Lenoir-Rhyne softball players Avery Kiger and Lani Warren each have been named to the Division II National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics All-Region team.
This is the second all-region honor this year for both Kiger and Warren. They were each named to the National Fastpitch Association All-Region Second Team last week. Madison Primm was also named to the NFCA team.
Warren is second on the team with a .421 batting average and 14 home runs. The sophomore from Forest City, N.C., was also named to the All-SAC First Team and the SAC All-Tournament team. She started and played in all 57 games this season, totaling 77 hits, 58 RBIs, and 44 runs scored.
Kiger has been a welcome addition to the team this year, as she won the SAC Freshman of the Year award. The first baseman finished the season with a .392 average with 13 home runs, 56 RBIs, 39 runs, and 18 doubles. She hit the go ahead home run in the SAC Championship game to take down Wingate.
Primm ranked fourth in the nation with 18 home runs and led the Bears with a .440 average. She also had 56 RBIs, scored 51 runs and drew 20 walks for the Bears. She was a second-team All-SAC honoree.
Softball comes up short at regionals
The Bears’ season came to an end on Sunday as North Georgia ended their bid to advance to a second-straight Super Regional with a 6-4 win. The Bears took a 4-2 lead in the third inning, but the Nighthawks answered with three runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead and advance.
LR finished the season 38-19, 16-8 in conference play. They were 25-7 at home in their first season at LR’s new softball facility.
LR won the South Atlantic Conference tournament with a 2-0 sweep of Wingate in the final series on May 2 and 3. They advanced to the second round of the Southeast regionals, where they fell to North Georgia two games to one.
Baseball earns No. 3 seed
Despite coming up short in the SAC tournament championship series against Catawba, the Lenoir-Rhyne baseball team has earned a No. 3 seed in the Southeast Region.
It is the third time in LR baseball history that the team has earned a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The Bears will face off against No. 6 seed North Georgia on Thursday at 3 p.m. The Nighthawks are 39-15 and fell in the semifinals of the Peach Belt Tournament to Columbus State last Monday.
Lenoir-Rhyne sits at 43-12. The Bears advanced to the SAC Championship series where they were swept by Catawba.
