NORFOLK, Va. – For the third consecutive season, Savannah State University softball senior first baseman Torrian Wright was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, while freshman third baseman Cortni Jones was named the MEAC Rookie of the Year, announced by the conference Tuesday.
 
The Lady Tigers led all MEAC teams with seven selections, while Florida A&M University and Delaware State University each added six selections and Bethune-Cookman University had four.  SSU also led all MEAC teams with three named on the All-MEAC First Team, while FAMU and DSU had two selections each.
 
Wright was named on the All-MEAC First Team as a first baseman, while Jones was named on the All-MEAC First Team as a third baseman and junior pitcher Amanda Hallman was a first-team selection as a pitcher.  Junior right fielder Alexis Singleton was named on the All-MEAC Second Team as an outfielder and junior catcher Tia Bolden was a second-team selection as a catcher.
 
Sophomore shortstop Brianna Harris was named on the All-MEAC Third Team as a shortstop, while freshman pitcher Kasie Johnson was a third-team selection as a pitcher.
 
Wright was named the postseason MEAC Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015, while being named the preseason MEAC Player of the Year the last three seasons in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and named MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2013. 
 
The McDonough, Ga., native leads the team, the MEAC and the NCAA with a .662 on-base percentage and with 1.32 walks per game.  Wright ranks second in the team and fifth in the conference with a .411 (30-for-73) batting average, which ranks 63^rd in the National Collegiate Athletic Association and has scored 21 times with nine doubles, four home runs and 24 RBIs.  Wright ranks third in the MEAC with a .699 slugging percentage and leads the MEAC with 50 walks.
 
In conference play, Wright is batting .385 (10-for-26) with nine runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs with a .692 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .660, which ranks first in the MEAC with 21 walks, which leads the conference.
 
Jones led the team in home runs with eight, which is tied for the most in the MEAC, ranks second in runs batted in with 37, which ranks 126^th in the NCAA, and led the team with 33 runs scored, which ranks tied for eighth in the conference.  Jones was named the Rookie of the Week three times this season.  Jones is batting .383, which ranks eighth in the conference with a .672 slugging percentage, which ranks fourth in the MEAC. 
 
In conference play, the Snellville, Ga., native batted .478 (22-for-46), which ranks fourth in the MEAC, with 12 runs scored, three doubles, two triples, three home runs and 14 RBIs with a .826 slugging percentage, which ranks fourth in the conference, and a .529 on-base percentage, which ranks sixth in the MEAC.
 
Hallman led the Lady Tigers with a 13-10 record and recorded a 3.65 earned run average, which ranks fourth in the MEAC, pitching 14 complete games with one shutout and recorded a save.  The Kennesaw, Ga., native gave up 75 earned runs on 152 hits in 144.0 innings pitched with a team-best 119 strikeouts, which ranks second in the MEAC, holding opponents to a .260 batting average, which ranks fourth in the conference this season.  Offensively, Hallman ranks ninth in the MEAC with 30 RBIs.
 
In conference play, Hallman went 8-1 with a 1.40 ERA, which ranks second in the MEAC, with six complete games and a shutout giving up 12 earned runs on 45 hits in 60.0 innings pitched and 55 strikeouts, which ranks second in the conference, holding opponents to a .203 batting average, which ranks second in the conference.
 
Singleton led the Lady Tigers with a .427 (64-for-150) batting average, which ranks fourth in the MEAC and 39^th in the NCAA, with 30 runs scored, five doubles and 22 RBIs with a slugging percentage of .460 and an on-base percentage of .459, which ranks ninth in the conference.  The Sarasota, Fla., native went 7-for-7 in stolen bases and committed one error with 64 putouts and four assists for a fielding percentage of .986.  The 64 hits ranks second in the league. 
 
In conference play, Singleton is batting .489 (22-for-45) with 13 runs scored, two doubles and eight RBIs with a slugging percentage of .533 and an on-base percentage of .531.  She went 3-for-3 in stolen bases and had a perfect fielding percentage recording 14 putouts without an error.
 
Bolden recorded a batting average of .263 (20-for-76) with 12 runs scored, two doubles, two triples, three home runs and 11 RBIs with a slugging percentage of .461 and an on-base percentage of .356 overall.  In conference play, the Decatur, Ga., native batted .316 (12-for-38) with 10 runs scored, a double, two triples, two home runs and six RBIs with a slugging percentage of .605 and on-base percentage of .381.
 
Johnson led the Lady Tigers with an earned run average of 2.70, which ranks second in the MEAC, with a 5-2 record pitching two complete games with one shutout.  The Patterson, Ga., native gave up 19 earned runs on 52 hits in 49.1 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .259 batting average, which ranks third in the conference this season.
 
Harris batted .307 (46-for-150) with 30 runs scored, 11 doubles, four triples and 17 RBIs with a slugging percentage of .433 and an on-base percentage of .367.  She was 10-for-12 in stolen bases this season.  In conference play, the Jacksonville, Fla., native batted .375 (18-for-48) with 15 runs scored, six doubles, a triple and seven RBIs with a slugging percentage of .542 and an on-base percentage of .455 and 7-for-7 in stolen bases.
 
Kenya Pereira of Florida A&M was named the MEAC Pitcher of the Year, while Amber Jackson of Delaware State was named the MEAC Coach of the Year. 
 
The All-MEAC Teams were voted by the conference's head softball coaches and sports information directors.  .
 
The Lady Tigers start postseason play with the MEAC Championship as the No. 1 seed in the Southern Division starting with Morgan State at 10 a.m. Thursday in Ormond Beach, Fla.
 
 
 
2016 Softball All-MEAC Teams
As voted on by the conference's head softball coaches and sports information directors
 
Player of the Year: Torrian Wright, Savannah State
Rookie of the Year: Cortni Jones, Savannah State
Pitcher of the Year: Kenya Pereira, Florida A&M
Coach of the Year: Amber Jackson, Delaware State
 
First Team

Position	Name	School	Class	Hometown
P	Kenya Pereira	Florida A&M	Jr.	Kissimmee, Fla.
P	Amanda Hallman	Savannah State	Jr.	Kennesaw, Ga.
C	Sandy Hawthorne	Delaware State	Sr.	Smithtown, N.Y.
1B	Torrian Wright	Savannah State	Sr.	McDonough, Ga.
2B	Jessica Nathan	Florida A&M	Sr.	Archer, Fla.
3B	Cortni Jones	Savannah State	Fr.	Snellville, Ga.
SS	Danielle Smith	Coppin State	Sr.	Rising Sun, Md.
OF	Nicole Gazzola	Delaware State	Sr.	Coram, N.Y.
OF	Raven Gray	North Carolina A&T State	So.	Forest City, N.C.
OF	Annie Bakenhus	Bethune-Cookman	Fr.	Yucaipa, Calif.
UTL	Taylor McCoy	Hampton	Sr.	Riverview, Fla.

 
Second Team

Position	Name	School	Class	Hometown
P	Tara Tursellino	Delaware State	Jr.	Moreno Valley, Calif.
P	Sabrina Anguiano	Bethune-Cookman	Jr.	Hacienda Heights, Calif.
C	Tia Bolden	Savannah State	Jr.	Decatur, Ga.
1B	Vanessa Washington	Delaware State	So.	Elk Grove, Calif.
2B	Chloe Oro	Delaware State	Sr.	San Pedro, Calif.
3B	Jasmine Gammons	Howard	r-Sr.	Oviedo, Fla.
SS	Kieifi Myrick	Florida A&M	r-Sr.	Crawfordville, Fla.
OF	Alexis Singleton	Savannah State	Jr.	Sarasota, Fla.
OF	Vanessa Gomez	Maryland Eastern Shore	Sr.	Belleville, N.J.
OF	Hope Sobelewski	Hampton	Fr.	Moreno Valley, Calif.
UTL	Janika May	North Carolina A&T State	Sr.	Beach Park, Ill.

 
 
Third Team

Position	Name	School	Class	Hometown
P	Adrienne Guerra	Maryland Eastern Shore	So.	Monrovia, Calif.
P	Kasie Johnson	Savannah State	Fr.	Patterson, Ga.
C	Sarah Kollas	Hampton	Fr.	Orlando, Fla.
1B	Iesha Waters	Bethune-Cookman	So.	Riverside, Calif
2B	Sophia Ortega	Bethune-Cookman	Sr.	Highland, Calif.
3B	Amber Fullwood	Florida A&M	Jr.	Land O' Lakes, Fla.
SS	Brianna Harris	Savannah State	So.	Jacksonville, Fla.
OF	Whitney Farris	Florida A&M	Jr.	Coral Springs, Fla.
OF	Tashayla Irvis	Florida A&M	Jr.	Lake Wales, Fla.
OF	Al'Asia Davis	Howard	r-Sr.	Seattle, Wash.
UTL	Rochelle Sablay	Delaware State	Sr.	La Mirada, Calif.

 
 
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