SPARTANBURG, S.C. – To headline the All-Southern Conference selections for the Samford Softball team, freshman designated player Olivia Shaw was named Co-Freshman of the Year when the league released its postseason awards on Tuesday. 
 
In total six Bulldogs landed on the All-SoCon teams with two on the first team, three on the second team and a pair on the All-Freshman squad. 
 
Catcher Logan Champion and outfielder McKayla Cothran earned first team honors. Pitcher McKenzie Newcomb, infielder Sarah Squillace and Shaw landed on the second team with Katie Campbell joining Shaw on the All-Freshman team.
 
During her freshman campaign, Shaw started 50 of Samford's 51 games and ranked second on the Bulldogs with a batting average of .329. The Hoschton, Georgia native collected three home runs and drove in 19 runs on the year. Shaw's season was highlighted in the upset win over No. 18 Mississippi State when the freshman went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and the game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the seventh.
 
From the top of the Bulldog lineup, Cothran paced the Bulldog attack with a team-best .360 batting average. The senior's batting average ranked sixth-best in the SoCon while her 63 total hits placed her fourth in the conference. 
 
Champion started all 51 games behind the plate for Samford and batted .319 while ranking second on the squad with five home runs and 27 RBIs. Champion enters the SoCon Tournament ranked 23rd in the country having thrown out 13 runners on the base paths this season. 
 
After missing 27 games in the heart of the season, Newcomb returned with vengeance over the final month to post an 8-3 record and a 3.22 ERA on the year. Since the beginning of April, the junior has gone 7-1 with a 2.32 era with 48 strikeouts in 48.1 innings pitched. 
 
A mainstay in the middle infield for the Bulldogs, Squillace got the starting nod in 50 games this season. On the year, the junior slashed .320 at the plate to rank third on the team in batting average. 
 
On the freshman team, Campbell turned in one of the most impressive freshman campaigns by any first-year Bulldog in program history. The native of Cape Coral, Florida smashed 13 home runs, which ranks third-most in Samford history, and a program record 49 RBIs.
 
The Bulldogs will face the winner of Western Carolina and Furman on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT in the second round of the SoCon 2024 Softball Championship.
 
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