The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Lands Three All-Conference Players
5/8/2018 2:05:00 PM | Softball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After claiming the Western Division and securing the second overall seed in the Conference USA tournament, Natalie Erwin, Destini England and Emily Kachel have been named to All-Conference USA teams, the league office announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Erwin earned first team honors, the first time she has been named to a postseason team. England was named to the second team a year after earning All-Freshman honors, while Kachel received the All-Freshman nod for the Blazers this season.
UAB has now had 21 players named First Team All-Conference, 26 players earn Second Team All-Conference honors and another 26 Blazers named to the All-Freshman Team in program history.
"Natalie, Destini and Emily have played major roles in our success this season, coming up with timely hits or getting a big out when we need it the most," head coach Amanda Ellis said. "They embody our core values and with all three being underclassmen, I'm excited to watch them continue to grow on and off the field."
Erwin has been the Blazers' second leading hitter with a .336 batting average and 51 hits. The Ridgeland, Miss. native leads the team in runs scored (41), triples (4), slugging percentage (.586), on-base percentage (.433) and stolen bases (16). Erwin is tied for the team lead in home runs (8) and total bases (89). With 27 RBI, Erwin is second on the squad.
England leads the way with a .358 batting average and 69 hits. Both rank among the top in the conference with the sophomore placing 11th overall in batting average and tied for second in hits. The Hoover, Ala. native is third on the team in runs scored (28), second in triples (3) and third in RBI (21). Her 10 career triples are the second most in program history.
England's performance on the road at UTEP propelled the Blazers to a series victory and earned her Player of the Week honors. The outfielder went 9-for-13 with 8 RBI, three doubles, scored four times and hit .692 against the Miners.
Kachel picked up 13 wins this season and led UAB in several categories, including wins, ERA (2.84), appearances (37), starts (27), innings pitched (158.0) and strikeouts (118). The righty won her first career start against Illinois State and threw her first career complete game in a win over Weber State.
The Kennesaw, Ga. native earned Pitcher of the Week honors earlier in the season after she picked up two wins over Army and Troy and had a staller relief performance against SIUE. Her final stat line over the three-game stretch was 18 innings pitched, nine hits, three runs, one earned run, zero walks, 14 strikeouts and a 0.39 ERA.
UAB now turns its attention to the Conference USA Tournament, which begins on Wednesday at noon ET. The Blazers have clinched a double bye in the tournament and will not play until Thursday at 4:30 ET.
Erwin earned first team honors, the first time she has been named to a postseason team. England was named to the second team a year after earning All-Freshman honors, while Kachel received the All-Freshman nod for the Blazers this season.
UAB has now had 21 players named First Team All-Conference, 26 players earn Second Team All-Conference honors and another 26 Blazers named to the All-Freshman Team in program history.
"Natalie, Destini and Emily have played major roles in our success this season, coming up with timely hits or getting a big out when we need it the most," head coach Amanda Ellis said. "They embody our core values and with all three being underclassmen, I'm excited to watch them continue to grow on and off the field."
Erwin has been the Blazers' second leading hitter with a .336 batting average and 51 hits. The Ridgeland, Miss. native leads the team in runs scored (41), triples (4), slugging percentage (.586), on-base percentage (.433) and stolen bases (16). Erwin is tied for the team lead in home runs (8) and total bases (89). With 27 RBI, Erwin is second on the squad.
England leads the way with a .358 batting average and 69 hits. Both rank among the top in the conference with the sophomore placing 11th overall in batting average and tied for second in hits. The Hoover, Ala. native is third on the team in runs scored (28), second in triples (3) and third in RBI (21). Her 10 career triples are the second most in program history.
England's performance on the road at UTEP propelled the Blazers to a series victory and earned her Player of the Week honors. The outfielder went 9-for-13 with 8 RBI, three doubles, scored four times and hit .692 against the Miners.
Kachel picked up 13 wins this season and led UAB in several categories, including wins, ERA (2.84), appearances (37), starts (27), innings pitched (158.0) and strikeouts (118). The righty won her first career start against Illinois State and threw her first career complete game in a win over Weber State.
The Kennesaw, Ga. native earned Pitcher of the Week honors earlier in the season after she picked up two wins over Army and Troy and had a staller relief performance against SIUE. Her final stat line over the three-game stretch was 18 innings pitched, nine hits, three runs, one earned run, zero walks, 14 strikeouts and a 0.39 ERA.
UAB now turns its attention to the Conference USA Tournament, which begins on Wednesday at noon ET. The Blazers have clinched a double bye in the tournament and will not play until Thursday at 4:30 ET.
Players Mentioned
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