Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH
Four Tar Heels Earn All-ACC Softball Honors
May 10, 2023 | Softball
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Highlighted by All-ACC first-team selection Abby Settlemyre, four Tar Heels have earned all-conference softball honors as announced Wednesday afternoon by the Atlantic Coast Conference after voting by the league's head coaches. This marks the Carolina program's largest number of honorees in a season since 2019.
Sophomores Lilli Backes and Alex Brown were named to the all-ACC second team and fifth-year Kiersten Licea was an all-ACC third team selection to round out Carolina's honorees. All four are first-time honorees.
A graduate student from Hickory, N.C., Settlemyre led the Tar Heels with a .435 batting average in conference play, the fifth highest in the ACC. She also ranked fourth in on-base percentage (.520), seventh in OPS (1.294) and eighth in slugging (.774). She batted .351 on the season with a team-best 35 RBIs, 53 hits, nine doubles, a .616 slugging percentage and nine home runs. Settlemyre also recorded a team-best 11 multi-RBI games and 13 multi-hit games. She went a career-best 4-of-4 at the plate against Pitt on April 9. She is the first Tar Heel to be named to the all-ACC first team since Kristina Burkhardt in 2019.
Backes, a sophomore from Peachtree City, Ga., pitched the second-most innings (173.2) of any pitcher in the conference this season. A two-time ACC Pitcher of the Week, Backes posted a 11-4 record in conference play, throwing eight complete games, including four complete-game shutouts. Her 2.15 ERA in ACC play was the fifth lowest in the conference. She earned 16 victories on the season, tallying 149 strikeouts, the third-most in the conference. Backes also earned her second career top-15 victory on March 11, throwing a three-hit complete game shutout against No. 11 Virginia Tech.
A sophomore from Savannah, Ga., Brown hit a team-best .406 on the season, the sixth-highest batting averaging in the ACC with the fifth-most hits (63). In ACC play, the Carolina shortstop hit .434 with 33 hits, two home runs, a double, a triple and 17 runs. She led the team with 19 multi-hit games on the season while also recording five multi-RBI outings. Brown finished the regular season on a 17-game hit streak, the longest by any Tar Heel since Kiani Ramsey (18) in 2018.
A fifth year from San Antonio, Texas, Licea led the Tar Heels with 11 home runs, including five in conference play, matching Settlemyre for a team best. The first baseman batted .339 in the ACC with 19 hits, 14 RBIs four doubles, nine runs, a .679 slugging percentage and a .457 on-base percentage. After slugging 1.636 with six RBIs, Licea was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week and the Extra Innings Softball National Player of the Week on April 25, the first weekly honor of her career.
The sixth-seeded Tar Heels begin their run in the 2023 ACC Tournament Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against third-seed Clemson in South Bend, Ind.
Below is the complete list of the 2023 All-ACC honorees.
First Team
C – Sarah Gordon, Louisville, Fr., C
INF – Ana Gold, Duke, So., 3B
INF – Abby Settlemyre, North Carolina, Sr., 2B
INF - Karina Gaskins, Notre Dame, Jr., 1B
INF – Joley Mitchell, Notre Dame., Sr., 3B
OF – D'Auna Jennings, Duke, Fr., OF
OF – Jahni Kerr, Florida State, So., OF
OF – Korbe Otis, Louisville, So., OF
P – Valerie Cagle, Clemson, Jr., P
P – Cassidy Curd, Duke, Fr., P
P - Kathryn Sandercock, Florida State, Sr., P
At-Large – Deja Davis, Duke, Gr., DP
At-Large – Aminah Vega, Duke, Fr., 2B
At-Large – Taylor Roby, Louisville, Gr., DP
At-Large – Yvonne Whaley, Pitt, Sr., SS
Second Team
Gisele Tapia, Duke, Sr., 1B
Jala Wright, Duke, Jr., P
Michaela Edenfield, Florida State, So., C
Devyn Flaherty, Florida State, Jr., 2B
Kaley Mudge, Florida State, Jr., OF
Makenna Reid, Florida State, Fr., P
Emma Kauf, Georgia Tech, Sr., C
Daisy Hess, Louisville, Sr., SS
Lilli Backes, North Carolina, So., P
Alex Brown, North Carolina, So., SS
Lexi Orozco, Notre Dame, Gr., DP
Kelsey Brown, Virginia Tech, Gr., OF
Emma Lemley, Virginia Tech, So., P
Bre Peck, Virginia Tech, So., DP
Emma Ritter, Virginia Tech, Jr., OF
Third Team
Caroline Jacobsen, Clemson, Gr., OF
Alia Logoleo, Clemson, Jr., SS
Ally Miklesh, Clemson, Gr., OF
Millie Thompson, Clemson, Jr., P
Kalei Harding, Florida State, Jr., 3B
Mack Leonard, Florida State, Sr., 1B
Easton Lotus, Louisville, So., 2B
Alyssa Zabala, Louisville, Fr., P
Carlli Kloss, Notre Dame, Jr., C
Kiersten Licea, North Carolina, Sr., 1B
Hannah Goodwin, NC State, So., 3B
Sarah Seamans, Pitt, Sr., 1B
Eden Bigham, Virginia, Fr, P
Jayme Bailey, Virginia Tech, Gr., 1B
Cameron Fagan, Virginia Tech, Jr., 2B
Sophomores Lilli Backes and Alex Brown were named to the all-ACC second team and fifth-year Kiersten Licea was an all-ACC third team selection to round out Carolina's honorees. All four are first-time honorees.
A graduate student from Hickory, N.C., Settlemyre led the Tar Heels with a .435 batting average in conference play, the fifth highest in the ACC. She also ranked fourth in on-base percentage (.520), seventh in OPS (1.294) and eighth in slugging (.774). She batted .351 on the season with a team-best 35 RBIs, 53 hits, nine doubles, a .616 slugging percentage and nine home runs. Settlemyre also recorded a team-best 11 multi-RBI games and 13 multi-hit games. She went a career-best 4-of-4 at the plate against Pitt on April 9. She is the first Tar Heel to be named to the all-ACC first team since Kristina Burkhardt in 2019.
Backes, a sophomore from Peachtree City, Ga., pitched the second-most innings (173.2) of any pitcher in the conference this season. A two-time ACC Pitcher of the Week, Backes posted a 11-4 record in conference play, throwing eight complete games, including four complete-game shutouts. Her 2.15 ERA in ACC play was the fifth lowest in the conference. She earned 16 victories on the season, tallying 149 strikeouts, the third-most in the conference. Backes also earned her second career top-15 victory on March 11, throwing a three-hit complete game shutout against No. 11 Virginia Tech.
A sophomore from Savannah, Ga., Brown hit a team-best .406 on the season, the sixth-highest batting averaging in the ACC with the fifth-most hits (63). In ACC play, the Carolina shortstop hit .434 with 33 hits, two home runs, a double, a triple and 17 runs. She led the team with 19 multi-hit games on the season while also recording five multi-RBI outings. Brown finished the regular season on a 17-game hit streak, the longest by any Tar Heel since Kiani Ramsey (18) in 2018.
A fifth year from San Antonio, Texas, Licea led the Tar Heels with 11 home runs, including five in conference play, matching Settlemyre for a team best. The first baseman batted .339 in the ACC with 19 hits, 14 RBIs four doubles, nine runs, a .679 slugging percentage and a .457 on-base percentage. After slugging 1.636 with six RBIs, Licea was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week and the Extra Innings Softball National Player of the Week on April 25, the first weekly honor of her career.
The sixth-seeded Tar Heels begin their run in the 2023 ACC Tournament Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against third-seed Clemson in South Bend, Ind.
Below is the complete list of the 2023 All-ACC honorees.
First Team
C – Sarah Gordon, Louisville, Fr., C
INF – Ana Gold, Duke, So., 3B
INF – Abby Settlemyre, North Carolina, Sr., 2B
INF - Karina Gaskins, Notre Dame, Jr., 1B
INF – Joley Mitchell, Notre Dame., Sr., 3B
OF – D'Auna Jennings, Duke, Fr., OF
OF – Jahni Kerr, Florida State, So., OF
OF – Korbe Otis, Louisville, So., OF
P – Valerie Cagle, Clemson, Jr., P
P – Cassidy Curd, Duke, Fr., P
P - Kathryn Sandercock, Florida State, Sr., P
At-Large – Deja Davis, Duke, Gr., DP
At-Large – Aminah Vega, Duke, Fr., 2B
At-Large – Taylor Roby, Louisville, Gr., DP
At-Large – Yvonne Whaley, Pitt, Sr., SS
Second Team
Gisele Tapia, Duke, Sr., 1B
Jala Wright, Duke, Jr., P
Michaela Edenfield, Florida State, So., C
Devyn Flaherty, Florida State, Jr., 2B
Kaley Mudge, Florida State, Jr., OF
Makenna Reid, Florida State, Fr., P
Emma Kauf, Georgia Tech, Sr., C
Daisy Hess, Louisville, Sr., SS
Lilli Backes, North Carolina, So., P
Alex Brown, North Carolina, So., SS
Lexi Orozco, Notre Dame, Gr., DP
Kelsey Brown, Virginia Tech, Gr., OF
Emma Lemley, Virginia Tech, So., P
Bre Peck, Virginia Tech, So., DP
Emma Ritter, Virginia Tech, Jr., OF
Third Team
Caroline Jacobsen, Clemson, Gr., OF
Alia Logoleo, Clemson, Jr., SS
Ally Miklesh, Clemson, Gr., OF
Millie Thompson, Clemson, Jr., P
Kalei Harding, Florida State, Jr., 3B
Mack Leonard, Florida State, Sr., 1B
Easton Lotus, Louisville, So., 2B
Alyssa Zabala, Louisville, Fr., P
Carlli Kloss, Notre Dame, Jr., C
Kiersten Licea, North Carolina, Sr., 1B
Hannah Goodwin, NC State, So., 3B
Sarah Seamans, Pitt, Sr., 1B
Eden Bigham, Virginia, Fr, P
Jayme Bailey, Virginia Tech, Gr., 1B
Cameron Fagan, Virginia Tech, Jr., 2B
Players Mentioned
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