Starkville, Miss.----Wingate University junior outfielder LaRonda McClain (Kings Mountain, N.C.) earned NFCA  All-Southeast Region first team honors, while junior right-hander Brittany Blankenship (Midlothian, Va.) earned Daktronics All-Southeast Region second team accolades, officials announced this week. Both players earn all-region laurels for the second consecutive season.

McClain led the Bulldogs with her .377 batting average. She also led the way with 63 hits, 39 runs scored and 10 stolen bases on the season. McClain had a team-high .453 on base percentage, while ranking second with 23 walks and 12 sacrifices.

McClain notched a team-best 16 multi-hit games in the 2010 season, while also leading the way with five three-hit performances. In her career, the four-time All-SAC selection hit .375 with 250 hits, 150 runs scored, and 73 stolen bases in 82 attempts in 198 games played. She also drew 65 walks and had 31 sacrifices.

On Wingate’s all-time charts, McClain finished second in hits, stolen bases, at bats, and third in runs. Her 65 walks are the most in school history. The Bulldogs went 136-68-1 in McClain’s four years, with a 38-22 SAC record. McClain helped lead the 2009 team to the regular season SAC title, while the 2010 team earned a number 10 ranking in the NFCA top 25, the highest mark in school history. 

Blankenship went 19-8 with a 1.39 ERA in her junior season with the Bulldogs. She had 138 strikeouts against only 42 walks in 186 1/3 innings of work, while opponents hit .197 against her. She led the league in innings pitched, ranking third in wins, ERA and complete games and fourth in strikeouts and opponents’ batting average.

Blankenship has 57 career victories in her three years, 12 shy of the school record. In 2010, she allowed two earned runs or fewer in 24 of her 31 appearances. The Bulldogs went 35-15 in 2010, earning a number 10 ranking which is the highest mark in school history. Blankenship is 57-26 in her career, with a 1.81 ERA and 387 strikeouts in 556 1/3 innings of work. 

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)

NFCA ALL-SOUTHEAST REGION TEAMS

FIRST TEAM
P: Sarah Phillips, North Georgia
P: Sarah DeMuth, Augusta State
C: Sarah Atkins, Lenoir-Rhyne
1B: Katherine Martin, North Georgia
2B: Laura Voyles, North Georgia
3B: Jelena Shaw, UNC Pembroke
SS: Kat Rivers, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF: Lauren Dykes, North Georgia
OF: Brittany Cherry, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF: LaRonda McClain, Wingate
DP: Leslie Smith, North Georgia
UT/Pitcher: Shelby Duff, Armstrong Atlantic
UT/Non-Pitcher: Larissa Shannon, Erskine

SECOND TEAM
P: Dawon Millwood, Lenoir-Rhyne
P: (tie) Alex Smith, Lenoir-Rhyne
P: (tie) Amanda Huckstein, Newberry
C: Rocky Hemmer, Columbus State
1B: Courtney Davis, Erskine
2B: April Jowers, Armstrong Atlantic
3B: Bailee Temples, Armstrong Atlantic
SS: Jessie Howard, Carson-Newman
OF: Pilar Harden, North Georgia
OF: Aissa Gatewood, Newberry
OF: Kristen Jones, Augusta State
DP: Ashley Duckworth, Lenoir-Rhyne
UT/Pitcher: Michaela Wolf, Francis Marion 

2010 DAKTRONICS SOFTBALL ALL-SOUTHEAST REGION

First Team
P: Sarah Phillips, North Georgia
P: Amanda Huckestein, Newberry
P: Alex Smith, Lenoir-Rhyne
C: Sarah Atkins, Lenoir-Rhyne
1B: Katherine Martin, North Georgia
2B: Laura Voyles, North Georgia
3B: Jelena Shaw, UNC Pembroke
SS: Kat Rivers, Lenoir-Rhyne
OF: Lauren Dykes, North Georgia
OF: Brittany Cherry: Lenoir-Rhyne
OF: Pilar Harden, North Georgia
DP: Leslee Smith, North Georgia
UT: Toni Flessate, USC Aiken

Second Team
P: Michaela Wolf, Francis Marion
P: Dawon Millwood, Lenoir-Rhyne
P: Brittany Blankenship, Wingate
C: Rocky Hemmer, Columbus St.
1B: Ashley Seawell, Mars Hill
2B: Carlee Carpenter, Lenoir-Rhyne
3B: Baillie Temples, Armstrong Atlantic
SS: Holly Berry, UNC Pembroke
OF: Aissa Gatewood, Newberry
OF: Brittney Hatem, Flagler
OF: Chelle Phillips, Francis Marion
DP: Ashley Duckworth, Lenoir-Rhyne
DP: Michaela Wolf, Francis Marion
UT: Larissa Shannon, Erskine

Pitcher of the Year: Sarah Phillips, North Georgia
Player of the Year: Kat Rivers, Lenoir-Rhyne