Four Earn NFCA All Region Honors
Four Earn NFCA All Region Honors
Complete NFCA Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Four Western Athletic Conference softball players were recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as All-Region honorees.
The award honors student-athletes from the Association’s 10 regions with first, second and third-team selections. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region nominated student-athletes and voted for the teams. All awarded student-athletes now become eligible for the 2022 NFCA Division I All-America squads.
Gianna Nicoletti from Grand Canyon led the group of four by earning first-team accolades. The outfielder’s 51 stolen bases are second in the nation. During the last weekend of regular season play, she set the WAC record for stolen bases in a season with her 47th swipe. The previous record stood for 25 years and was previously held by Utah’s Sandy Rhea. At the plate her .406 batting average ranks among the top-50 in the country. Moreover, she was seventh in the nation by scoring 1.17 each game.
Seattle U’s Carley Nance was recognized as a second-team selection. The conference’s Player of the Year did everything for the Redhawks this season. As a hitter she posted a .624 slugging percentage while getting on-base at a .403 clip. She was second in the WAC with 15 homeruns while leading the league with 58 RBI. Inside the circle, Nance was first in the WAC with a 2.11 ERA while recording eight wins and a pair of saves in 21 appearances. The lefthander was ninth in the conference with 100 strikeouts.
Olivia Viggiano and Katelyn Dunckel rounded out the group of four from the league with a pair of third-team honors. Viggiano led the Redhawks in batting average (.317) and stolen bases (10) while scoring 36 runs. She was a WAC all-defensive team selection this season. Dunckel was a first-team all-conference selection after posting a .403 batting average and registering 55 RBI. She ranked fourth in the WAC with a .481 on-base percentage.
The 2022 NFCA Division I All-America teams, voted on by the NFCA DI All-American Committee, will be announced on Wednesday, June 1.