Marshall University Athletics
Herd’s Bickel Named SBC Newcomer of The Year
5/9/2023 3:00:00 PM | Softball
No. 2 Seed Marshall leads Sun Belt with five First-Team selections
NEW ORLEANS – Marshall University softball racked up plenty of Sun Belt Conference accolades, highlighted by shortstop Sydney Bickel being named the 2023 SBC Newcomer of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Bickel was also one of five Marshall players to be named to the 2023 All-Sun Belt First Team, joining teammates Autumn Owen, Sydney Nester, Grace Chelemen and Alex Coleman. The five First-Team selections led all Sun Belt schools.
"This is a well deserved honor for these five amazing young women and I am so proud of them," Marshall head coach Megan Smith Lyon said. "We know how special they are and I am grateful that the other coaches in the Sun Belt recognized that. I am excited to see what they and our team do this week in Lafayette."
Sydney Bickel made an immediate impact as a junior transfer from Louisville, starting all 52 games. Bickel has turned seven double plays at shortstop with 102 assists and 66 putouts. Using her speed in the two-hole, Bickel leads the conference with seven triples (3rd in NCAA) and is fifth in the conference with 60 hits while batting .384 on the year. Bickel is also in the top-10 in the conference with 19 stolen bases.
Autumn Owen has put together quite the 2023 season, leading the Sun Belt in several statistical categories, including slugging percentage (.917), batting average (.451), home runs (19), RBI (70), walks (38) and total bases (132). Her 70 RBIs are also a Marshall single-season record and her batting average is 13th nationally. Owen has 22 multi-hit games, 22 multi-RBI games, seven games with at least three hits, 12 games with at least three RBIs and three games with four RBIs on the year.
Sydney Nester has recorded one of the best seasons in Marshall softball history in the circle while earning the unofficial pitching triple crown in the Sun Belt. Nester leads the Sun Belt in ERA (1.08, No. 8 in NCAA), strikeouts (218, No. 11 in NCAA), innings pitched (208) and wins (25). Nester has made 35 appearances, including 31 starts, in the circle this season for the Thundering Herd.
Grace Chelemen is third in the SBC in batting average at .393 – a number that rose to the .400 mark in 22 conference games. The fifth-year senior has eight home runs and 54 RBIs on the season while also showcasing her all-around ability. Of her 59 hits, 21 have been for extra bases (eight HRs, eight doubles, five triples) and she has added 22 steals in 23 attempts. Defensively, she sports a .981 fielding percentage with 50 putouts and an outfield assist to her credit.
Alex Coleman leads the Sun Belt in both hits (76) and runs scored (97). The speedy sophomore leadoff hitter for Marshall has 41 steals and is second in batting average (.432). Her on-base percentage of .471 is second in the SBC. Coleman has 21 multi-hit games for the Herd, and 11 games with multiple stolen bases.
Marshall (43-9) enters this week's Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Lafayette, Louisiana, as the No. 2 seed after a season in which they set the program record for wins. The Thundering Herd also received 18 votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.
2023 Sun Belt Softball Postseason Awards
Player of the Year: Karly Heath, Louisiana (SR, OF - Alvin, Texas)
Pitcher of the Year: Olivia Lackie, South Alabama (JR, P - Walker, La.)
Newcomer of the Year - Sydney Bickel, Marshall (JR, SS - Peoria, Ariz.)
Freshman of the Year: Mihyia Davis, Louisiana (FR, OF - Lovelady, Texas)
Coach of the Year: Becky Clark, South Alabama
First Team
Olivia Lackie, South Alabama (JR, P - Walker, La.)
Sydney Nester, Marshall (R-SR, P - Hillsville, Va.)
Hannah Shifflett, James Madison (GR, 1B - North Garden, Va.)
KK Mathis, James Madison (FR, 2B - West Chester, Ohio)
Sydney Bickel, Marshall (JR, SS - Peoria, Ariz.)
Meredith Keel, South Alabama (GS, 3B - Ashville, Ohio)
Autumn Owen, Marshall (JR, C - Mill Spring, N.C.)
Iyanla De Jesus, Coastal Carolina (SR, DP - Mill Creek, Wash.)
Karly Heath, Louisiana (SR, OF - Alvin, Texas)
Mihyia Davis, Louisiana (FR, OF - Lovelady, Texas)
Victoria Ortiz, South Alabama (R-SR, OF - Mobile, Ala.)
Jessica Mullins, Texas State (JR, P - Tarkington, Texas)
Lauren Allred, Louisiana (FR, 1B - Texarkana, Texas)
Alex Coleman, Marshall (SO, OF - Asheboro, N.C.)
Grace Chelemen, Marshall (5th, OF - Woodhaven, Mich.)
Second-Team
Meghan Schorman, Louisiana (SR, P - Hazelwood, Mo.)
Jenna Hardy, South Alabama (SR, P - Whitehouse, Ohio)
Libby Baker, Troy (JR, 1B - Skipperville, Ala.)
Taylor McKinney, Troy (SO, 2B - Montgomery, Ala.)
Alexa Langeliers, Louisiana (SO, SS - Keller, Texas)
Sara Vanderford, Texas State (SR, 3B - Pasadena, Texas)
Sophie Piskos, Louisiana (JR, C - Paris, Tenn.)
Kelly Horne, Troy (SR, DP - Tallahassee, Fla.)
Emily Brown, Georgia State (SR, OF - Suwanee, Ga.)
Mackenzie Brasher, South Alabama (SR, OF - Orange Beach, Ala.)
Kayt Houston, App State (JR, OF - Rock Hill, S.C.)
Hannah Borden, Southern Miss (SR, C - Trussville, Ala.)
Sam Landry, Louisiana (SO, P - Mont Belvieu, Texas)
Emma Davis, Georgia Southern (FR, OF - Grayson, Ga.)
Leanna Johnson, Troy (SR, P - Brantley, Ala.)
Diamond Williams, Coastal Carolina (SR, OF - Evans, Ga.)
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