MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Bladenboro native Abbey Walters was selected to the Peach Belt All-Conference softball team, the league announced Thursday at its banquet on the eve of the league tournament.
Walters, a junior, has started all 52 games and leads the Braves with a .401 batting average, 71 hits, 16 doubles, four triples and seven home runs. The outfielder is tops on the squad with 40 RBI, 116 total bases, and a .655 slugging percentage, while tying for first with 26 stolen bases.
Walters ranks in the top 10 of eight PBC offensive categories, including racking up the second-most hits in the league. She leads the Braves 15 multi-hit games, 12 multi-RBI games and 10 games with three or more hits.
A dual-threat for UNCP, Walters went 8-5 with a 2.76 ERA in the circle this season, tossing five complete games in 10 starts and 20 appearances. She pitched a no-hitter April 15 in the Braves’ 10-0 win over USC Aiken as the Braves clinched their first Peach Belt tournament berth since 2011. Walters walked only one batter in tossing the gem.
Sophomore Jamie Johnson also represented UNCP on the all-conference team. UNCP’s Morgan Davis, a senior, and Taylor Gerhart, a sophomore, were named to the second team.
North Georgia’s Stephanie Hartness was named the league’s player of the year, Courtney Poole of North Georgia was pitcher of the year, Georgia Southwestern’s Hayley Tierce was freshman of the year, and North Georgia’s Mike Davenport was coach of the year.
Fifth-seeded UNC Pembroke (28-23-1) is scheduled to play No. 4 seed Georgia College (39-15) at 4 p.m. Friday in the opening round of the conference tournament. The teams split a pair of regular-season meetings.
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