Bogan, Karagiorgis, Elliott Joined by R-MC's Bagley and GC's Hall
FOREST, Va. --- Virginia Wesleyan College hauled in three major awards to headline the 2015 ODAC Softball Awards following a vote of the league's head coaches. Marlins outfielder Courtney Bogan earned ODAC Player of the Year honors, while Kristina Karagiorgis received ODAC Pitcher of the Year recognition for the third time in four years. VWC mentor Brandon Elliott was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year. Randolph-Macon College lefty Nelda Bagley took home ODAC Rookie of the Year laurels, while the league's sports information directors selected Guilford College outfielder Laura Hall as the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete.
Bogan, a junior from Round Hill, Va., has lit up the stat sheets both at the conference and national levels. The Marlins leftfielder currently leads the country with 46 stolen bases and 1.48 steals per game. Both marks lead the ODAC, the latter by 19 swipes over teammate Kayla Malkos. Bogan is batting .505 on the season, which tops the ODAC and ties for 20th nationally. Her 55 hits and .566 on-base percentage also lead the league and she's second with 42 runs scored. Here numbers were even better in the regular season against ODAC foes as she hit .531 (34-for-64) with a .590 OBP. Bogan hit safely in 30-of-35 games played with three hitting streaks between six and nine games apiece. Seven times she stole three or more bases in a game, including four twice.
Karagiorgis, a senior from Ashburn, Va., has put together an outstanding campaign in the circle that stacks up nationally in addition amongst conference hurlers. Karagiorgis owns a 0.51 earned run average, which would break the only single-season record if the season ended today (5/1/15). That mark currently sits second in NCAA Division III. Her record currently stands at 15-3 overall, which includes a perfect 10-0 mark in league play. In 109.1 overall innings pitched, Karagiorgis has fanned 156 batters, which ranks 14th in the nation. She struck out 10 or more batters in a game seven times, including a season-high 13 in a non-conference win over Arcadia. After starting the season 1-2 with a save in her first four appearances, Karagiorgis went on a 14 consecutive start winning streak that nearly spanned two months of the season.
Elliott is in his eighth season guiding the Marlins' softball program and boasts a 256-80 (.762) overall record thru the ODAC Tournament. This honor is the fourth ODAC top coaching award he's enjoyed, adding to the accolades he received in 2011, 2012 and 2014. The Marlins, currently ranked 10th by NCAA Division III by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), were ranked as high as fifth in the country prior to the ODAC Tournament. Elliott's squad entered the conference postseason as the top seed for the fourth straight season after putting together an 18-2 league record. VWC is currently 29-6 with a possible at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament in its future.
Bagley, a freshman from Kenbridge, Va., proved an immediate success for the Yellow Jackets, helping lead them to the program's first conference title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Bagley currently leads the ODAC with a 19-4 record, with the 19 wins tying for seventh in NCAA Division III. That total is also powered by four victories in the conference tournament that resulted in Most Outstanding Player honors. She went 8-4 in league play during the regular season, posting a 2.19 earned run average. In an ODAC-most 153.2 innings of work, Bagley boasts an overall ERA or 1.64 with 155 strikeouts, second most in the league and tied for 15th in the country. She fanned 11 batters in a game three times, marking her season-high.
Hall, a junior from Pittsburgh, Pa., shines on and off the field for the Quakers. In the classroom, Hall owns a 3.88 grade point average as an Elementary Education and English major with a minor in Business. As two-time All-ODAC Academic Team member and five time Guilford Dean's List honoree, Hall has participated in several on-campus ventures include the GC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), serving as a peer tutor, and presenter on kinesthetic learning at the 2014 Guilford Undergraduate Symposium. She also volunteers her time to help new families in the United States, and has served with AmeriCorps. In uniform, the Quakers' centerfielder and leadoff hitter posted .320 batting average against conference competition, stealing 12 bases to lead the squad. She stole 19 bases overall, placing her fifth in the conference.
Listed below are the full All-ODAC Softball Teams. For more information, visit the websites of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow the ODAC on Twitter at @odacathletics.
2015 ALL-ODAC SOFTBALL AWARDS | |||
ODAC Player of the Year: Courtney Bogan, Jr., OF, Virginia Wesleyan | |||
ODAC Pitcher of the Year: Kristina Karagiorgis, Sr., Virginia Wesleyan | |||
ODAC Coach of the Year: Brandon Elliott, Virginia Wesleyan | |||
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Nelda Bagley, Fr., P, Randolph-Macon | |||
ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Laura Hall, Jr., OF, Guilford | |||
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ALL-ODAC FIRST TEAM | |||
Kelly Higbie | P | Sr. | Roanoke |
Kristina Karagiorgis | P | Sr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Madison Gilman | C | Jr. | Randolph-Macon |
Cassetty Howerin | 1B | Fr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Caroline Barnette | 2B | So. | Guilford |
Kayla St. John | 3B | So. | Lynchburg |
Sharese Jarvis | SS | Sr. | Randolph-Macon |
Aislinn Lucas | OF | Jr. | Eastern Mennonite |
Leah Elswick | OF | Fr. | Emory & Henry |
Courtney Bogan | OF | Jr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Lisa Mitro | DP | Sr. | Shenandoah |
Danielle Powell | UT | Jr. | Lynchburg |
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ALL-ODAC SECOND TEAM | |||
Nelda Bagley | P | Fr. | Randolph-Macon |
Mary Shipp | P | Jr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Taylor Galvin | C | Jr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Rachel Howard | 1B | Sr. | Guilford |
Kayla Malkos | 2B | Jr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Kayla Dost | 3B | Jr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Taylor Boyd | SS | So. | Guilford |
Jessi Hall | OF | Sr. | Lynchburg |
Amber Ingram | OF | Sr. | Lynchburg |
Samatha Pearce | OF | Fr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Lauren Seale | DP | Fr. | Eastern Mennonite |
Amanda Sopko | UT | Sr. | Randolph-Macon |
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ALL-ODAC THIRD TEAM | |||
Conner English | P | Fr. | Lynchburg |
Hope Johnson | P | Sr. | Lynchburg |
Olivia Donohue | C | Sr. | Lynchburg |
Hunter Glavé | 1B | So. | Randolph |
Leslie Bourgeois | 2B | Fr. | Lynchburg |
Caley Hodge | 3B | Fr. | Emory & Henry |
Haley Brickles | SS | Fr. | Randolph |
Danielle Loving | OF | Fr. | Emory & Henry |
Sierra Ford | OF | Jr. | Randolph-Macon |
Katie Smith | OF | Fr. | Roanoke |
Brianna Cox | DP | Jr. | Bridgewater |
Liz Bailey | UT | So. | Virginia Wesleyan |