Marshall University Athletics
Five Garner All-Conference Softball Accolades, Nester Named Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year
5/10/2022 4:57:00 PM | Softball
Harrell, Pye, Nester, Stevenson and Owen named to All-Conference Teams
DENTON, Texas – Marshall softball had five players named to All-Conference USA Teams with redshirt junior Sydney Nester also bringing home Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year, the league office announced Tuesday.
Fifth-year seniors Aly Harrell and Saige Pye along with Nester were named to the first team. Senior Mya Stevenson and sophomore Autumn Owen were named to the second team.
Nester joined the Herd in the summer of 2021 after spending three seasons at North Carolina State. In just one season, the transfer has put herself into the Marshall record books. Nester's 284 strikeouts are fourth-best and her 24 wins ranks sixth in a single season in team history. She opened her Herd career with back-to-back double-digit strikeout, and shutout performances. Nester enters the C-USA Tournament averaging 9.40 strikeouts per seven innings, good for best in Herd history. She is third in the NCAA this season in shutouts (11), fourth in strikeouts and fifth in innings pitched (210.2), while leading the league in all three as well. Nester has set career-highs across the board at Marshall. The Hillsville, Virginia, native is the third Marshall pitcher to earn league Pitcher of the Year and Marshall's first Newcomer of the Year since 2009. Nester was named C-USA Pitcher of the Week six times, the ninth time since 2000 that a C-USA pitcher earned the weekly award at least six times and the first since 2016.
Harrell picks up her fourth First Team All-C-USA honor. The only year she was not named was 2020 as no postseason awards were given out due to the season being canceled. The Gahanna, Ohio, native will go down as one of the best hitters not only in Marshall history but league annals as well. Harrell leads the team in batting average (.424), hits, (56), walks (39), hit-by-pitches (17), on base percentage (.596) and is tied for the lead in runs scored (37). She has been near the top of the conference and the NCAA throughout the season. Harrell enters the week third in the nation in on base percentage and is 24th in batting average. Defensively, Harrell has a .991 fielding percentage and has come through with two unassisted double plays this year. Harrell was named a Senior CLASS Award finalist and was honored as the 2022 Warrior Award winner. She ranks in the top 10 in career numbers at Marshall in 18 categories and is the all-time leader in walks (170).
Pye has been doing damage at the plate for the Herd since she made the transfer to Marshall prior to the 2020 season. The slugger was named First Team All-Conference in 2021, and finally getting a chance to play a full season, Pye has continued to mash in 2022 at a record pace. The Stockton, California, native is tied with Stevenson for the lead in home runs with 18 and is second in hits (55), RBI (48), slugging percentage (.775) and on base percentage (.443). In less than 100 games in her Marshall career, Pye is tied for fifth all-time in homers (32) and needs just one more RBI to become the 14th member of the 100 RBI Club. This season, Pye went on a tear once getting into league play. Twelve of her 18 bombs have been in conference games including hitting two in a game at WKU and at home versus UTEP. She ranks 10th in the nation in total home runs and 12th in homers per game.
Stevenson has been on a record-breaking pace since joining the Herd as a freshman in 2019. It has continued through this season as the Second-Team All-C-USA selection is tied with Pye for the team lead in homers and leads Marshall with 53 RBI. She is just the third player in team history with two seasons of 50 or more RBI. Against North Texas in the regular season finale, Stevenson went deep for the 58th time in her career to tie the program home run record. Her 18 homers this season is also tied for second-best in team history behind the 20 bombs she launched in 2019. Stevenson has 52 hits, good for third on the team, and leads in doubles (12), slugging percentage (.825) and stolen bases (eight). She has 17 games this season with two or more RBI with a season-best of five at UAB when she launched two home runs. Stevenson was named to the first team in 2019 and second team in 2021.
Owen, another transfer pick-up who joined Marshall in the summer of 2021 shortly after Nester, has been a great addition for the Green & White. Owen has played third base most of the season but can also fill in at catcher. The Mill Spring, N.C., native has been rock solid at the hot corner, adding a powerful bat as well. Owen enters the tournament batting .344 with 45 hits, 31 runs scored, nine doubles, seven home runs, 21 RBI and is slugging .573. She hit .875 during the Thundering Herd March Madness and reached base 10-of-11 times. Owen hit two home runs against Charlotte to help the Herd sweep the series. She smashed two bombs in the home finale versus UTEP as Marshall rebounded from dropping game two to take the series. The transfer from Gardner-Webb also tied a team record scoring four runs, including the game-tying run in the eighth, of the game two win over Charlotte.
Marshall gets started in the Conference USA Tournament, May 11-14, Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT. The Herd earned the No. 4 seed and awaits the winner of No. 5 Florida Atlantic and No. 8 UTSA.
2022 Conference USA Superlatives
Player of The Year: Bailey Vannoy, Charlotte
Pitcher of The Year: Sydney Nester, Marshall
Freshman of the Year: Sierra Sacco, Louisiana Tech
Newcomer of the Year: Sydney Nester, Marshall
Coach of the Year: Josh Taylor, Louisiana Tech
All-Conference USA First Team
C- Stacy Payton, Charlotte
C- Sierra Frazier, UAB*
INF-Kat Ibarra, UTSA
INF- Riley Grunberg, UTSA
INF- Tata Davis, Southern Miss*
INF- Amanda Gonzalez, Louisiana Tech
INF-Aly Harrell, Marshall*
INF-Kailey Gamble, North Texas*
OF- Destini Brown, Southern Miss*
OF- Sierra Sacco, Louisiana Tech
OF- Bailey Vannoy, Charlotte*
OF-Sara Berthiaume, Florida Atlantic
DP/Utility - Saige Pye, Marshall*
P-Shelby Nunn, WKU*
P-Sydney Nester, Marshall
P-Audrey Pickett, LA Tech
All-Conference USA Second Team
C- Randi Drinnon, WKU
C- Brooke Diaz, LATech
INF- Ella Chancey, Charlotte
INF- Autumn Owen, Marshall
INF- Laura Mealer, Middle Tennessee
INF- Taylor Sanders, WKU
INF-MeKayla Frazier, Charlotte
OF- Madie Green, Louisiana Tech
OF- Mya Stevenson, Marshall*
OF- Lexi Cobb, North Texas
OF- Taylor Davis, WKU
DP/Utility -Kylie Neel, Louisiana Tech
P- Lynn Gardner, Florida Atlantic
P- Skylar Savage, North Texas
P- Ashley Peters, North Texas
All-Freshman
Ella Chancey, Charlotte
Sierra Sacco, Louisiana Tech
Anyce Harvey, Middle Tennessee
Laura Mealer, Middle Tennessee
Cierra Simon, North Texas
Skylar Savage, North Texas
Jana Lee, Southern Miss
Emily Dear, UTSA
Camryn Robillard, UTSA
Lindsey Smith, UAB
Randi Drinnon, WKU
*Repeat selections across both teams
