NORFOLK, Virginia — Four members of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore softball team earned postseason recognition at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference awards banquet on Tuesday, April 9 in Norfolk, Virginia.
Freshman Jaycee Holt was selected to the All-MEAC First Team after a stellar introduction to college softball. The Birchwood, Tennessee native ranks fourth on the team and among the top 20 in the conference with a .321 batting clip on the year.
Holt's 43 hits tied her with Kelsie Ekstrom and Ameenah Ballenger for the team-lead. She also tied for first on the Hawks with 29 runs scored on the year.
Junior catcher Kelsie Ekstrom and sophomore infielder Nola Mountain landed on the Second Team after strong seasons with the Hawks.
Ekstrom ranked second on the Hawks toting a .361 hitting clip while leading the Hawks in doubles (10), walks (13), total bases (59) and OPS (.917). The Riverside, California native shares the top spot in the MEAC in caught-stealing by, throwing out 11 runners on the season from behind the plate, and brings a five-game hitting streak into the MEAC Tournament.
Mountain ranks third on the team with a .323 batting average and a .372 on-base percentage. Mountain has not gone more than two consecutive games without a hit all season and boasted an eight-game hitting streak from April 16-26.
Freshman outfielder and pitcher Katelyn Smitchko landed on the All-MEAC Third Team. A true Swiss army knife for the Hawks, the Clarence, Pennsylvania native hit .232 in her freshman campaign with three doubles, three triples and one home run while pitching a team-high 125.1 innings this season.
"It is exciting to see that four of our young ladies made an all-conference team," Hawks coach Karla Ross said. "Each of these ladies did a great job not only in the preseason, but during conference play as well."
"Each one of them brings something special to our team and it's nice to see that the other programs see the same thing," Ross said. "I'm excited to see not only what they can do, but what we as a team do at the conference tournament."
