State Claims Most All-Region Honors Since 2009
May 18, 2024 | Softball
STANFORD, Calif. – For the second time in program history, Mississippi State has earned four NFCA All-South Region selections the coaches' association announced on Saturday. The Bulldogs were led by Second Team picks Madisyn Kennedy (1B), Nadia Barbary (3B) and Sierra Sacco (OF). Salen Hawkins (2B) was also tabbed to the Third Team.
The awards recognized three of State's four starters in the infield. Sacco and Kennedy were also All-SEC honorees last week. The Bulldogs have had multiple all-region selections in seven consecutive seasons, dating back to 2017 and excluding the canceled 2020 season when no awards were given.
Kennedy gave MSU the Second Team first baseman for the second year in a row in the Southeast Region after Aquana Brownlee earned the honor last year. She launched a career-high 17 home runs this year, including a league-leading nine in conference play. She also led the SEC in slugging percentage and was second in OPS and RBIs in league games.
The Montgomery, Alabama, native was named Softball America's top first baseman in the country in both March and April. She enters the NCAA Tournament ranked inside the top 15 players nationally in slugging percentage (.829; 13th) and RBIs per game (1.14; 14th). Kennedy currently is tied for the school record in career NCAA Tournament games, having started 12 in her career.
Barbary started every game at third base this year and led the team in multi-hit games. She is second on the squad in hits, runs, total bases and RBIs, and she ranked No. 28 nationally with 17 doubles entering the Tournament, which broke the MSU sophomore record. She led all SEC third basemen in assists this year with 93, and she had a hand in four double plays.
The Douglasville, Georgia, native tallied nine multi-RBI games and set career highs in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, walks, putouts and assists. Her 22 career doubles rank sixth in MSU history through a player's first two seasons.
Sacco leads State in batting average, multi-hit games and on-base percentage this season, and her .497 on-base percentage entering the tournament was fourth in the SEC. She ranked 15th nationally, drawing 0.82 walks per game, and stole 19 bases, which ranked third in the conference, without being caught once. She has rounded the bases for 53 runs this year, and State is 30-6 when she scores.
The Marrero, Louisiana, native has started 167 straight games and has not committed an error in 138 consecutive chances defensively, dating back to last season at Louisiana Tech. It is her second career regional award after being named First Team All-Mideast Region as a freshman.
Despite being a late addition to the Bulldogs' signing class, Hawkins started all but two games at second base and made an immediate impact. Her .305 batting average entering the Tournament was is fifth on the team and fourth among SEC freshmen with at least 100 at-bats this year. More impressively, she led the team in batting average against teams that finished inside the top 75 in the final RPI. She has driven in 26 runs, which ranks fourth on the team, and her 11 multi-hit games are the most by a Bulldog freshman since 2018.
The Phoenix, Arizona, native was arguably even more impressive defensively, turning 10 double plays and landing on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays twice in her first campaign.
Mississippi State continues the Stanford Regional on Saturday, May 18, at 4 p.m. CT against No. 8 Stanford on ESPN2. With a win, State will advance to Sunday's regional final. Should the Bulldogs lose, they would play a second game on Saturday evening at approximately 9 p.m.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
The awards recognized three of State's four starters in the infield. Sacco and Kennedy were also All-SEC honorees last week. The Bulldogs have had multiple all-region selections in seven consecutive seasons, dating back to 2017 and excluding the canceled 2020 season when no awards were given.
Kennedy gave MSU the Second Team first baseman for the second year in a row in the Southeast Region after Aquana Brownlee earned the honor last year. She launched a career-high 17 home runs this year, including a league-leading nine in conference play. She also led the SEC in slugging percentage and was second in OPS and RBIs in league games.
The Montgomery, Alabama, native was named Softball America's top first baseman in the country in both March and April. She enters the NCAA Tournament ranked inside the top 15 players nationally in slugging percentage (.829; 13th) and RBIs per game (1.14; 14th). Kennedy currently is tied for the school record in career NCAA Tournament games, having started 12 in her career.
Barbary started every game at third base this year and led the team in multi-hit games. She is second on the squad in hits, runs, total bases and RBIs, and she ranked No. 28 nationally with 17 doubles entering the Tournament, which broke the MSU sophomore record. She led all SEC third basemen in assists this year with 93, and she had a hand in four double plays.
The Douglasville, Georgia, native tallied nine multi-RBI games and set career highs in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, walks, putouts and assists. Her 22 career doubles rank sixth in MSU history through a player's first two seasons.
Sacco leads State in batting average, multi-hit games and on-base percentage this season, and her .497 on-base percentage entering the tournament was fourth in the SEC. She ranked 15th nationally, drawing 0.82 walks per game, and stole 19 bases, which ranked third in the conference, without being caught once. She has rounded the bases for 53 runs this year, and State is 30-6 when she scores.
The Marrero, Louisiana, native has started 167 straight games and has not committed an error in 138 consecutive chances defensively, dating back to last season at Louisiana Tech. It is her second career regional award after being named First Team All-Mideast Region as a freshman.
Despite being a late addition to the Bulldogs' signing class, Hawkins started all but two games at second base and made an immediate impact. Her .305 batting average entering the Tournament was is fifth on the team and fourth among SEC freshmen with at least 100 at-bats this year. More impressively, she led the team in batting average against teams that finished inside the top 75 in the final RPI. She has driven in 26 runs, which ranks fourth on the team, and her 11 multi-hit games are the most by a Bulldog freshman since 2018.
The Phoenix, Arizona, native was arguably even more impressive defensively, turning 10 double plays and landing on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays twice in her first campaign.
Mississippi State continues the Stanford Regional on Saturday, May 18, at 4 p.m. CT against No. 8 Stanford on ESPN2. With a win, State will advance to Sunday's regional final. Should the Bulldogs lose, they would play a second game on Saturday evening at approximately 9 p.m.
For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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