Nine Indians earn MACCC All-Conference postseason honors

FULTON, MS – The Mississippi Association of Community College Conference (MACCC) announced its 2021 softball all-conference teams, highlighted by Pitcher of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year honors going to members of the ICC softball team.

Emily Robinson (Springville, Ala.) was selected as the MACCC Pitcher of the Year after a stellar freshman season. She finished the season with a 9-3 record while leading the nation with nine saves in 29 appearances. Robinson had 87 strikeouts with only 19 walks in 88 innings of work while her 1.59 ERA was the sixth best in the country.

"EmRob had a tremendous year for us this season," said Coach Andy Kirk. "She finished the season leading the nation in saves and in the top five in ERA. In this league, that's an impressive accomplishment but to do it as a freshman is even more impressive."

Kara Hays (Mooreville), Madison Jenkins (Cleveland), McKenzie Patterson (Corinth), and Katie Rutledge (Machester, Tenn.) were selected to the MACCC First Team.

Hays finished the season with a .343 batting average, .425 on-base percentage, and .522 slugging percentage. The catcher had 46 hits with 12 doubles a team-high three triples, and two home runs to go along with 37 runs, 35 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

Jenkins proved to be a duel threat as a pitcher and designated hitter for the Indians. As a pitcher, she went 15-1 on the season with 80 strikeouts and 24 walks. Her 1.93 ERA was the 14th best in the country. At the plate, the freshman had a .267 batting average with a .345 on-base and .396 slugging percentages. She had 27 hits with four home runs, a double, and 10 runs scored.

Patterson had a team-high 26 stolen bases and 65 runs scored during her sophomore season. The center fielder batted .340 with team-best .457 on-base and .556 slugging percentages. She had 49 hits with nine doubles, six home runs, and two triples to go along with 27 RBIs.

Rutledge had a stellar freshman season for the Indians. The left fielder had a team-best .424 batting average to go along with a .435 on-base and .544 slugging percentages. She led the team with 67 hits with 10 doubles, a team-high three triples, and one home run. Rutledge added 44 runs, 31 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases.

The Indians had four players named to the honorable mention list: Madison Burrus (Hernando), Hannah Henry (Brandon), Brianna Posey (Florence, Ala.), and Ivy Watts (Tupelo).

Burrus, a sophomore pitcher, went 8-4 with 39 strikeout and a 4.00 ERA in 68.1 innings pitched and 17 appearances this season.

Henry, a freshman second baseman, batted .397 and had a .451 on-base and .446 slugging percentage. She had 48 hits with two doubles and two triples to go along with 28 runs, 17 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases.

Posey, a sophomore third baseman, hit for .291 with a .348 on-base and .551 on-base percentages. She had 37 hits with a team-best nine home runs and six doubles to go along with 36 RBIs and 23 runs scored.

Watts, a sophomore first baseman, had a .315 batting average to go along with a .365 on-base and .531 slugging percentage. She had 45 hits with a team-high 13 doubles and six home runs. Watts added a team-best 45 RBIs and scored 34 runs while stealing eight bases.

The Indians finished the season 36-9 and won the conference regular season championship after going an impressive 25-3 in league play. They also advanced to the championship game of the conference  tournament and the second round of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.

"I'm extremely proud of all our players for what they were able to accomplish as a team this season," said Kirk. "It's been extremely tough on everyone these last two seasons. They go from losing their senior seasons in high school and freshman seasons here at ICC to battling to earn a regular season championship in the toughest conference in the country. That speaks a lot about them as players but even more about their characters as individuals." 

Coach Andy Kirk, Coach Rick Lawson, and Coach Kelly Beth Ernest were selected as the MACCC Coaching Staff of the Year. The ICC softball coaches earned the same honor in 2018 and 2019 while Coach Kirk was named Mississippi Association of Coaches Softball Coach of the Year in 2019.

"It's a great honor to be chosen the conference Coaching Staff of the Year for the third year in a row," said Kirk. "I am very humbled by this recognition from my peers in the greatest softball league in the nation. It is a testament to all the hard work that the players, managers, and staff have put into this year. I would like to personally thank my assistants and my wife, Dana, for all of their hard work and support this year that helped lead to another MACCC regular season championship."

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