Thirteen members of the 2012 Reinhardt University softball team were recently honored with postseason awards from the Appalachian Athletic Conference. In a vote of the nine AAC head coaches, Reinhardt had the Pitcher of the Year in Maddie Monroe, seven first team all-conference performers, two second team selections and 11 players named to the all-academic team.

Monroe, a 5-foot-8 junior from Calhoun was chosen as the top pitcher in the conference for the third year in a row. She has made 27 appearances this season with 23 starts, and is 18-7 with a 1.22 ERA. In 161 innings, Monroe has struck out 182 and walked 26 with opponents batting .179 against her. She leads the AAC in ERA, opponents’ batting average and strikeouts per game (10.17) while ranking second in wins, second in strikeouts and fourth in innings pitched. Among the NAIA national leaders, Monroe is 12th in strikeouts, tied for 17th in wins, 18th in ERA, tied for 18th in opponents’ batting average, 27th in strikeouts per game and 30th in innings pitched.

Joining Monroe as First Team All-AAC picks for the Lady Eagles were Ashley Kennedy, Haley Williams, Nikki Roddy, Andrea Thibaudeau, Bailey Arnaud and Kelci White. Kennedy, a 5-foot-6 senior catcher from Jackson, Ga., is hitting .376 with a team-high .508 on-base percentage, 22 runs scored, 18 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. A 5-foot-9 senior first baseman/second baseman out of Watkinsville, Ga., Williams is batting .259 with a home run, two triples, eight doubles, 17 runs scored and 13 RBIs. Roddy, a 5-foot-5 senior utility player from Woodstock, Ga., has a team-best .417 batting average and also leads the squad with 55 hits, three home runs, 20 doubles, 36 runs scored, 88 total bases and a .667 slugging percentage. A 5-foot-11 senior outfielder out of Cartersville, Ga., Thibaudeau is hitting .350 and paces the club in homers (three), triples (five), RBIs (34) and stolen bases (17). Arnaud, a 5-foot senior outfielder from Kennesaw, Ga., is batting .287 with a home run, triple, eight doubles, 20 runs scored and 15 RBIs. A 5-foot-5 freshman utility player out of Murphy, N.C., Kelci White was chosen as the designated player and has a .192 batting average with a double, eight runs scored and two RBIs. Monroe, Kennedy and Thibaudeau were first team selections for the third straight year while repeating from last season were Williams and Roddy.

Garnering Second Team All-AAC recognition for Reinhardt were 5-foot-2 junior shortstop/outfielder Lindsey Booker from Americus, Ga., and 5-foot-9 freshman pitcher/outfielder Haley Brannon out of Canton, Ga. Booker, a honorable mention honoree in 2010, tops the team in at-bats (137) and runs scored (36) while hitting .358 with a triple, 10 doubles, 17 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Brannon is batting .277 with a triple, 10 doubles, 29 RBIs and 17 runs scored while also putting together a 10-2 record, eight complete games, five shutouts and 1.92 ERA as a pitcher.

In addition to Arnaud, Booker, Kennedy, Monroe, Roddy, Thibaudeau and Williams, earning spots on the AAC All-Academic Team were Lady Eagles Jennie Chamness, a 5-foot-7 sophomore outfielder from Lawrenceville, Ga.; Kelsey Floyd, a 5-foot-11 senior pitcher/infielder out of Newnan, Ga.; Becca Jones, a 5-foot-7 senior pitcher from Howard, Ga.; and Callie Ann Poole, a 5-foot-11 sophomore first baseman also out of Howard. Arnaud, Jones, Kennedy and Williams are three-time members of the all-academic team while Booker, Floyd, Poole and Thibaudeau have been named to the squad twice. To be a part of the all-academic team, a player must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or better and be at least a sophomore in academic status.

The Lady Eagles have a 34-11 overall record and tied for the AAC regular season crown at 14-4. By winning the AAC Tournament title, Reinhardt received the conference’s automatic bid to the NAIA Softball National Championship event. The Lady Eagles are making their second straight trip to the NAIA national tournament, which begins on Thursday, May 17 in Gulf Shores, Ala.