By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
OXFORD, Ala. – There was no question that senior Alyssa Richards has been one of the driving forces of the Tennessee Tech softball team in 2017, but she received some recognition of that as she was selected to the all-Ohio Valley Conference softball first-team roster on Tuesday night.
Richards ended the regular-season campaign with a .295 batting average as she drove in a team-high 23 RBI with seven home runs and eight doubles to pace her team-best 67 total bases.
The vote was conducted between the league's coaches and sports information contacts.
Murray State's Jessica Twaddle (12 HR, 118 total bases, .404) was named the OVC Player of the Year for the second time, while SIU Edwardsville's Haley Chambers-Book (1.19 ERA, 235 K) was named the OVC Pitcher of the Year. Southeast Missouri's Rachel Anderson (.412, 110 total bases) was named the OVC Freshman of the Year, while Jacksonville State head coach Jana McGinnis was the OVC Coach of the Year for the second straight year and sixth time overall.
The softball superlatives included:
2017 All-Ohio Valley Conference Softball Teams
FIRST TEAM
P - Haley Chambers-Book (SIUE) - Sr., Coatesville, Ind.
P - Whitney Gillespie (Jacksonville State) - Jr., Pelham, Ala.
C - Jamie McGuire (Jacksonville State) - Sr., Glencoe, Ala.
IF - Jessica Twaddle (Murray State) - Sr., Franklin, Tenn.
IF - Rachel Minogue (Eastern Kentucky) - So., Corona, Calif.
IF - Allison Rager (Morehead State) - So., Elkview, W.Va.
IF - Jodie Duncan (UT Martin) - Jr., Munford, Tenn.
OF - Carly Gonzales (UT Martin) - Sr., Anaheim, Calif.
OF - Rachel Anderson (Southeast Missouri) - Fr., Edwardsville, Ill.
OF - Paige Murphy (Eastern Kentucky) - Jr., Louisville, Ky.
OF - Leila Chambers (Jacksonville State) - Jr., Molena, Ga.
UTIL/DP - Kylie Holton (Morehead State) - Jr., Macclenny, Fla.
UTIL/DP - Alyssa Richards (Tennessee Tech) - Sr., Italy, Texas
(13 people appear on the first team due to ties)
2017 OVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jessica Twaddle, Murray State
2017 OVC PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Haley Chambers-Book, SIUE
2017 OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Rachel Anderson, Southeast Missouri
2017 OVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Jana McGinnis, Jacksonville State
SECOND TEAM
P - Mason Robinson (Murray State) - Sr., Lewis Center, Ohio
P - Brooke Kennedy (UT Martin) -Sr., Bath Springs, Tenn.
C - Aeron Smith (UT Martin) - Jr., Bowling Green, Ky.
IF - Anna Chisolm (Jacksonville State) - So., St. Louis, Mo.
IF - Allison Smiley (SIUE) - Sr., Johnston City, Ill.
IF - Krislyn Campos (Eastern Kentucky) - Sr., Las Vegas, Nev.
IF - Brenna Finck (Murray State) - So., Maroa, Ill.
IF - Sarah Lopesilvero (SIUE) - Sr., Simpsonville, Ky.
OF - Alyssa Heren (SIUE) - So., Saline, Mich.
OF - Emily Woodruff (Jacksonville State) - Jr., Albertville, Ala.
OF - Stephanie Lewis (Jacksonville State) - Sr., Fort Meade, Fla.
UTIL/DP - Lexi Rouse (Belmont) - Jr., Macon, Ga.
UTIL/DP - Haley Mitchell (Eastern Illinois) - Fr., San Gabriel, Calif.
(13 people appear on the second team due to ties)
ALL-NEWCOMER
Rachel Anderson (Southeast Missouri) - OF, Fr., Edwardsville, Ill.
Brooklin Lee (Belmont) - P, Fr., Burns, Tenn.
Chelsea McManaway (Morehead State) - P, Jr., Wellston, Ohio
Sarah Lopesilvero (SIUE) - IF, Sr., Simpsonville, Ky.
Kylie Holton (Morehead State) - DP, Jr., Macclenny, Fla.
Zoe Schafer (SIUE) - IF, Fr., Noblesville, Ind.
Kaylee Ranburger (Murray State) - OF, Fr., Owensboro, Ky.
Emily Ingles (SIUE) - P, Fr., Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mia Davis (Eastern Illinois) - OF, Fr., LaGrange Park, Ill.
Haley Mitchell (Eastern Illinois) - DP - Fr., San Gabriel, Calif.
Mollie Paulick (Eastern Kentucky) - P, Fr., Centerville, Ohio
Mykaela Arellanes (Southeast Missouri) - OF, So., Foristell, Mo.
