Marshall University Athletics
Diamond Leslie Named to All-Sun Belt First Team
5/6/2025 3:00:00 PM | Softball
Haleigh Adkins earns Second Team honors
NEW ORLEANS — Marshall Softball had two players named by the Sun Belt Conference as all-league members Tuesday. Freshman Diamond Leslie was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team in the outfield, becoming Marshall's seventh player to earn the top SBC Postseason status.
Sophomore Haleigh Adkins earned the title of All-SBC Second Team at shortstop, where she played the majority of games this season.
Leslie has had a freshman season to remember, leading the Herd with a .391 average, 39 RBI and three triples. All three marks are in the Top-10 in the SBC. Leslie has had a team-leading 17 multi-hit games with a four hit performance coming against South Alabama on April 13. Her four hit outing was part of an exceptional weekend at South Alabama, when she had eight hits in 11 at-bats (.727) with three home runs and nine RBI across the three games. She has had 10 multi-RBI games including two five-RBI contests. Diamond has had seven home runs including a grand slam against Texas State on March 28. With the ability to have a clutch hit, Leslie hit a two-run home run when her team was trailing by a run in the 7th inning of the team's win at JMU (March 21.
She is the first Marshall freshman since Mya Stevenson to earn a First Team All-Conference accolade.
Adkins has had a breakout sophomore season and her first at Marshall. Adkins is second on the team with nine home runs, the first nine of her career. The Lincoln County native has six doubles and two triples as part of her 32 hits. Defensively, she has 90 assists including a program-record nine assists in the team's win over Ohio on March 19.
2025 Sun Belt Conference Softball Postseason Awards
Player of the Year: Aiyana Coleman, Texas State (Jr., 1B – College Station, Texas)
Pitcher of the Year: Nicolette Picone, Coastal Carolina (Sr., LHP – Bethpage, N.Y.)
Freshman of the Year: Emily Smith, Louisiana (Fr., 1B – Kountze, Texas)
Newcomer of the Year: Aiyana Coleman, Texas State (Jr., 1B – College Station, Texas)
Coach of the Year: Molly Fichtner, ULM
All-Sun Belt First Team
P Madison Azua, Texas State (So., LHP – Round Rock, Texas)
P Maddie Johnson, Georgia Southern (Fr., RHP – Athens, Ga.)
P Nicolette Picone, Coastal Carolina (Sr., LHP – Bethpage, N.Y.)
C Megan Kelnar, Texas State (Jr., C – Kyle, Texas)
1B Aiyana Coleman, Texas State (Jr., 1B – College Station, Texas)
2B Morgan Brown, ULM (R-Fr., 2B – Katy, Texas)
2B Makayla McClain, App State (Jr., 2B – Liberty, N.C.)
3B Olivia Branstetter, South Alabama (So., 3B – Liberty, Mo.)
SS Grace Barrett, App State (So., SS – Milton, Ga.)
OF Meagan Brown, ULM (So., OF – Katy, Texas)
OF Hannah Christian, Southern Miss (Fr., OF – Hoover, Ala.)
OF Diamond Leslie, Marshall (Fr., OF – Alpharetta, Ga.)
OF Brooklin Lippert, ULM (So., OF – Loganville, Ga.)
OF Taylor McKinney, Troy (Sr., OF – Montgomery, Ala.)
DP Payton List, James Madison (R-So., DP – Beaver, Pa.)
All-Sun Belt Second Team
P Alana Barnard, Georgia Southern (Jr., RHP – Statesboro, Ga.)
P Alyssa Faircloth, Troy (So., LHP – Northport, Ala.)
P Sophie Moshos, App State (Jr., LHP – Brazil, Ind.)
C Maddie Jennings, Coastal Carolina (Sr., C – Belton, S.C.)
1B Georgia Hood, Coastal Carolina (Jr., 1B – Mount Gambier, Australia)
1B Emily Smith, Louisiana (Fr., 1B – Kountze, Texas)
1B Gabby Stagner, South Alabama (Sr., 1B – Mobile, Ala.)
2B Keirstin Roose, Coastal Carolina (Sr., 2B – Wolcottville, Ind.)
3B Sam Roe, Louisiana (Sr., 3B – Destin, Fla.)
SS Haleigh Adkins, Marshall (So., SS – Hamlin, W.Va.)
SS Delanie Thames, Georgia Southern (So., SS – Statesboro, Ga.)
OF Kayla Falterman, Louisiana (Sr., OF – The Woodlands, Texas)
OF Maddie Hayden, Louisiana (Sr., OF – West Monroe, La.)
OF McKinnon Howard, Troy (So., OF – Smiths Station, Ala.)
DP Layla Thompson, ULM (Sr., DP – Gonzales, La.)
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