Emory Softball Trio Earns All-America Honors

2011 NFCA D-II All-Americans

Three members of the Emory University softball program have been named to the 2011 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-America Team.

Junior left fielder Jessica Thomas (Springfield, VA) and freshman Megan Light (Atlanta, GA) both earned second-team berths while junior pitcher Bridget Holloway (Sparta, IL) was selected to the third team.

Thomas, a starter in all 43 of the games she appeared in, finished the year with a hitting mark of .367.  She led the team with a school-record 11 homers and was second on the team in RBIs (46) and doubles (13) while ranking third with 47 hits and 36 runs.  Earlier this season, she was chosen to the first teams of the All-University Athletic Association and All-Atlantic Region.  After three seasons of action, she is the school’s all-time leader with 23 home runs and is eighth on the career chart with 123 RBIs.

Light, the lone player to see action in all 46 Emory contests,  topped the team and the UAA with a .449 hitting mark.   Second on the team with nine homers, her 61 RBIs established a school seasonal record, while her team-high 62 hits ranked seventh on the Eagles’ seasonal chart.   Earlier in the season, Light was voted as both the UAA’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year.

Holloway, despite missing a  month of the season due to an injury, still crafted a won-lost of 18-1 in the circle with her victory total tying for the sixth-highest mark in school annals.   She tossed 115 1/3 innings and recorded an ERA of 1.46, good for third place among UAA hurlers.  In NCAA statistics through May 16, Holloway ranked third nationally in the Division III ranks for fewest walks allowed per seven innings (0.42).  She becomes the first Eagle pitcher to garner All-America acclaim.

The trio becomes the sixth, seventh and eighth Emory player in program history to earn All-America acclaim, joining Tamara Boggs (2001 & 2003), Mary Nicol (2003), Emily Sunshine (2006), Ali Braverman (2007) and Kim Bandy (2009).

Emory ended its year with an overall record of 41-4-1, with its victory total the second highest in school history.