Five Alabama Softball Players Earn NFCA All-South Region Accolades
5/17/2018 11:27:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Five Alabama softball players were voted to the 2018 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Region team.
Senior Alexis Osorio and freshman Kaylee Tow earned first-team distinction while sophomores Bailey Hemphill, Elissa Brown and Gabby Callaway placed on the second team.
It is the fourth time in the past five years the Crimson Tide has placed five athletes on the NFCA All-Region team, last doing so in 2016. With three sophomores and one freshman on the list, it is Alabama's largest group of all-region underclassmen since 2015. In total, Alabama has now earned 95 NFCA All-Region awards in its 22-year history, 88 of which have come under head coach Patrick Murphy.
This is the third all-region award of Osorio's career, previously earning first-team honors in 2017 and 2015. She leads the pitching staff with a 2.22 ERA and 13-9 record over 148.1 innings pitched, striking out 203 batters. Her 203 strikeouts ranks fourth in the SEC, while her five saves and .167 opposing batting average also ranked in the top 10.
Tow is one of three freshmen on the All-South Region first team and is the first Tide freshman to earn All-Region distinction since Osorio and Demi Turner in 2015. She was named First Team All-SEC and leads the team with 48 hits, a .350 batting average, 34 runs scored and 35 walks. Her 11 home runs is the fourth-highest total by a Tide freshman and her 31 RBIs is tied for second on the team.
It is the first all-region award for Hemphill, Brown and Callaway. Brown, a Second Team All-SEC honoree, is second on the team with a .345 batting average and 41 hits, swiping a team-leading 26 bases which ranks sixth in the SEC. Hemphill, also a Second Team All-SEC award winner, has slugged a team-leading 12 home runs and 41 RBIs along with 35 walks. Callaway is the fourth Tide batter on the roster with an average above .300, hitting .313 with 41 hits, including a team-leading 10 doubles.
This week, Alabama opens NCAA Tournament play in Tuscaloosa as the No. 12 overall seed facing Middle Tennessee Friday, May 18 at 8:30 p.m. CT.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaSB on Twitter, BamaSB on Instagram and Alabama Softball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
