By: Michael Pitts
ATLANTA – Five Kennesaw State Owls were named to the 2023 ASUN softball All-Conference, All-Freshman and All-Academic teams, the conference announced Tuesday.
Outfielder
Stella Henry and infielder
Brinaya Bailey were selected to the ASUN All-Conference second and third teams, respectively. Seniors
Taylor Cates and
Laura Bishop earned ASUN All-Academic honors. Henry also joined
Kenley Hilleary on the ASUN All-Freshman team.
Henry batted .310 this season and finished second on the team with 45 hits and 22 runs scored. She led the Black and Gold with 16 stolen bases on 18 attempts. In conference play, she led KSU in batting average at .408 with 29 hits.
The freshman finished the season on an 18-game reached-base streak, the longest on the team this season by eight games.
In her senior season, Bailey batted .258 with 33 hits, 21 RBI and 40 total bases. She went 3-for-4 in her 100th career start on Mar. 26 against Eastern Kentucky. She was named to the 2022 ASUN Preseason All-Conference team.
Henry and Bailey's selection to the team mark the 55th and 56th ASUN All-Conference honors in Owl history.
Cates earned her third-consecutive ASUN All-Academic team honor and posted a 3.94 cumulative GPA pursuing a degree in elementary education. On the field, she led the Owls in batting average (.318), OPS (.959), runs scored (27), hits (48), doubles (11), home runs (7), RBI (32), total bases (82), walks (25) and on-base percentage (.467).
In her final at-bat as an Owl she launched her 48th career homer, finishing second on the KSU DI career list. She was named to the 2023 ASUN Preseason All-Conference team and earned ASUN Player of the Week honors on Mar. 13.
She now holds the record for most ASUN All-Academic selections in program history.
Bishop secured her first ASUN honor with a 4.0 cumulative GPA pursuing a degree in exercise science.
She had a career day on Senior Day vs. FGCU Sunday, batting 2-for-4 with one run scored and three RBI. The Woodstock, Ga. native recorded her first collegiate home run in the contest, giving KSU a 5-4 lead that propelled the Owls to victory.
Cates and Bishop's selections are KSU's 12th and 13th selections to the team in program history. This is the fourth time the Owls have had multiple selections to the all-academic team.
Hilleary delivered one of the best freshman pitching season in Kennesaw State history, leading the Owls in ERA (3.13), WHIP (1.16), strikeouts (137) and lowest opponent batting average (.204).
Her first collegiate victory came in KSU's upset win over No. 7/6 Alabama where she allowed only four hits and three runs. She pitched 10.0 innings of relief on Apr. 26 at Samford with a career-high 15 strikeouts allowing one earned run and four hits. She threw 142 pitches with 101 of them finding the strike zone.
She was named ASUN Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 27 and was an NFCA "Selected Top Performance" of the Week on Feb. 28.
Hilleary and Henry's selection to the ASUN All-Freshman team are the most for KSU in a single season since 2019 and the 18th and 19th selections to the team in KSU history.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State softball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsSB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
