By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announcing its All-Region teams on Thursday, the Tennessee Tech softball team earned its first all-region selection since 2008 as first baseman/pitcher Haeli Bryson was selected as a first baseman on the Midwest Region's third team.
She is the 10th player in program history to earn a selection to the NFCA All-Region teams, joining Stacy Hughes (1996), Brandy Henry (1999), Adrienne Fortmann (2001), Stephanie Dallmann (2001. 2003), Jennifer Smith (2001), LeeAnne Mongar (2002), Bonnie Bynum (2006, 2007), Beth Boden (2007) and Stephanie Fischer (2008).
Bryson was a first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference pick last week before the start of the OVC Softball Championships, the program's first conference first-teamer since 2017. The Otto, N.C., native finished the 2022 campaign with a .392 batting average, collecting 12 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 41 runs batted in, while scoring 46 times. She struck out just six times in the season, leading the OVC as the toughest batter to strike out.
On defense, Bryson had 256 putouts at first base, adding 23 assists and just four errors as she posted a .986 fielding percentage.
In the circle, she also posted a 6-5 record in 18 appearances, recording a 4.31 earned run average with 23 walks and 52 strikeouts.
Bryson had the highest RBI total for a Golden Eagle batter since Olivia Bennett had 47 in the 2015 campaign while compiling the best single-season batting average for a Tech slugger since Fischer's .457 mark in 2008.
It is a challenging set of teams to be selected against as the Tennessee membership of the Ohio Valley Conference lie in the NFCA's Midwest Region, competing against Austin Peay, Belmont, Tennessee State and UT Martin out of its own league, then faring against Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State and Purdue out of the Big Ten; Iowa State, Kansas and Oklahoma State in the Big XII; Cleveland State, Purdue Fort Wayne, IUPUI, Northern Kentucky and Youngstown State out of the Horizon League; Drake, Loyola, Missouri State, Northern Iowa and Valparaiso out of the Missouri Valley; and North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State and North Dakota out of the Summit League.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
