Five Softball Players Named NFCA All-Region
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Five South Carolina softball players were named to the Mid-Atlantic All-Region Team as announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Thursday (May 15).
Jori Heard, Arianna Rodi, and Lexi Winters were named to the second team, while Sam Gress and Quincee Lilio were named to the third team. The five honorees for the Gamecocks are the most since 1997 when six players earned All-Region honors.
The award honors softball 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 (eight maximum) and voted for the teams. All awarded student-athletes now become eligible for the 2025 NFCA Division I All-America squads.
A junior pitcher, Heard finished the regular season leading Carolina with 16 wins in the circle over 38 appearances. In 124 innings pitched, Heard led the team with a 2.71 ERA and 103 strikeouts. She threw three shutouts on the season and recorded two saves.
Rodi earned her second NFCA All-Region honor after being named to the first team a season ago at Charlotte. The junior first baseman set a pair of South Carolina records with 16 home runs and 46 walks. She hit a home run in five straight games earlier this year, which is tied for the 14th longest streak in NCAA Division I history. Her 37 game on-base streak is the fourth longest streak in Division I this season. She ranks 10th in the Division I with 0.88 walks per game. Rodi’s 50 RBIs rank fifth in program history. She is batting .333 with 37 runs score and eight doubles, while slugging .739 with a .489 on-base percentage. At first base, she has a .994 fielding percentage and leads the team with 22 double plays.
Winters, a junior catcher, has played in all 55 games, starting 45 behind the dish. She is second on the team with 45 RBIs, which ranks eighth all-time in program history. Her five home runs and .528 slugging percentage are also second on the team. She has a .325 batting average, 22 runs scored, and 13 doubles for the season. Behind the plate she has thrown out eight attempted base stealers.
The right-handed pitching Gress adds to her NFCA All-Region honors, having earned second team honors last season and first team honors in 2023 at Charlotte. It’s her second postseason accolade after being to the All-SEC Second Team. A graduate student, she leads the SEC and is 13th in the nation with five saves. She also leads the team with five complete games. Gress is second on the team with 12 wins, 94 strikeouts, and a 3.12 ERA. On the season, she has 39 appearances over 130 innings with one shutout.
Lilio leads the team with a .373 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage after starting the season on a 19-game hitting streak. The redshirt-junior has started all 55 games in centerfield. She is second on the team with 62 hits, 46 runs scored, and 43 walks. She ranks 25th in the nation in walks per game, while her total walks also broke the previous program record. She also has 12 doubles and 28 RBIs for the year. In 73 chance in the outfield she has yet to record an error on the season.
For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.
