LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Three members of the University of Kentucky softball team were honored with All-Southeastern Conference honors the conference office announced Wednesday. Sophomore Molly Johnson earned second team All-SEC accolades, while freshmen Meagan Aull and Megan Yocke were selected to the All-SEC Freshman team.
Johnson was tabbed second team in just her second season with the Blue and White, after earning All-SEC Freshmen team honors a year ago. Johnson had a monster season for the Wildcats, leading the team in every offensive category. The hard-nosed shortstop has made 105 consecutive starts in just two seasons of play. This year she topped her career-highs with a .401 batting average, 63 hits, 20 doubles, two triples, 40 runs batted in, 105 total bases, .669 slugging percentage, .427 on-base percentage, six sacrifice hits, 17 stolen bases, 123 putouts and 123 assists.
Additionally she rattled off hitting streaks of seven and 10-games this season. She set career highs with at-bats, runs scored, hits, RBI, walks and stolen bases in a single game. Johnson had seven multiple extra-base hit games, including a home run and double in the same inning in a win over Toledo. Johnson becomes just the second Kentucky player since 2003 to earn All-SEC accolades.
Aull and Yocke become just the second tandem in school history to earn All-SEC Freshman team honors. Johnson and Natalie Smith were the first duo selected to the first-year players? team in 2007. Previously, Kentucky had an individual selected to the 2004 and 2006 teams.
Aull has been outstanding in conference action pacing the Wildcats in many offensive categories in SEC play. Aull hit safely in every SEC series this season, an impressive feat for a first-year player facing the top pitching staffs in the country. The center-fielder led the team in batting average (.320) and hits (24), while swiping a perfect 6-for-6 bases in league play. In her first season as an outfielder, Aull recorded some of the most spectacular plays in the field for the Blue and White, including several diving snags. She racked up a .920 fielding percentage in her first season while starting all 54 games.
Yocke was an anchor behind the plate for the Wildcats starting every conference game at catcher. The California native was also a steady-hitter providing the third-best batting average on the team. She ranked second on the team with 176 putouts on the year and was also second with a .967 fielding percentage. Most impressively was her throw from home as she picked off some of the league?s best base stealers.
Yocke tossed out 11 runners attempting to steal in conference play, including three of the league?s top-six base runners. The catcher caught Chelsea Bramlett for just the second time this season at Mississippi State. Bramlett is second in conference ranks with 14 stolen bases. Additionally, Yocke caught Dee Dee Henderson of LSU and Taylor Schlopy of Georgia in the base paths. Schlopy had not been thrown out all season, until Yocke caught her. She ranks second in the league with catching base runners, as Ole Miss? sophomore Amber Tramp has 12 for the season.
Stay tuned to www.ukathletics.com for more news and notes on the Kentucky softball program.
All-SEC First Team
P Stacey Nelson, UF
P, Kelsi Dunne, UA
IF, Tonya Callahan, UT
IF, Ali Gardiner, UF
IF, Courtney Bures, MSU
IF, Kelley Montalvo, UA
OF, Brittany Rogers, UA
OF, Rachel Mitchell, LSU
OF, Kim Waleszonia, UF
OF, Megan Wiggins, UG
C, Chelsea Bramlett, MSU
DP/U, Charlotte Morgan, UA
All-SEC Second Team
P, Cody Trahan, LSU
P, Anna Thompson, AU
IF, Aja Paculba, UF
IF, Kenora Posey, UT
IF, Sojourner Moody, UG
IF, Molly Johnson, UK
OF, Dani Woods, UA
OF, Jordan Praytor, UA
OF, Quinlan Duhon, LSU
OF, Hayle Guess, MSU
C, Ashley Holcombe, UA
DP/U, Lauren Grill, UM
Freshman All-SEC Team
P, Kelsi Dunne, UA
P, Stephanie Brombacher, UF
IF, Aja Paculba, UF
IF, Jen Lapicki, UT
IF, Megan Bush, UF
IF, Ali Bainbridge, MSU
OF, Megan Wiggins, UG
OF, Meagan Aull, UK
OF, Taylor Schlopy, UG
OF, Laura Mendes, SC
C, Megan Yocke, UK
DP/U, Tiffany DeFelice, UF
