Marshall University Athletics
Marshall’s Coleman Named to NFCA All-Region First Team
5/18/2023 3:00:00 PM | Softball
Herd softball earns four Central All-Region Team honors
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Marshall sophomore Alex Coleman became the 25th player in program history to earn First Team All-Region honors after being named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Central All-Region First Team, which was announced on Thursday.
Coleman was one of four players honored as NFCA All-Region honorees for the Central Region, which spans from Texas and Oklahoma to Virginia and the Carolinas while including top-tier programs such as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas.
In addition to Coleman, Sydney Nester and Autumn Owen were named Second Team All-Region members with outfielder Grace Chelemen being named Third Team All-Region for the Central Region.
Coleman finished the 2023 season as the conference leader with 79 hits and 1.11 runs per game scored - both figures that ranked in the top-10 nationally. The speedy sophomore leadoff hitter for Marshall had 42 steals on the season, which finished sixth in the NCAA. The Asheboro, N.C. native finished second in the conference in batting average (.427). Coleman had 22 multi-hit games for the Herd, and 11 games with more than one stolen base.
Sydney Nester became the second pitcher in program history to record multiple 25+ win seasons (Jordan Dixon). The redshirt senior recorded one of the best seasons in Marshall softball program history, winning 26 games, striking out 234 batters, and finishing with a 1.07 ERA, all of which led the Sun Belt, earning Nester the league's Pitching Triple Crown title. Nester started all three games in the SBC Softball Championship, allowing just three earned runs in 21 innings, which also garnered All-Tournament Team honors.
Autumn Owen finished as the conference leader in home runs (19), runs batted in (71), and batting average (.444), earning her the Batting Triple Crown distinction. Owen had 22 multi-hit games in 2023, including seven games with three hits. She also had 22 multi-RBI games with 12 contests of at least three runs batted in and three games with four RBI. The junior slugged five home runs in a weekend at the Liberty Classic from Feb. 24-26, the most in a single weekend in program history.
Grace Cheleman finished her final season with a number of career-bests, including a .377 average, 60 hits, and 55 runs batted in. The fifth-year senior hit Marshall's way into the SBC semifinals with a go-ahead RBI ground-rule double. Chelemen earned All-Tournament team honors. With her Marshall career complete, Chelemen was recently named the manager of the Music City Collegiate League's Smoky Mountain Rain.
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---HerdZone.com---
