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Six Softball Players Named NCCSIA All-State
June 10, 2019 | Softball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb softball program had six student-athletes named All-State by the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) on Monday afternoon.
Autumn Owen (catcher) and Kaylee Wacaster (outfielder) represented Gardner-Webb as First-Team All-State players, while Weslyn Almond (infielder), Andria Booth (outfielder), Brooke Perry (pitcher) and Jenna Wacaster (infielder) were named Second-Team All-State. Sports information directors from the state of North Carolina nominated and voted on student-athletes.
Owen (Mill Spring, N.C. / Polk County HS) added to her already impressive list of honors with First-Team All-State recognition. The freshman catcher was previously named a National Fast Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Mid Atlantic Region First-Team member. Additionally, she was named the Big South Conference Freshman of the Year. While she received an "of the year" honor from the league, she was also a Big South First-Team and All-Freshman member. She hit .384 with 28 extra base hits (13 home runs) and 50 RBI.
K. Wacaster (Shelby, N.C. / Crest HS) ended her Gardner-Webb career as one of the most storied players in program history. Following a senior season that saw her hit .354 with 17 extra base hits including seven doubles and triples, Wacaster is the Gardner-Webb career leader in six statically categories. She leads the program with 148 runs scored, 45 doubles, 13 triples, 72 extra base hits, 89 walks and 128 runs batted in.
As a senior, the Shelby, N.C. native played in 52 games and batted in 39 runs. She finished the season with two or more RBI in 12 games and had five three-hit games and a pair of four-hit contests.
Almond (Ablemarle, N.C. / North Stanly HS) appeared in 48 games and was one of four players to hit above .300 as she hit .336 in her sophomore year with 14 extra base hits, including nine doubles. She had 12 multi-hit games with five coming in the final nine contests of the season. Almond batted in 24 runs while scoring 29 of her own. She was second on the team with an OPS of .998. In the Big South Conference, she ranked fifth in on-base percentage (0.453).
Booth (Dacula, Ga. / Georgia Highlands College) concluded her career as a Runnin' Bulldog with a .426 batting average over two seasons, which is the highest in Gardner-Webb's Division I era. She hit .357 as a senior and was a First-Team All-Big South outfielder. Booth hit her lone home run of the 2019 campaign against Charleston Southern, hustling around the base paths for an inside the park home run. She was named to the Top-50 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year watchlist prior to her senior year and also entered the National Pro Fastpitch Association draft in April, which was held in Nashville, Tenn.
Perry (Clemmons, N.C.) became Gardner-Webb's single-season strikeouts record holder during the final weekend of the 2019 regular season. With 16 strikeouts in two games against Hampton, she reached 226, topping Stacie Reichert's record of 213 in 2004. The Clemmons, N.C. native appeared in 34 games and won 18, while earning the save in two. She threw 23 complete games and five shutouts, while striking out a career-best 14 batters in a non-conference contest vs. Bowling Green.
J. Wacaster (Shelby, N.C. / Crest HS) played throughout the infield as a sophomore with the majority of her time spent at second base. She narrowly missed out on becoming the fifth Runnin' Bulldog to hit .300 or better. She hit .294 with 18 extra base hits and 27 RBI. In the rubber match of Gardner-Webb's final home series, a Big South matchup against Presbyterian, she belted two home runs and had five RBI. Wacaster ended the year with hits in seven of the final eight games.
For more on all things Gardner-Webb softball, visit www.gwusports.com or follow @GWUSoftball on social media
Autumn Owen (catcher) and Kaylee Wacaster (outfielder) represented Gardner-Webb as First-Team All-State players, while Weslyn Almond (infielder), Andria Booth (outfielder), Brooke Perry (pitcher) and Jenna Wacaster (infielder) were named Second-Team All-State. Sports information directors from the state of North Carolina nominated and voted on student-athletes.
Owen (Mill Spring, N.C. / Polk County HS) added to her already impressive list of honors with First-Team All-State recognition. The freshman catcher was previously named a National Fast Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Mid Atlantic Region First-Team member. Additionally, she was named the Big South Conference Freshman of the Year. While she received an "of the year" honor from the league, she was also a Big South First-Team and All-Freshman member. She hit .384 with 28 extra base hits (13 home runs) and 50 RBI.
K. Wacaster (Shelby, N.C. / Crest HS) ended her Gardner-Webb career as one of the most storied players in program history. Following a senior season that saw her hit .354 with 17 extra base hits including seven doubles and triples, Wacaster is the Gardner-Webb career leader in six statically categories. She leads the program with 148 runs scored, 45 doubles, 13 triples, 72 extra base hits, 89 walks and 128 runs batted in.
As a senior, the Shelby, N.C. native played in 52 games and batted in 39 runs. She finished the season with two or more RBI in 12 games and had five three-hit games and a pair of four-hit contests.
Almond (Ablemarle, N.C. / North Stanly HS) appeared in 48 games and was one of four players to hit above .300 as she hit .336 in her sophomore year with 14 extra base hits, including nine doubles. She had 12 multi-hit games with five coming in the final nine contests of the season. Almond batted in 24 runs while scoring 29 of her own. She was second on the team with an OPS of .998. In the Big South Conference, she ranked fifth in on-base percentage (0.453).
Booth (Dacula, Ga. / Georgia Highlands College) concluded her career as a Runnin' Bulldog with a .426 batting average over two seasons, which is the highest in Gardner-Webb's Division I era. She hit .357 as a senior and was a First-Team All-Big South outfielder. Booth hit her lone home run of the 2019 campaign against Charleston Southern, hustling around the base paths for an inside the park home run. She was named to the Top-50 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year watchlist prior to her senior year and also entered the National Pro Fastpitch Association draft in April, which was held in Nashville, Tenn.
Perry (Clemmons, N.C.) became Gardner-Webb's single-season strikeouts record holder during the final weekend of the 2019 regular season. With 16 strikeouts in two games against Hampton, she reached 226, topping Stacie Reichert's record of 213 in 2004. The Clemmons, N.C. native appeared in 34 games and won 18, while earning the save in two. She threw 23 complete games and five shutouts, while striking out a career-best 14 batters in a non-conference contest vs. Bowling Green.
J. Wacaster (Shelby, N.C. / Crest HS) played throughout the infield as a sophomore with the majority of her time spent at second base. She narrowly missed out on becoming the fifth Runnin' Bulldog to hit .300 or better. She hit .294 with 18 extra base hits and 27 RBI. In the rubber match of Gardner-Webb's final home series, a Big South matchup against Presbyterian, she belted two home runs and had five RBI. Wacaster ended the year with hits in seven of the final eight games.
For more on all things Gardner-Webb softball, visit www.gwusports.com or follow @GWUSoftball on social media
Players Mentioned
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