LOUSIVILLE, Ky. -- Three Penn College Softball student-athletes were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region IV Second Team, announced by the organization Friday afternoon. The Wildcats' sophomore trio of
Mackenzi Tice (Mansfield, Pa.),
Payton Crawford (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and
Ryleigh Rinker (Poway, Calif.) earned their first career All-Region selections and were three of 386 Division III selections.
This marks the third time in program history the Wildcats earned three All-Region selections - 2022 & 2024 - and the first time with three second team selections.
The awards honor student-athletes from the Association's 10 regions with selection to one of three teams. NFCA member head coaches nominate and then vote for the winners in their respective region. Coaches may nominate a maximum of eight players from their squad.
As the United East Conference Pitcher of the Year and first team all-conference section, Tice led the conference in every pitching category this season to earn First-Team All-Conference honors. Tice holds top-10 Division III marks in innings pitched (168.1), strikeouts (196), wins (22), complete games (21) and shutouts (8). She holds a 1.79 ERA and .195 opponent batting average while rewriting the program's single-season wins, innings pitched and strikeouts records this season. Tice reached double-digit strikeouts in a single game on six different occasions, including a season-high 12 Ks against Penn State Altoona and notched her 200th and 300th career strikeouts during the season. Tice is already in second all-time with 359 Ks and fourth with 34 victories.
A two-time United East All-Conference selection, Crawford is hitting a blistering .440, and a .766 slugging percentage. She set a new program single-season marks with 18 doubles, six home runs and 47 RBIs while her 62 hits are just four hits shy of breaking another single-season record. Crawford collected her 100th career hit in the United East Quarterfinals against Penn State Abington earlier this month. Her 18 doubles rank 21st among NCAA Division III
Rinker has led the Wildcats all season with a .442 batting average, she piled up 53 hits, five doubles, and one home run on the season. She also recorded 15 RBIs and scored 25 times on the season. Rinker's batting average sits 75th in Division III and she's fourth in the team in hits.
All honorees move forward to be considered for selection for the three NFCA Division III All-America squads, which will be announced May 27 on NFCA.org and the Association's social media accounts.
