May 17, 2018
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the second straight season, the University of Notre Dame softball team saw four players named among the best in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
Freshman pitcher and All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Second-Team choice Alexis Holloway and junior outfielder and three-time NFCA All-Region selection Ali Wester led the way for Notre Dame on the NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team. Senior infielder Morgan Reed claimed NFCA All-Region honors for the fourth straight season, joining freshman outfielder and All-ACC Second-Team performer Abby Sweet on the NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region Third Team.
Since the 1992 season, Notre Dame has earned a total of 103 all-region accolades, with 64 players receiving first-team recognition in that span. There have been 29 Irish players tabbed to NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region teams since Notre Dame joined the ACC in 2014, including 19 first-team, five second-team and five third-team choices.
Holloway became the third Notre Dame freshman in the ACC era to earn all-region first-team accolades, joining both Karley Wester (2014) and Ali Wester (2016). Holloway is the first Irish newcomer in the circle to be named to the top regional team in a given season since 2001, and just the third in program history. Holloway compiled a 20-13 mark during her 41 appearances in the regular season and the ACC Championship, posting a 2.34 ERA while starting 32 contests (20 complete games). She has tossed five solo shutouts during her debut season, including the 44th no-hitter (37th solo) in program history on March 10 at NC State. The Crown Point native was tabbed to the All-ACC Second Team and the ACC All-Freshman Team after compiling an 8-6 record with a 2.23 ERA in league play, adding ACC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 13.
Holloway led all Notre Dame pitchers in wins, ERA, appearances and starts after the first 53 games this season, contributing a team-high 170 strikeouts, four saves and a team-low .218 batting average against. She chipped in a .970 fielding percentage on 67 chances in the field, and added 12 hits (including five for extra bases), two RBI and six runs scored to the Irish lineup.
Ali Wester claimed first-team all-region honors for the third straight season after logging a team-high .381 batting average, 59 hits and 15 stolen bases over her first 53 games. Wester also chipped in 27 runs scored, 20 RBI and 13 sacrifice bunts to her offensive totals thus far in her junior season. Her 56 singles this season once again pace all Notre Dame hitters.
Wester narrowly missed All-ACC honors for the third year in a row despite ranking second on the Irish roster with a .304 batting average, a team-high 24 hits, eight RBI, six stolen bases and 11 runs scored in 23 conference starts. The Huntington Beach, California, native made up for it during the ACC Championship, earning all-tournament team honors for the second time in her career after compiling a .429 batting average at Georgia Tech’s Mewborn Field in Atlanta.
Reed winds down one of the most decorated Notre Dame softball careers in history with an all-region citation for the fourth straight campaign. Reed joined an exclusive list that includes two-time NFCA All-American Karley Wester (2014-17), Laura Winter (2011-14), Dani Miller (2009-12), two-time NFCA All-American Megan Ciolli (2002-05) and two-time NFCA All-American Terri Kobata (1993-96) as the only Irish players to nab an all-region scroll in each of their four seasons.
Reed notched a .314 batting average over her first 46 games played, adding nine doubles, six home runs, 23 RBI, six stolen bases and 29 runs scored. The Maylene, Alabama, native ranks among the top-10 Notre Dame players all-time in slugging percentage, on-base percentage and fielding assists.
Sweet continued a sizzling debut season by adding all-region accolades to an already strong résumé as Notre Dame’s everyday center fielder. She ranked second on the Irish roster with a .333 batting average and 53 hits over the first 53 games, but paced the doubles (12), stolen bases (15) and runs scored (36) categories while adding a team-high .426 on-base percentage. Sweet has already established a Notre Dame single-season record by being hit by pitch 22 times thus far in 2018.
Alongside classmate Holloway, Sweet captured an All-ACC Second Team and ACC All-Freshman Team sweep following a dynamic performance during the conference slate. The Newhall, California, native batted .294 with a team-high six doubles and 17 runs, chipping in 14 RBI and six stolen bases in 23 ACC starts. She added a .419 on-base percentage in league play on the strength of being hit by pitch on 13 different occasions.
Notre Dame is set to open the 2018 NCAA Championship on Friday at Noon (ET) against Michigan as part of the Lexington Regional in Lexington, Kentucky. The game will be televised on ESPN2.