EMU's McCurdy, GC's Hall Take Home Major Honors

FOREST, Va. --- Shenandoah University outfielder Kimberly Brady and Virginia Wesleyan College righty Kandis Kresinske headline the 2016 All-ODAC Softball Awards as the two were named the ODAC Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively. Kresinske added a second honor, doubling as the ODAC Rookie of the Year. Eastern Mennonite University mentor J.D. McCurdy earned ODAC Coach of the Year laurels, while Guilford College outfielder Laura Hall picked up her second straight ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete award.

This season's all-conference squads are split just about 50/50 between upper and underclassman, although the list does include 12 seniors that are making their final appearance.  Fifteen standouts are repeat honorees from a season ago, including six on the All-ODAC First Team. Virginia Wesleyan first baseman Cassetty Howerin and outfielder Courtney Bogan -- the 2015 ODAC Player of the Year -- and Randolph-Macon College catcher Madison Gilman were first team choices last year.  Marlins' pitcher Mary Shipp moved up from the All-ODAC Second Team, while Emory & Henry College designated player Caley Hodge and Lynchburg College second baseman Leslie Bourgeois made the leap from the All-ODAC Third Team.

Brady, a senior from Gainesville, Va., racked up impressive numbers against ODAC foes during the regular season.  She finished second in batting average (.526) and on-base percentage (.550), while leading the league with a .965 slugging percentage, 55 total bases, and three triples.  Her 30 hits were the second-most against conference pitchers, while her five homeruns ranked third.  Overall, Brady hit .484 with a .530 OBP and an .861 slugging percentage.  She belted 10 homers and collected 105 total bases. She hit safely in 34-of-38 games played with 17 multi-hit outings.  Brady opened the season with a 17-game hitting streak, which stretched to 19 games when combined with the final two contests of the 2015 season.  She also went on a 10-game run late in the schedule.

Kresinske, a freshman from Chesapeake, Va., solidified the nationally third-ranked Marlins pitching staff with a stellar first season of collegiate ball. She made nine starts against ODAC foes, winning each of them and posting a league-best 0.38 earned run average in 56.0 innings in the circle. She registered seven complete games and five shutouts, both conference-highs, and struck out 58 batters.  Opponents hit just .107 against her, the top mark in the league.  Overall, Kresinske's record stands at 18-1 with a 1.07 earned run average as Virginia Wesleyan prepares to enter the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. She's worked 117.1 total frames with 11 complete games and seven shutouts.  She has struck out 112 batters and walked just 30.  She issued only 10 free passes in league play.

McCurdy is in the midst of his 13th season guiding the Royals' softball program.  This season's ODAC top coaching award is his third overall, joining the honors he received in 2007 and 2010.  EMU set a program record for wins this season, posting 31 victories following its sixth appearance in an ODAC title game in this year's tournament.  The Royals have won 15 more games overall in 2016 than in 2015, including an improvement of four victories in league play on the way to the second seed in the ODAC tournament.  EMU leads the league in several offensive statistical categories including batting average (.355), hits (446), runs (295), homers (33), doubles (80), and RBI (267).  McCurdy owns a 286-208-1 (.579) career record as he and his Royals await a possible at-large selection into the NCAA Tournament field.

Hall, a senior from Pittsburgh, Pa., adds this award to an All-ODAC Third Team selection this season.  In the classroom, Hall owns a 3.91 grade point average as an Elementary Education and English major.  A three-time All-ODAC Academic Team member and seven-time Guilford Dean's List honoree, the Quakers' centerfielder 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 spent two summers teaching local immigrants with AmeriCorps in addition to working with her local church nursery.  She created a resource website for multicultural children's literature, and spent the 2015 fall semester as a long-term substitute teacher at Guilford Elementary.  On the field, the Quakers all-time leader in steals (57) hit .365 with an ODAC fifth-best 20 stolen bases.  She hit safely in 26 games played with 11 multi-hit contests.

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.