individually, Piedmont's Rebekah Stegmayer was named Player of the Year while Greensboro's Cheyanne Cox earned Pitcher of the Year honors. The final three individual awards were given to those representing Pfeiffer as Gracie Griffin was named Rookie of the Year, Emma Bullin grabbed Rookie Pitcher of the Year, and Monte Sherrill collected Coach of the Year. Additionally, the USA South recognized an All-Sportsmanship Team, consisting of one member from each competing school.

All nominees were submitted by the institutions and the awards were voted on by the League softball coaches. The divisional team voting was completed only by those coaches in the particular division while the first team all-conference and individual award voting was completed by all coaches.

Stegmayer, a senior outfielder from Lawrenceville, Georgia, becomes the second consecutive Lion to be named USA South Softball Player of the Year. She currently has a .434 batting average, a .515 on-base percentage, and a .522 slugging percentage. Stegmayer leads the League with 35 stolen bases and sits ranked within the top-five of runs scored (38), hits (49), and triples (3). In USA South-only contests, Stegmayer batted .510 with a Conference-best .621 on-base percentage to go along with a .647 slugging percentage. Her 19 stolen bases were a League-high while her three triples were tied for the most in the USA South. For her efforts this season, Stegmayer collects First Team All-Conference and First Team West Division accolades as an outfielder. Finally, Stegmayer was named USA South Player of the Week once this spring.

A senior pitcher from Burlington, North Carolina, Cox becomes the first Pride hurler to be named USA South Softball Pitcher of the Year. She currently has posted a 14-5 record with a League-best 1.33 ERA in 126.2 innings pitched. Cox leads the Conference with nine shutouts while her USA South-best 193 strikeouts rank seventh in all of Division III. Against USA South competition, Cox tied for the League lead with eight wins while compiling a 1.56 ERA and a Conference-leading 110 strikeouts. Cox earns First Team All-Conference and First Team East Division honors as a pitcher in addition to being named USA South Pitcher of the Week three times this spring.

Griffin, a freshman outfielder from Calabash, North Carolina, becomes the first Falcon to earn USA South Softball Rookie of the Year. She currently has amassed a .419 batting average with a .475 on-base percentage and a .648 slugging percentage. Griffin is tied for the League-lead in doubles with 13 and tops all Conference rookies with 43 RBI. Against USA South opposition, Griffin had a .448 batting average with a .500 on-base percentage and a .638 slugging percentage while leading the League rookies with 25 RBI and eight doubles. For her efforts, Griffin collected First Team East Division honors as an outfielder.

A freshman pitcher from Ararat, North Carolina, Bullin becomes the first Falcon to earn USA South Softball Rookie Pitcher of the Year. She has compiled a 6-0 record with a 2.37 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 59.0 innings pitched. In games against USA South opponents, Bullin was 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in 28.1 innings pitched. Finally, Bullin was named USA South Rookie Pitcher of the Week twice this spring.

In his seventh season at Pfeiffer, Sherrill collects his first USA South Coach of the Year honor. He led the Falcons to a 16-2 record in Conference play which earned the program's second consecutive regular season divisional Conference title. Overall, Pfeiffer has posted a 32-8 record and recently was ranked within the national top-25 poll for the first time this season. Sherrill now takes his squad into the USA South tournament as East Division's top seed. 

The 2022 USA South Softball All-Conference Team: