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USF Softball Racks Up Conference Awards

The hottest team in the AAC towards the end of the season saw several players and the coaching staff earn all conference honors.

By Nick Simon
Erica Nunn, along with Juli Weber and the USF Softball Coaching Staff received end of season AAC awards on Wednesday.
Erica Nunn, along with Juli Weber and the USF Softball Coaching Staff received end of season AAC awards on Wednesday.
GoUSFBulls.com

The 24th ranked USF Softball team finished the season blazing hot, dump-trucking AAC competition in the final two months on their way to locking down the American regular season championship and adding another conference trophy to the #SpringOfRings movement.

Just before the AAC Softball Championship kicked off today in Tulsa, a few players took home some hardware of their own for their individual performances.

Juli Weber took home AAC Player of the Year honors, becoming the first player in program history to be designated as the top of her conference. This isher second major conference award as she was named Freshman of the Year in 2014.

The junior led the AAC in several hitting categories, posting a .432 batting average on the season with 76 hits, 48 runs scored, five home-runs, 38 RBI's, and a slugging percentage of .648. Also, this SC Top Play alone should've been enough to lock down player of the year status.

It's one thing to have the best all-around player. But to have that and the conference pitcher of the year is a deadly combination as Erica Nunn mowed down opposing hitters all season long.

Throughout the season, the senior notched a conference leading 26 wins (12 in conference) while posting a 1.60 ERA (.74 in conference!), 201 strikeouts, and five saves in 45 appearances. The North Carolina native joins Leigh Ann Ellis and Sara Nevins (Boss) as the only players in school history to take home conference pitcher of the year accolades.

When you're able to rattle off a run where you win 41 out of 47 games on the way to winning the conference, you deserve to be recognized, which is exactly what happened to Ken Eriksen and his staff, being named AAC Coaching Staff of the Year.

Many thought it would be a long season for the Bulls after starting the year with a pedestrian 8-9 record. Starting with a 4-1 victory over College of Charleston in Clearwater, the team would rattle off 23 straight victories and would never look back. Big props to Eriksen, Tommy Santiago, and Jessica Moore for the amazing job they did.

Six Bulls were named to the first and second all-conference team, with three of them voted on unanimously.

First-Team All-AAC

  • P- Erica Nunn
  • C- Lee Ann Spivey
  • 1B- Lauren Evans
  • OF- Juli Weber

Second-Team All-AAC

  • IF- Kristen Wyckoff
  • OF- Astin Donovan

Even with the awards and accolades, the Bulls still have work and will face Houston tomorrow. Winning the tournament and securing an automatic bid to an NCAA Regional would give the Bulls a chance at hosting an NCAA Regional, which would make any path back to the Women's College World Series a bit easier.