NORFOLK, Va. – Three members of the Norfolk State softball team were voted to the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) all-state team, the organization announced on Friday.
Sophomores Haley Ward and Alina Moriarty and freshman Whitney Williams were each named to the all-state second team. It marks the second year in a row Ward was named all-state in the outfield.
The MEAC Player of the Year, Ward earned second-team all-region honors this year after finishing second in the nation in batting average (.482). She finished the year with 38 runs on 68 hits with 21 doubles, five triples, five home runs and 43 RBI. She ranked second in the nation in doubles per game as well as in the top 35 in triples per game, slugging percentage (.809), on-base percentage (.525) and RBI per game. During the season she tied the NCAA record for consecutive hits with 13.
Moriarty was a first-team All-MEAC honoree at second base after ending the year batting .364 with 49 runs, 67 hits, 17 doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 55 RBI. She finished with the third-most hits and third-most total bases (110) in a season in NSU history behind Ward and record holder Lekita Wilson. Moriarty finished in the top 6 in the conference in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases and slugging.
Williams was the third Spartan this year to earn first-team honors in the MEAC and the first NSU third baseman to earn all-conference accolades in 14 years. She batted .331 with 27 runs, 50 hits, eight doubles, one triple, two home runs and 26 RBI. She joined Ward in 2012 as the only two freshmen to earn first-team all-conference honors in the last 20 years.
NSU finished 31-22 in 2013 and 15-3 in the MEAC, both the most wins in the program's Division I era. The Spartans won five straight at the MEAC tournament to advance all the way to the in-necessary game of the championship final, only the second time they made it to the final of the MEAC tournament.
Longwood's Brooke Short was named the state Player of the Year, while Jailyn Ford of James Madison earned both the Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards. JMU's Mickey Dean earned Coach of the Year honors.
2013 VaSID All-State University Division Softball Team
First Team
C - Megan Baltzell, So., Longwood
1B - Sarah Mooney, So., James Madison
2B - Kylie McGoldrick, So., Virginia Tech
SS - Emily Murphy, Fr., Longwood
3B - Marcy Bowdren, Jr., Virginia
OF - Jasmine Butler, Sr., James Madison
OF - Lauren Gaskill, So., Virginia Tech
OF - Kori Nishitomi, So., Longwood
UT/DP - Brooke Short, Sr., Longwood
P - Jailyn Ford, Fr., James Madison
P - Heather Kiefer, So., James Madison
P - Melanie Mitchell, Sr., Virginia
Second Team
C - Erica Field, Fr., James Madison
1B - Taylor McCoy, Fr., Hampton
2B - Alina Moriarty, So., Norfolk St.
SS - Caitlin Sandy, Jr., James Madison
3B - Whitney Williams, Fr., Norfolk St.
OF - Morgan Heath, So., James Madison
OF - Katie Zavodny, Jr., Liberty
OF - Haley Ward, So., Norfolk St.
UT/DP - Courtney Liddle, Sr., Virginia Tech
P - Kelly Heinz, Fr., Virginia Tech
P - Jailynn Jackson, So., Hampton
P - Libby Morris, So., Longwood
VaSID Player of the Year - Brooke Short, Sr., Longwood
VaSID Pitcher of the Year - Jailyn Ford, Fr., James Madison
VaSID Coach of the Year - Mickey Dean, James Madison
VaSID Rookie of the Year - Jailyn Ford, James Madison
