OGDEN, Utah – The Big Sky Conference announced the members of the 2018 softball All-Conference team Tuesday morning and four Thunderbirds earned All-Conference honors.
Sarah Murphy was named to the Big Sky All-Conference First Team after a stellar senior season in which she hit .388 overall and .403 against Big Sky opponents. The 2017 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year continued to dominate Big Sky opponents at the plate in 2018, leading the conference in slugging percentage (.935), home runs (8), doubles (9), and total bases (58). She also finished second in hits (25). The senior also only committed one error in 34 games as the Thunderbirds’ starting center fielder.
Kalei Watkins was named to the Big Sky All-Conference Second Team after putting together what was arguably the best freshman season in the conference. Watkins played in all 47 games during the season and hit .360 to finish second on the team behind Murphy. She finished fourth in the Big Sky Conference with her .360 batting average, finished third with nine home runs, and was sixth in RBIs with 30 on the season.
Taylei Williams and Kendall Kapitzke were both named to the Big Sky All-Conference Honorable Mention team after they both finished in the top-15 in the conference in batting average. Williams hit .338 in her first season as a Thunderbird and finished second in the conference in triples with four. Kapitzke finished with a .323 batting average and found herself in the top five in almost every category on the team.
All four honorees helped Southern Utah lead the Big Sky Conference in slugging percentage (.445) and home runs (41).
Story by:
SUU Athletics Strategic Communication
