by ADA – The East Central University softball team saw six student-athletes named to the 2017 All-Great American Conference Softball teams, as announced at the banquet before the 2017 GAC Championship Tournament, May 4-6 in Bentonville, Ark.
The Tigers were represented on the All-GAC First Team by junior Alissa Taylor (Mvskoke Creek Nation), saw sophomores Mariah Ewy and Aundrea Hamric on the second team and senior Kelbie Crelia, junior Claresha Clemons and sophomore Breecia Crawford as honorable mentions.
Taylor led the Tigers during the 2017 regular-season, with a .401 batting average, 75 hits, 18 runs, 16 doubles, six home runs and 27 RBIs. Taylor started in all 55 games on the season and added 355 putouts and 18 assisted outs.
The Tigers will be making their sixth-straight trip to the GAC Championship Tournament, in six years of the league.
The Tigers finished the 2017 regular season with a 31-24 overall record and a 22-21 mark in the league to earn the No. 5 spot. ECU will face a very familiar opponent in No. 4 Arkansas-Monticello who the Tigers just finished going 3-1 in a four-game series with last weekend.
ECU will play its first game of the tournament, Thursday, May 4 at 1 p.m. against the Cotton Blossoms (33-21, 26-16) at Bentonville West. A win would put them in the 6 p.m. game at Tiger Athletic Complex and a loss would mean playing at 6 p.m. at Memorial Park.
