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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Two members of the Seton Hall softball team have earned Mideast Region All-Region honors, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced on Thursday (May 18). Junior Alexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas) picked up a Second Team nod at third base, while senior Lauren Fischer (Robbinsville, N.J.) was a Third Team selection at utility/pitcher.
Fischer and Walkden are the 21st and 22nd NFCA all-Region selections in Seton Hall history, with Walkden earning a Second Team nod for the second time in her career (2015). The duo become the first pair of teammates to receive All-Region honors in the same season since Jenna Best and Katie Pierce in 2006.
Walkden adds the laurel to a tremendous 2017 campaign that saw her become the second BIG EAST Player of the Year in school history along with a unanimous First Teamm All-BIG EAST selection. The junior slugger batted .352 on the year with 13 home runs, 15 doubles, 39 RBIs and 41 runs scored. She held a .497 on-base percentage and a .746 slugging percentage, topping the BIG EAST with 106 total bases and a 1.243 OPS. She was also a perfect 11-for-11 on the basepaths and became the first player in program history with double-digit home runs and stolen bases in the same season.
In her senior season, Fischer bounced back from an injury that cut her junior campaign short and turned in a tremendous two-way performance. Splitting time between first base, DP and pitcher she batted .331 with 11 home runs, 31 RBIs and 30 runs scored while appearing in all but one contest. Fischer drew a program-record 45 walks on the year, leading to a .509 on-base percentage that ranked among the national leaders. In the circle, she tossed 79.2 innings over 18 appearances and held a 3.69 ERA along with five complete games, a shutout and a save.
http://www.shupirates.com/news/2017/5/18/softball-fischer-and-walkden-named-nfca-all-region.aspx
