ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Wingate's Savanna Brooks was named the South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year and Anderson's Laken Maxwell was named the Pitcher of the Year. Anderson's Paige Vickery was voted the Freshman of the Year, and Wingate's Jamie Stanclift received the Coach of the Year honors.
Brooks, a junior from Wingate, N.C., leads the conference with 18 homers, ranking second in the league with 57 RBI. The all-time homerun leader for the Bulldogs ranks fifth in the nation in homers and eighth in total bases. She is second in the league in total bases, third in slugging percentage, fifth in runs scored and sixth in doubles, leading the No. 10 Bulldogs to a second straight SAC title at 44-7 overall and 22-2 in league play. Brooks has been at her best in SAC play, hitting .405 with 13 homers, 32 RBI and 26 runs scored, adding six doubles with a slugging percentage over 1.00 while striking out just six times in 24 league contests.
Maxwell, a senior from Bowdon, Ga., broke the Anderson program record for career strikeouts, smashing the previous record of 459 with 618. She tied her career-high with an 18-strikeout game this season and has pitched 12 games with 10 or more strikeouts, two no-hitters, six one-hitters, and seven two-hitters. Maxwell has had a 16-game strikeout performance with 11 strikeouts in a row and a 15-game strikeout performance, allowing just one hit. She currently leads the SAC with 225 strikeouts and sits fourth with a 1.93 ERA.
Vickery, a freshman from Commerce, Ga., has recorded 26 runs, eight doubles, one triple, and 11 homers with a .331 batting average, .416 on base percentage, and a .686 slugging percentage during her freshman campaign. She went 5-for-13 (.385) over a four-game span in March, hitting four home runs which included two grand slams. Vickery leads her team in RBI, recording 45 on the season.
Stanclift earns back-to-back SAC Coach of the Year honors after leading the Bulldogs to their second straight regular season SAC title as the program recorded a 22-2 conference record and 44-7 overall record. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Rankings and have reached as high at No. 7 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Poll. Stanclift's Bulldogs will enter the upcoming SAC tournament as the No. 1 seed and will be hosting the opening round.
The entire 2024 SAC Softball All-Conference Teams can be found below:
All-SAC First Team
OF – Kaylee Hobgood, Wingate
OF – Brianna Gallagher, Catawba
OF – Claire Smeltzer, Tusculum
1B – Kary Hales, Catawba
2B – Savanna Brooks, Wingate
SS – Hayden Dye, Carson-Newman
3B – Brooke Matyasovsky, Carson-Newman
DP – Carson Hobbs, Anderson
UTL/Non-P – Macey Hughes, Carson-Newman
UTL/P – Sydney Kale, Wingate
C – Lani Warren, Lenoir-Rhyne
P – Laken Maxwell, Anderson
P – Raechel Cutcher, Wingate
All-SAC Second Team
OF – Maddie Carpenter, Anderson
OF – Shelby Bandt, Anderson
OF – Kelsi Scott, Coker
1B – Sierra Brogdon, Newberry
2B – Julia Mardigian, Lenoir-Rhyne
SS – Katelyn Rackard, Lenoir-Rhyne
3B – Riley Tucker, Catawba
DP – Danielle Jason, Tusculum
UTL/Non-P – Danielle King, Emory & Henry
UTL/P – Lauren Rakes, Lenoir-Rhyne
C – Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman
P – Emma Frost, Carson-Newman
P – Madison Wilson, Lenoir-Rhyne
All-SAC Third Team
OF – Madison Henry, Lincoln Memorial
OF – Vanessa Wilson, Newberry
OF – Leah Grimes, Mars Hill
1B – Lora Beth Wood, Lenoir-Rhyne
2B – Reese Vivrette, Lincoln Memorial
SS – Ellie Alvarez, Tusculum
3B – Hailey Hill, Newberry
DP – Cassidy Phelps, Newberry
UTL/Non-P – Hannah Bogoski, Lincoln Memorial
UTL/P – Emily Sappington, Tusculum
C – Maia Sholter, Mars Hill
P – Hali Scott, Wingate
P – Lex Glemaker, Newberry
Freshman of the Year
Paige Vickery, Anderson
Player of the Year
Savanna Brooks, Wingate
Pitcher of the Year
Laken Maxwell, Anderson
Coach of the Year
Jamie Stanclift, Wingate
SAC Statistical Champions
Team Batting Average – Carson-Newman (.337)
Team Slugging Percentage – Lenoir-Rhyne (.564)
Team On-Base Percentage – Lincoln Memorial (.446)
Team Runs Scored – Lenoir-Rhyne (336)
Team Home Runs Per Game – Lenoir-Rhyne (1.38)
Team Triples Per Game – Lincoln Memorial (0.30)
Team Doubles Per Game – Carson-Newman (1.83)
Team Stolen Bases Per Game – Tusculum (1.63)
Team ERA – Wingate (2.07)
Team Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio – Anderson (4.11)
Batting Average – Reese Vivrette, Lincoln Memorial (.476)
On-Base Percentage – Reese Vivrette, Lincoln Memorial (.601)
Slugging Percentage – Hayden Dye, Carson-Newman (.803)
Home Runs Per Game – Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman (0.36)
RBIs Per Game – Macauley Bailey, Carson-Newman (1.40)
Runs Scored Per Game – Macey Hughes, Carson-Newman (1.22)
Triples Per Game – Adyson Gibson, UVA Wise (0.11)
Doubles Per Game – Julia Mardigian, Lenoir-Rhyne (0.44)
Stolen Bases Per Game – Kaylee Hobgood, Wingate (0.51)
ERA – Raechel Cutcher, Wingate (1.49)
Strikeouts Per Seven Innings – Laken Maxwell, Anderson (12.1)
Pitching Victories – Raechel Cutcher, Wingate (29)