Jacksonville University sophomore pitcher Jacy Harrelson and freshman center fielder Jaida Thomas were among the ASUN’s postseason award winners, announced on May 5 by the conference.
Harrelson was voted Pitcher of the Year and Thomas Freshman of the Year. They also made the All-ASUN first team, along with teammate Sarah Beth Brake at catcher.
Harrelson, from Warner Robbins, Ga., is 20-7 (10-2 in the ASUN) with a 2.32 ERA overall and 1.91 in the conference. She held opponents to a .193 batting average. Harrelson is the first JU Pitcher of the Year since Sarah Sigrest in 2011.
Thomas, from Wesley Chapel, is second on the Dolphins with a .367 average and led the conference in triples with seven. She is second in the league and leads JU with 49 runs and leads JU with 14 stolen bases in 18 attempts. The last time a JU player earned Freshman of the Year was Shannon Jensen in 2005.
Stetson junior Nicole Edmiaston was voted the Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. She enters this week’s ASUN Tournament at the University of North Florida leading the ASUN with a .457 average, 21 home runs, 63 RBI, a .922 slugging percentage and .557 on-base percentage.
On defense, she made only four errors handling 370 chances at first base, for a .989 fielding percentage.
Austin Peay first baseman Sammie Shelander was named the Defensive Player of the Year. She is currently the only conference player with at least 250 putouts with no errors.
Shellie Cousins of Stetson was named the Coach of the Year after leading the Hatters to a 33-20 overall record and an 18-6 mark in conference play. The Hatters lead the ASUN in batting average, runs, hits, home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage set program single-season records in batting average, home runs, RBIs and grand slams.
UNF pitcher Cameron Ponich (15-4, 1.73) and outfielder Hallie Langford (.367, 34 stolen bases) are on the All-ASUN second team. Osprey shortstop Bella Cimino (.327, 14 homers, 57 RBI) and utility player Addie Keef (.390, 23 stolen bases) are on the third team.
JU catcher/utility player Emma Mansfield (.295) joined Thomas on the All-Freshman team.
UNF players Ponich, Taylor Cook, Macie Hunolt, Grace Shaw and Taylor Shepard; and JU’s Harrelson, Tatum McCool of St. Augustine, Alison Carter, Lindsey Chadwick and Alayna Gaddy made the ASUN All-Academic team.
Olivia Black of Florida Gulf Coast is the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, with a 4.0 GPA in a Masters program for Forensi Studies, with a concentration in Human Identity and Trauma Analysis.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: JU’s Jacy Harrelson, Jaida Thomas earn ASUN postseason awards
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
