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Crowder quartet earns NFCA all-region

Source: https://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20190606/SPORTS/190609563

By Brock SisneyPosted at 4:05 AM

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced its all-region teams for NJCAA Division I on Tuesday and the Crowder Lady Roughriders earned four nods in the Midwest Region.

Sophomore pitcher Maddy Prough and sophomore outfielder Payton Wildeman earned first team and freshman pitcher Bailey Buffington and sophomore infielder Lexi McClellan second.

Crowder finished with a 54-5 overall record and ranked No. 9 in the nation. The Lady ’Riders won their second Region 16 title in three seasons.

Prough, who received Region 16 player of the year honors, came through with a 22-1 overall record and a 0.99 ERA. She recorded 149 strikeouts and 29 walks over 141 innings with 14 complete games and two saves among her other pitching numbers.

Prough led the nation in ERA. Florida Southwestern’s Kelsi Collins finished second at 1.15.

Prough competed her freshman season at NCAA Division I Central Arkansas, where she went 3-3 overall with a 2.85 ERA and 25 strikeouts and 17 walks over 34 1/3 innings for the Lady Bears. Prough’s Central Arkansas teammates included former Crowder standout Oakley Sisemore, daughter of Crowder head coach John Sisemore.

Wildeman hit .433 (81 for 187) with 61 runs scored, 19 doubles, nine triples, nine home runs, 54 RBI, 11 walks and eight strikeouts, and 10 stolen bases. Wildeman’s 37 extra base hits contributed to a team-high .775 slugging percentage.

Wildeman tied for fourth in the nation in triples with Tyler’s Brecklyn Dennis, Lake Land’s Frankie Izard, Iowa Western’s Lily Gregory, and Central Arizona’s Makiya Thomas. Dennis and Izard joined Wildeman on the NFCA all-region first team. National triples leader Tiler Noyola (Temple) made second team.

Wildeman played her freshman season at NCAA Division II Southwest Baptist. In 51 games played, Wildeman hit .250 (40-160) with four homers and 23 RBI, as well as 13 steals in 14 attempts.

Buffington finished her first collegiate season with a 22-3 overall record and a 1.70 ERA with 187 strikeouts and 22 walks over 152 innings. She formed a formidable 1-2 in the circle with Prough.

Buffington led Crowder with 16 complete games, two more than Prough.

Buffington tied for 16th nationally in strikeouts with Collins, Three Rivers’ Abbey Gann, and Chattanooga State’s Brooke Parrott.

Buffington and Prough combined for 44 victories and their 22 victories individually made them each finish in a tie for 13th place nationally. Nine pitchers reached that number of victories.

McClellan, who missed six games late in the season due to injury, finished with a .441 average (78-177) with 61 runs scored, nine doubles, four titles, 26 RBI, 11 walks and 24 strikeouts, and 39 stolen bases.

McClellan and Wildeman combined for 122 runs scored and the sophomore duo accounted for 27.4 percent of the team’s 446 runs.

McClellan returned to the lineup for the Region 16 tournament.

McClellan and Wildeman helped Crowder rank 16th in team batting average (.376), 17th in on-base percentage (.446), and 21st in runs scored.

The NFCA announced its All-America teams on Thursday.

2019 NFCA NJCAA DIVISION I ALL-REGION SOFTBALL

MIDWEST REGION

FIRST TEAM

P: Maddy Prough, Crowder

P: McKenna Fryar, Angelina

P: Breanna Hernandez, Temple

C: Savanna Parker, Temple

C: Mandi Ward, Western Oklahoma

IF: Nikki Whitehead, Angelina

IF: Marilyn Alvarado, Western Oklahoma

IF: Brecklyn Dennis, Tyler

IF: Sarah Koeppen, Navarro

IF: Kaylee Ancelot, Angelina

OF: Tanjala Smith, Tyler

OF: Frankie Izard, Lake Land

OF: Payton Wildeman, Crowder

OF: Jazmine Dodd, Tyler

DP: Brette Kohring, Angelina

UT: Deja Tapia, Laredo

SECOND TEAM

P: Bailey Buffington, Crowder

P: Madison Love, State Fair

P: Abrienne Lee, Lake Land

C: Makayla Rodger, Angelina

C: Ariana Saenz, San Jacinto-South

C: Gracie King, Three Rivers

IF: Alyssa Escamilla, Temple

IF: Lexi McClellan, Crowder

IF: Delanie Johnson, Lake Land

IF: Ashley Rosado, Southeastern

IF: Kimber Cortemelia, Blinn

OF: Jade Miller, Grayson

OF: Lily Gregory, Iowa Western

OF: Jada Woolley, Navarro

OF: Tiler Noyola, Temple

DP: Amaya Eubanks, Lake Land

UT: Britni Hunt, Lamar State-Port Arthur