Courtney Bures Named To First Team NFCA All-American Squad
May 25, 2016 | Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY -- On the heels of one of the most impressive rookie seasons in school history, Courtney Bures (Haymarket, Va./Stonewall Jackson HS) added her name to a distinguished list of highly decorated Mississippi State softball players Wednesday evening as the shortstop was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association first team all-American squad in a banquet that officially kicked off the NCAA Women's College World Series.
Bures became the first Mississippi State freshman since 1999 to earn a spot on the NFCA all-American squads, but the first rookie in program lore to be named to the first team. The accolade also marked the sixth-straight year that an MState player has been decorated with all-America honors and follows an impressive month of May that saw Bures take home first team all-South Region, first team all-SEC, freshman all-SEC and SEC Freshman of the Year laurels.
Bures was one of a record 11 Southeastern Conference players on the three all-American squads, joining Georgia first baseman and SEC Player of the Year Kim Wendland and Tennessee lefthander, SEC Co-Pitcher of the Year Monica Abbott on the first team and Lady Vol outfielder Sarah Fekete on the first team.
"This is a tremendous honor, not only for Courtney, but also for our program, Mississippi State and the Southeastern Conference," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "To earn all-America honors as a freshman says a lot about a player's work ethic. To earn first team recognition in your first year as a collegiate athlete says a lot more about your dedication. Courtney is very deserving of this honor and this is a very good sign for us as we look to the future of our program."
Having tallied a .500 (11-for-22) batting average with four home runs in her first official weekend as a collegiate athlete, Bures would eventually become just the fourth Bulldog all-time to topple the .400 batting average plateau in regular season play. She finished the regular season campaign with a .428 (80-for-187) batting clip that complemented 37 extra-base hits, 53 RBI and 49 runs scored. Her home run total was the most ever for an MSU freshman and fell just one shy of matching the school record.
Bures also finished her rookie campaign with a school record 156 total bases, while leading the team in both game-winning RBI (7) and game-winning runs scored (8). Her numbers also included just nine strikeouts in 187 total at-bats (1 every 20.8 at-bats). She also took home team Most Valuable Player and Top Hitter honors.
She will join 42 other current and former collegiate athletes later this month at the USA Softball National Team Selection camp to be held at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., June 13-17. An 18-member national team and 16-member Elite team will be selected from this camp to represent the United States in various international events in 2005.
