Softball | 4/16/2015 1:43:00 PM
Live Stats at Sam Houston StateABILENE - Abilene Christian's stellar five-tool shortstop
Peyton Hedrick Thursday was announced as one of 25 finalists for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Freshman of the Year award.
The Forney, Texas native is on the short list alongside Southeastern Louisiana shortstop Sydney Booker and McNeese catcher Erika Piancastelli in addition to talents from nationally ranked programs such as Oregon, Florida and LSU.
"Opposing coaches tell me all the time how unbelievable an athlete Peyton is and how they don't know how to pitch to her," said head coach
Bobby Reeves. "And even with me and all the years I've been coaching I never had a freshman come in and do what's she's done. She's the total package and a great team player on top of all that."
Hedrick hasn't missed a start through 38 games this season during which she's produced a .466 batting average to go along with nine home runs and 35 RBI. Twenty-two of her 55 base hits have gone for extra-bases, giving her a slugging percentage of .839, and just this past weekend she tied a program single-game record with two home runs vs. Stephen F. Austin.
Additional single-game highs for Hedrick include four hits vs. SFA and Cleveland State and two doubles vs. North Texas. Her batting average with runners on base is a stout .431 as 15 of her 35 RBI have come with two outs, and even more impressive is the fact she's only struck out four times through 55 conference at-bats.
Hedrick's speed around the base paths have garnered her four triples, three of which came in a single game vs. Hardin-Simmons, in addition to 10 stolen bases on 11 attempts. And in the field she's only been charged with two errors since the start of Southland play (.969 fielding percentage).
The Wildcats (9-29, 3-15 SLC) have only three weekends (nine games) left to play, starting with this weekend's conference series at Sam Houston State (13-24, 4-12 SLC). Because of rain in the forecast, Friday's doubleheader has been moved up to an 11 a.m. start while Saturday's single game remains slated for 3 p.m.
Sam Houston enters the series with a four-game winning streak. The Bearkats defeated Houston 2-0 in a non-conference game a week ago Wednesday, took two from Houston Baptist on the road Saturday by scores of 5-2 and 8-1 and edged Texas Southern 6-5 in an 11-inning duel Wednesday night.
Sarah Allison has the hottest bat for the Bearkats, coming into Friday's game on a seven-game hitting streak. Allison ripped a walk-off run-scoring single up the middle for the game winning hit in the 11th against the TSU Tigers.
Third baseman Peyton Webb and second baseman Dani Allen boast batting averages of .318 and .310, respectively, to lead Sam Houston at the plate for the season.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, are looking to put last weekend behind them after they lost three straight at home to SFA by scores of 12-4, 14-13 and 14-7.
The ACU offense collectively produced 24 runs and batted .333 with five home runs, but couldn't keep up with a Ladyjack lineup that counted 10 home runs among its 43 hits.
Hedrick hit .600 (6-for-10) vs. SFA with six runs and five RBI to lead the Wildcats, while fellow starters
Baylee Travers (.500),
Alyson Bishoff (.455),
Holly Neese (.417) and
Kaleigh Singleton (.400) all batted above .400.
Travers' home run in game three was the first of her collegiate career. Neese hit home run No. 5 against the Ladyjacks and Bishoff delivered her third as part of a six-RBI weekend.
Information from GoBearkats.com was used in this release.
NFCA FOY 25 Finalists (alphabetical order)Sydney Booker - SE Louisiana
Daniella Chavez- Kansas
Zoe Conley - Cal State Northridge
Baylee Douglass - SIUE
Ivie Drake - Georgia State
Cortni Emmanuel - Georgia
Megan Good - JMU
Meghan Gregg - Tennessee
Peyton Hedrick - Abilene Christian Carley Hoover - LSU
Jazmyn Jackson - California
Jenna Lilley - Oregon
Aleshia Ocasio - Florida
Ariel Ortiz - Texas State
Paige Parker - Oklahoma
Alexis Osorio - Alabama
Danielle Parlich - Minnesota
Erika Piancastelli - McNeese
Krystal Puga - St. John's
Demi Turner - Alabama
Taylor Van Zee - Washington
Tori Vidales - Texas A&M
Allie Walljasper - LSU
Jessica Warren - Florida State
Taylor Wike - North Carolina
