LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The National Fastpitch Coaches Association revealed today the 55 players voted to the 2021 NFCA Division III All-America teams. This year’s three squads are comprised of student-athletes from 41 different programs representing the NCAA’s eight regions.
Three schools — Alfred, defending national champion Texas Lutheran and Virginia Wesleyan — have three players each on the All-America teams. Both Texas Lutheran and Virginia Wesleyan placed two on the first team, and one apiece on the third team, while all three of Alfred’s honorees were named to the second team.
2021 NFCA Division III All-America Teams | All-America Videos
St. Olaf senior Julie Graf, DePauw junior Cami Henry and Belhaven sophomore Kennedy Carruth were the three first-team All-America pitchers.
Graf helped lead the 24th-ranked Oles to a 26-8 season, which ended in Sunday’s NCAA regional final against No. 20 St. Thomas (Minn.). For the year, she was 21-7 with 20 complete games, a 1.29 ERA, 316 strikeouts, 72 walks and 83 hits over 168 innings.
Henry and top-ranked DePauw (38-3) are one of the final eight teams standing — and the first team that punched its ticket to the NCAA Championship finals in Salem, Va. — after a 9-2 regional victory over Mount St. Joseph on Saturday. Henry struck out eight over seven innings in that victory and is now a perfect 22-0 on the season, with a 0.91 ERA, 200 strikeouts and just 32 walks over 138.2 innings.
Carruth was one of the driving forces behind No. 12 Belhaven (31-12) this season, which was co-East Division champion in the American Southwest Conference and hosted the postseason tournament before earning an at-large bid to NCAA regionals. She went 21-4 this season, with a 1.16 ERA, 190 strikeouts and 49 walks over 156.1 innings.
Virginia Wesleyan graduate student Jessica Goldyn picked up three honors Monday, as not only the first-team All-America catcher, but also the Diamond Sports/NFCA Division III Catcher of the Year and the New Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe honoree. Goldyn and her two-time national champion Marlins advanced to their third NCAA finals in four full seasons with a 6-5 victory over The College of New Jersey at home in Sunday’s regional final. She heads into the finals hitting .493 with 61 runs, 75 hits, 20 doubles, an NCAA-leading nine triples, six homers, 50 RBI, 29 walks and just three strikeouts in 184 plate appearances.
Goldyn also is the NCAA leader in stolen bases, with 69 steals in 71 attempts, and is the fourth Virginia Wesleyan player to earn Golden Shoe recognition as the top basestealer for the season in Division III.
Claire Fountain, a George Fox junior, is the first-team first baseman. She hit 18 homers this season to help power the (28-11) Bruins’ offense, and also had a .389 average, five doubles, 53 RBI, 20 walks and 42 runs scored.
Wisconsin-Eau Claire sophomore Sadie Erickson earned the first-team nod at second base, following a season in which she hit .481 with 62 hits, 11 doubles, three triples and nine home runs. She also swiped 18 bases for the (22-17) Blugolds.
Fountain’s George Fox teammate, senior Savannah Vargas, is the first-team third baseman. She hit a team-leading .408 with 15 doubles, 13 homers and 42 RBI.
First-team shortstop Sarah Reinert, a junior at Alvernia, had a 1.208 OPS, .490 average, 40 runs, seven doubles, three triples and was 40-for-40 on steals. She made just four errors in 99 chances this season for the (22-8) Golden Wolves.
The first-team outfield consists of Benedictine (Ill.) junior Taylor Skraba, Texas Lutheran junior Kelly Jurden and Salisbury sophomore Abby Mace.
Skraba compiled a 1.418 OPS and is the NCAA leader in homers with 20. She collected 60 RBIs and had 72 hits and 72 runs, while hitting .439 with 12 doubles for the (34-14) Eagles.
Jurden is hitting .482 with 56 runs, 53 hits and 54 steals in 56 attempts for the defending national champion (32-4) Bulldogs, who will vie for a second-straight crown starting later this week.
Mace, meanwhile, hit .446 this season for the Coast-to-Coast Conference champion (25-9) Sea Gulls, with 37 runs, 10 doubles, 14 homers, 32 RBI and 22 steals.
Emory & Henry senior Alex Braun was selected first-team utility-pitcher after slugging .840 and batting .448 with 33 runs, 56 hits, 21 doubles, eight homers and 42 RBI. In the circle, she posted a 14-4 mark with a 2.10 ERA, 130 strikeouts and just 28 walks over 123.1 innings.
Husson freshman Kenzie Dore helped her team go 29-3 and earn the top seed for its regional, where the Eagles were edged by Tufts, 1-0, in the region final. The first-team selection in the DP or utility-non-pitcher category hit .455 with 30 runs, 45 hits, eight doubles, three triples, four homers and 38 RBI in her first collegiate season.
Two-time Schutt Sports/NFCA Division III National Player of the Year Hanna Hull is the other Marlin on the first team, earning the first at-large spot. Earlier this season, graduate student Hull became the all-time NCAA Division III wins leader and has a 1.13 WHIP heading into the NCAA finals later this week. She is 19-3 with a 1.40 ERA, 175 strikeouts, 58 hits and 26 earned runs over 129.2 innings sharing time in the circle with standout freshman Emily Seale.
St. Catherine junior first baseman Angela Huepfel also earned an at-large selection, batting .495 with a 1.494 OPS for the (21-12) Wildcats. She collected 52 hits, 10 doubles, 12 homers and 52 RBI, while scoring 26 runs.
Case Western Reserve senior shortstop Sarah Miller was the third player chosen for one of the first-team at-large spots, scoring 62 runs for the (27-9) Spartans and hitting .422 with 11 doubles, three triples, 16 homers and 38 RBI.
Eastern Connecticut State junior utility-pitcher Brooke Matyasovsky was an at-large selection after hitting .450 with 36 runs, 54 hits, 13 doubles, 15 homers and 48 RBI, while also going 14-3 with a 2.08 ERA and seven complete games in 14 starts in the circle.
Texas Lutheran senior Rebecca Snow rounded out the five at-large choices and is the Bulldogs’ other first teamer after compiling a .510 average, 26 runs, four homers and 49 RBI through regional play.
NFCA All-Region and All-American athletes must be nominated by their NFCA-member head coach, are voted for by the coaches in their region or division, and ultimately selected by
