Marshall University Athletics
Folden, Williams Named To First Team NFCA All-Region Team
8/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 18, 2005
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Freshman Rachel Folden (Baldwin Park, Calif.) and junior Amanda Williams (Powder Springs, Ga.) were named to the First Team All-Region team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) today.
Twelve of the 15 first-team honorees were from the Big Ten Conference, with the Herd gathering two selections and Notre Dame grabbing the other.
"Both are very well deserving," said MAC Coach of the Year Shonda Stanton. "Their accomplishments are a good indication of how successful our team was this year."
Folden, who was named MAC Freshman of the Year earlier this month, was a force at the plate all season for the Thundering Herd. The freshman led the conference in the regular season in slugging percentage (.661), RBI (56), doubles (19) and total bases (111), while ranking second in batting average (.415), runs (33) and hits (68). The catcher tallied three MAC East Player of the Week nods in her first campaign in the Green and White. Folden's exploits also re-wrote the single-sesaon Thundering Herd record book. Including conference tournament statistics, Folden is now the single season leader all-time in RBI's (60), doubles (19), total bases (119), and second in home runs (9) and hits (73), and fourth in batting average (.406).
Williams makes the All-Region team for the third time of her three-year career. The junior led off for Marshall for the first time in her career in 2005, leading the league in runs (43), while ranking second in doubles (16) and third in hits (59). Williams .345 batting average was also the sixth best in the conference in 2005. The tri-captain was named the weekly top player in the MAC's East Division three times in her junior campaign.
Both players are now eligible for NFCA All-American honors. Those announcements will be made later this month.
