BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the second year in a row, junior pitcher Samantha Richards has the honor of being named the 2022 Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Year, announced by the league office Wednesday. In addition to being GSC Pitcher of the Year, Richards was also named to the All-GSC first team along with senior shortstop Nikki Pennington.  

Richards earned the league's top pitching honors for the second-straight season, becoming just the third player since 2005 to win it in back-to-back fashion. The Alpharetta, Ga., native, finished the regular season as the GSC leader in earned run average (1.37), innings pitched (188.2), strikeouts (263), wins (24) and second-overall in opponent batting average (.186). Richards also joined the conference's strikeout career leaders where she currently sits ninth overall (563). Nationally, Richards is third in complete games (23), seventh in strikeouts, 16th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.8) and fourth in victories.  

Pennington, a native of Palm Bay, Fla., earned first team honors for the second time in her career. Pennington finished the regular season going 44 of 125 for a team-high .352 batting average. She had 35 runs, seven doubles, 12 home runs, 38 RBI and 20 walks through 39 games.  Pennington is third in the GSC in home runs per game (0.31), eighth in RBI, ninth in runs per game (0.90) and fourth in slugging percentage (0.696). 

The Blazers remained No. 10 in this week's National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25, and also remained third in. the NCAA South Region rankings, announced by the NCAA on Wednesday. The Blazers are competing in the 2022 GSC Championship, as the No. 2 seed, facing off against West Alabama in the opening round. With a victory, the Blazers will move to the second round and face off against the winner of No. 3 West Florida or No. 6 Montevallo at 4:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. If the Blazers lose, they will play the loser of UWF vs. UM at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.
 

2022 All-GSC Teams
Player of the Year – Teala Howard, West Florida
Pitcher of the Year – Samantha Richards, Valdosta State
Freshman of the Year – Javaria Smith, Lee 

Coach of the Year – Eric Newell, Auburn Montgomery 

First Team All-GSC
P – Samantha Richards, Valdosta State*
P – Alanna Goble, Auburn Montgomery*
P – Megan Shurtz, Alabama Huntsville
C – Sidney Lee, Lee
1B – Kiara Akles, Alabama Huntsville***
2B – Gia Martin, Auburn Montgomery*
SS – Nikki Pennington, Valdosta State*
3B – Teala Howard, West Florida*
OF – Shelby Booker, Alabama Huntsville*^
OF – Kaylee Vaught, Alabama Huntsville
OF – Cassie Matlock, West Alabama^
DP/UT – Kat Fallen, Auburn Montgomery
At-Large – Sierra Easterwood, Montevallo
At-Large – Taylor De Adder, Lee^
At-Large – Kelsey Sweatt, West Florida^* 

Second Team All-GSC
P – Montana Young, West Florida
P – Layton Murphy, Alabama Huntsville^
P – Avery Dickerson, Auburn Montgomery
P – Nyah Vogel, Lee
C – Erin Moon, West Florida
1B – R.J. Janke, West Georgia
2B – Kristyn Nix, West Georgia^
SS – Hannah Carey, Montevallo
3B – Breanna Patton, Lee
OF – Javaria Smith, Lee
OF – Haley Ann Frank, Auburn Montgomery
OF – Alisha Lanyon, Montevallo
DP/UT – Madelyn Vasquez, West Florida

* - Previous First Team All-GSC selection
^ - Previous Second Team All-GSC selection
A tie in voting resulted in an additional selection to the Second Team, ties are not broken.