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The Mississippi College softball team had four student-athletes named to the All-Gulf South Conference Teams, it was announced on Wednesday (May 3).
With MC being in their first full year of eligibility in NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference in 2016-17, the four Lady Choctaws became MC’s first softball All-GSC selections since Rebecca Broome was recognized in the 1995 season.
FIRST TEAM
#33 – Tylan Buckley – Senior – Philadelphia, Miss.
Buckley, who has started all 49 games at first base in 2017, leads the Lady Choctaws in runs scored (42), runs batted in (42), walks (34), slugging percentage (.604) and on-base percentage (.489), while tying for the team lead with eight home runs. She’s also 2nd on the team in batting average (.367) and doubles (7).
In Gulf South Conference play, Buckley has really shined, ranking 4th in the conference with all eight of her home runs. She also sits 3rd in the league in slugging percentage (.688), while placing 4th in runs scored (32) and runs batted in (36).
Buckley has reached base safely in all but one game this season, including 36 straight contests. She had a season-high three hits and five RBI in a win over Christian Brothers (March 19), while also hitting the game-winning grand slam in a 4-0 victory over nationally-ranked UAH (April 14).
#21 – Carly Crawford – Freshman – Hattiesburg, Miss.
Crawford has started 48-of-49 games behind the plate for MC this season, throwing out 10 runners on 52 stolen base attempts. The rookie leads the team in doubles (10) and ranks 2nd in home runs (7), runs batted in (38) and slugging percentage (.568).
In GSC play, Crawford’s .394 batting average ranks 7th in the league, while her 27 RBI is 9th. In an April 1st doubleheader against #9 Valdosta State, the former Oak Grove HS standout went 7-for-9 with two home runs and nine RBI and was named the league’s Freshman of the Week.
Crawford has recorded multiple hits in 14 games and has driven in multiple runs 11 times. She has only struck out nine times in 139 at-bats and sits fourth on the squad with a .403 on-base percentage.
#2 – Katherine Lee – Junior – Monroe, La.
Lee has started all 49 games in center field for the Lady Choctaws and has the team’s top batting average (.393) on the season. Her 64 hits in 2017 is the 5th-best single-season total in school history, while she ranks 2nd on the squad in at-bats (163), on-base percentage (.435) and stolen bases (32).
The two-year starter ranks 4th in the conference in batting average (.409) and hits (45) in GSC play with her 29 runs scored ranking 6th. Lee also ranks 31st in the nation in stolen bases and her 20 swipes in GSC play is the 2nd-best mark in the conference.
Lee has a team-high 16-game hitting streak earlier in the season and has only been held hitless nine times. She has 19 multiple-hit games to lead the Lady Choctaws, including a season-high four hits and four runs scored in a victory over Christian Brothers (May 18).
SECOND TEAM
#10 – Haley Thompson – Senior – Booneville, Miss.
Thompson, who has started all 49 games in right field and a third base, leads the Gulf South Conference and ranks 5th nationally with 44 stolen bases in 48 attempts. Her 44 swipes in 2017 ties a school record with Shay Mickens, who turned the trick in 2014.
She also ranks 2nd on the team in hits (53) and runs scored (37) while sitting 4th in batting average (.314) and leading the squad with 169 at-bats. Thompson has stolen 24 bases in Gulf South Conference play, which leads by four swipes.
Thompson has posted 17 games with multiple hits, including a season-high four in a victory over nationally-ranked West Florida (February 18). She has also stolen a season-high three bases on five occasions, while scoring three runs twice in wins over Christian Brothers (March 18) and Lee (Aprl 24).
The Lady Choctaws are heading to the Gulf South Conference Tournament for the first time since 1995 when they travel to Huntsville this weekend. MC opens as the #3 seed and will face Lee University on Friday at 11:00 am at the Huntsville SportsPlex.
Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Softball, Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field, Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.
