VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State junior pitcher Samantha Richards earned National Fast Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First Team All-America and Second Team D2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA), announced Wednesday. 
 
Click on the links to the right of this story for the complete NFCA and D2CCA All-America Teams.
 
Richards, a native of Alpharetta, Ga., continued her record-setting career as she earned both D2CCA South Region Pitcher of the Year honors for the second-straight season and Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Year accolades.  She also was named to the 2022 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player & Pitcher of the Year Top 25 List in 2022.
 
She broke the school-record for strikeouts in a single season (310) for the second-most all-time in GSC history in a season for 2022.  Richards' 610 career strikeouts places her seventh all-time in GSC history in strikeouts.  The 310 strikeouts this season currently places her fifth nationally this season, while her 28 victories are good for fourth nationally and she leads the nation in complete games with 31.  Richards' 43 appearances are good for third nationally.  She averaged 8.6 strikeouts per seven innings for 28^th nationally to lead the GSC, while her 1.02 WHIP is tops in the league.   She finished the season with ten games of double-digit strikeouts in 2022 and a career-high 16 K's against West Georgia (4/8/22).  She tossed a no-hitter in her first outing of the season against Spring Hill College (2/5/22) and threw a one-hitter against Flagler (3/2/22).
 
Richards is the only player from the GSC to earn First Team NFCA All-America honors, while Auburn Montgomery's Gia Martin, Alabama Huntsville's Kaylee Vaught and West Florida's Teala Howard were third team honorees. 
 
The Blazers finished the season 38-14 and went 21-5 in Gulf South Conference play, earning a berth in the NCAA South Super Regional, falling in a best-of-three series to Auburn Montgomery last week. 
 
As for the D2CCA list, Richards was the lone student-athlete from the GSC to garner second team honors, while Howard, West Alabama's Cassie Matlock and Auburn Montgomery's Kat Fallen earned third team honors.