Harrell and Pye Named All-Region

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Marshall softball seniors Aly Harrell and Saige Pye were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Mideast Region Teams, the organization announced on Thursday. Harrell was named First Team All-Region while Pye was honored on the Third Team.

The two sluggers combined to help the Herd lead Conference USA in slugging percentage (.532), on base percentage (.392) and home runs per game (1.52) despite playing just 31 regular season games. The fewest of any team in the league as UTEP had the second-lowest at 37 contests.

Both Harrell and Pye will be back in the Marshall lineup for the 2022 season.

Harrell was honored as All-Mideast Region for the third time in her career. The Gahanna, Ohio native was named to the Third Team in 2018 after her freshman year. She then garnered a Second Team selection in 2019. No All-Region awards were issued in 2020 due to the season being canceled from the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, Harrell was named First Team All-Conference USA while playing in 30 of the Herd's 33 total games (including postseason). She finished the year leading MUSB in batting average (.415), hits (39), home runs (10), RBI (29), slugging percentage (.819) and on base percentage (.526). Armed with an excellent eye at the plate and a great swing, Harrell struck out just three times in the 2021 season. Her final strikeout came in the fifth game of the year, against Saint Francis, back on March 6. She did not strike out once in conference play and went 98-straight plate appearances without striking out. Harrell ranks among the best in program history sitting in the top five in nine different career categories, including the team's all-time leader in on base percentage and tied for second in home runs.

Pye was on her way to picking up numerous postseason honors in 2020 before the season was canceled. The Stockton, Calif., native has had a tremendous impact at the plate since transferring to Marshall before the 2020 season from Georgia Tech. Pye bat .463 in 2020 and was slugging .863 when everything came to an end. In 2021, she was batting right at .300, and then C-USA play began. Pye ended the year on a 13-game hitting streak as well as reaching base in the final 17-straight contests. She bat .475 in 11 conference games with four doubles, four homers, 18 RBI and slugged .875. Pye drove in nine runs while playing in 3-of-4 games in the series against Florida Atlantic. The following weekend on the road at FIU, she drove in seven more runs and mashed two home runs. In the series finale at Charlotte, Pye erased a shutout as well as a no-hitter in the sixth with a 2-run home run to center field on the first pitch of the at-bat. Playing in 25 games this season, Pye finished batting .395, 34 hits, five doubles, six homers, 23 RBI and slugged .663.

The two hitters combined to come up clutch for the Herd in the third game of the FAU series. Pye tied a team record with three doubles. She drove in the game-tying runs with a 2-run double in the bottom of the seventh on the record-tying third double. Harrell was 4-of-5 in the game, including a walkoff RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. It was Harrell's first career walkoff hit.

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Marshall University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Aly Harrell

Saige Pye

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