Robinson, Miller Earn NFCA All-Region Honors
5/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Spartanburg, S.C. – Capping a tremendous season as key figures on the USC Upstate softball team, outfielder Shellie Robinson and pitcher Anna Miller have been named to the NFCA All-Region team in the Southeast Region, announced the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Thursday.
Robinson, a junior from DeLand, Fla., has now earned three consecutive all-region honors after being selected first team as a freshman in 2012 and second team as a sophomore last year. Miller, a senior from Portland, Ore., earned her first all-region honor on the Division I level after earning All-America honors at the College of Siskiyous in the California junior college ranks.
"It's a tremendous honor for both Shellie and Anna," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "We have a team full of individuals who have helped this team reach the level of success it has this season and both Shellie and Anna have played big roles in that success. I am proud of their efforts throughout the season in helping lead this team and am excited that they are being honored for their individual accomplishments."
All members of the all-region teams will be put in the pool for All-America consideration. The NFCA All-America teams will be announced May 28.
Robinson was the A-Sun Player of the Year and a first team all-conference selection in helping lead the Spartans to a tremendous season at the plate. She enters the NCAA Tournament's Tuscaloosa Regional hitting .420 with a team-high 17 home runs, 15 doubles, 47 RBIs and 53 runs. She ranks 13th in the nation with a .822 slugging percentage, 14th in home runs and also ranks in the Top 50 individually in batting average, home runs per game, runs per game and toughest to strikeout. She has a team-high 21 multi-hit and 14 multi-RBI games this season. She currently leads the A-Sun in doubles, runs and slugging percentage, while ranking second in batting average, hits, home runs and on-base percentage.
Robinson has broken several Division I era school records this season, moving to the top of the lists for home runs, RBIs and runs, and sits atop the batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage lists. She is currently tied for the program's all-time home runs record at 46, tying Upstate Athletic Hall of Fame member Stacey Berrong for top honors.
Miller was named the A-Sun Pitcher of the Year and was a first team all-conference selection. She was also named the A-Sun's Scholar-Athlete of the Year for excellence in the classroom. She currently stands 18-5 on the year with a 1.33 ERA. She has tossed four no-hitters alone this season, including back-to-back no-no's against Gardner-Webb and Liberty en route to becoming the first Spartan to earn Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week honors. Her six career no-hitters in two years in the program has tied the all-time record held by all-time great Morgan Childers.
Miller is in a virtual tie for the top spot in the nation with 11.9 strikeouts per game. She trails the national leader by a mere 0.0137 per outing. She is 7th in the nation in hits allowed per game, 11th in the nation in shutouts, 15th in ERA and 24th in total strikeouts. She currently leads the A-Sun in strikeouts and opponent batting average and is third in wins and ERA.
Miller was a big-game pitcher for Upstate last season when she tossed 6 1/3 innings in the 8-5 victory at Georgia and went the distance to get the win against Lipscomb in the first game of Championship Saturday of the A-Sun Tournament en route to Upstate winning the championship and the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. She then tossed a perfect game in the Tuscaloosa Regional in the win over Jacksonville State. This season, Miller has been one of three standout pitchers on the Upstate squad. She is tied for the team lead with 18 wins and has helped the unit to the national lead in ERA for a two-week period in late-April, early-May. The Spartans are currently third in the nation with a 1.36 ERA.
Robinson and Miller are two of six players from the A-Sun who earned NFCA All-Region honors. Stetson's Meredith Owen (1st team) and Demi Meza (2nd team) were selected in the South Region, while Florida Gulf Coast's Chelsea Zgrabik and Kelsey Carpenter were third team selections in the South Region.
The Tusacloosa Regional is well represented on the NFCA All-Region team. In addition to Upstate's two selections, Alabama placed five members on the South Region teams, South Alabama had two and SIU Edwardsville had one.
Follow the Spartans on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
