SAC has eight players named to 2011 NCCSIA all-state softball team

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The South Atlantic Conference has eight players on the 2011 NCCSIA All-State Softball team, which was released today. Five of the eight play for 2011 SAC champion Lenoir-Rhyne University.

The players announced as All-State selections include Lenoir-Rhyne's Kat Rivers, Carlee Carpenter, Dawon Millwood, Jessica Fellmeth and Jody Mizelle, Catawba College's Carly Sabat and Kayla Myers and Wingate University's Allison Smith.

Lenoir-Rhyne had three of its players make a repeat appearance on the All-State team with senior shortstop Kat Rivers earning NCCSIA honors for the third straight year. L-R junior second baseman Carlee Carpenter and junior pitcher Dawon Millwood reap NCCSIA honors for the second year in a row.

Rivers took one of the L-R dominated infield positions. A first team All-American, Rivers was named the SAC and Southeast Region Player of the Year in 2010. Rivers leaves Lenoir-Rhyne as the school's all-time leader in home runs with 40 and RBI with 161.

Carpenter also took an infield position on the All-State team. She is a three-time all-region and two-time all-SAC selection. Carpenter finished second on the squad in batting average this year at .371. She also led the team in hits with 66 and knocked a school-record 23 doubles.

Millwood took one of the pitcher spots. She was 27-4 on the season with a 1.47 ERA and 172 strikeouts. She was named the 2011 SAC Pitcher of the Year. Millwood has earned all-league honors the past three years and all-region accolades for two years. Millwood has compiled a 66-12 record during her L-R career.

Fellmeth took an infield position on the All-State team. She batted .351 on the year with eight homers and 38 RBI on her way to All-SAC and NCAA Division II Daktronics All-Southeast Region honors.

Mizelle took one of the outfield positions. In 2011, she was an All-SAC and an All-Region honoree. Mizelle led Lenoir-Rhyne in homers (15), RBI (45) and total bases (122) this year. She also set the school single-game record with three home runs against Limestone College on March 17, 2011.

Catawba's Sabat and Myers claimed All-State outfield and utility positions, respectively. Sabat hit .399 with a school-record eight triples and 16 stolen bases en route to second team All-SAC honors. She finished her career with a .383 average, ranking third best all-time at Catawba. She was second all-time with 191 hits, third best with 56 stolen bases and fourth all-time with 127 runs scored.

Myers saw action at both second and third base this season. She hit .368 with eight homers and 33 RBI in her rookie campaign, earning first team All-SAC recognition. Myers also saw time as the designated player and the catcher, definitely earning her utility player position.

Wingate's Smith was able to fill the other pitcher position on the All-State team. She went 21-6 overall with a 1.50 ERA in 2011, ranking third in the conference in wins and ERA. Her 164 strikeouts ranked fourth in the league; she finished fifth in the SAC with seven shutouts, while also ranking fifth in opponents' batting average.

Smith allowed two earned runs or fewer in 25 of her 32 appearances. She struck out at least seven batters nine times, hitting double digits three times. Smith struck out 12 players in a nine-inning victory at Newberry. She currently ranks second on Wingate's all-time list in career ERA and third in strikeouts. She earned second team All-SAC honors in 2011, while also earning the prestigious SAC Scholar-Athlete Award.

Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from North Carolina's NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions for the purpose of promoting college athletics in the state. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina whose responsibilities include sports information.

(Wingate University student intern Robert Cook contributed information to this article. A rising senior from Bradford, England, Cook is majoring in Sport Management with a Marketing minor.)

2011 NCCSIA All-State Softball Team (College Division)

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