University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heel Trio Corrals All-Region Honors
May 17, 2012 | Softball
May 17, 2012
2012 NCAA Tourney Central
STARKVILLE, Miss.--After helping No. 21 North Carolina to a 41-13 overall record and the 2012 regular season ACC championship, three Tar Heels earned NFCA All-Region honors Thursday. Senior Ally Blake garnered first-team honors while the duo of senior Kelli Wheeler and sophomore Lori Spingola corralled second-team accolades. UNC opens NCAA Tournament play Friday in the Athens, Ga., Regional, where they will face Southern Conference champion Georgia Southern at 2:30 p.m.
lake has had a career year in her senior campaign and has been a jack of all trades for the Tar Heels, appearing at four different positions in 2012 including catcher, designated player, second base and shortstop. The senior infielder from Concord, N.C., is sixth in the ACC in batting average (.355), is eighth in slugging percentage (.596) and is fourth in runs scored (41). Blake is also second on the team in doubles (10) and is tied for third in home runs with eight.
Spingola is the 2012 ACC Pitcher of the Year and was named ACC Pitcher of the Week four times this season. The sophomore pitcher from Atlanta, Ga., is tied for third in the nation in shutouts (13), is tied for fourth in total victories (31), is seventh in strikeouts (308) and 15th in strikeouts per seven innings (8.9).
Wheeler, an outfielder from Marietta, Ga., ranks as UNC's all-time home runs leader with a career total of 37 to date. She is among the current ACC leaders in runs (2nd, 43), slugging percentage (2nd, .632), on-base percentage (6th, .469), home runs (5th, 11), walks (6th, 33), batting average (8th, .335) and hits (10th, 52).
A total of 263 players representing 129 different institutions comprise this season's regional teams, including first and second teams for each region. The all-region teams were chosen by NFCA member coaches from each region, and all the honorees will now be eligible for selection to one of three 2012 NFCA Division I All-American teams.
The 2012 NFCA Division I All-America teams will be announced at 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 30, on NFCA.org.
2012 NFCA SOUTHEAST ALL-REGION FIRST TEAM
Ellen Renfroe,University of Tennessee, P
Hannah Rogers, University of Florida, P
Tess Sito, University of Georgia, 1B
Lauren Gibson, University of Tennessee, 2B
Raven Chavanne, University of Tenneessee, 3B
Madison Shipman, University of Tennessee, SS
Kristyn Sandberg, University of Gerogia, C
Michelle Moultrie, University of Florida, OF
Shellie Robinson, University of South Carolina Upstate, OF
Kat Dotson, University of Tennessee, OF
Lauren Hager, University of Florida, UT/P
Ally Blake, University of North Carolina, UT/Non-P
2012 NFCA SOUTHEAST ALL-REGION SECOND TEAM
Erin Arevalo, University of Georgia, P
Lori Spingola, University of North Carolina, P
Cheyenne Griffin, University of South Carolina Upstate, 1B
Kelsey Cartwright (Tie), Lipscomb University, 2B
Tiffani Brown (Tie), Florida State University, 2B
Kelsi Weseman, Georgia Institue of Technology, 3B
Paige Wilson, University of Georgia, SS
Kelsey Horton, University of Florida, C
Kelli Wheeler, University of North Carolina, OF
Lauren Lackey, University of South Carolina Columbia, OF
Shayla Jackson, Florida State University, OF
Hope Rush, Georgia Institute of Technology, UT/P
Chelsea Hawkins, University of South Carolina Columbia, UT/Non-P
