CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Longwood University junior standout Megan Baltzell/Stafford has been named the 2014 Big South Conference Softball Player of the Year, the league announced today. The catcher also received First-Team All-Conference honors. She was joined on the First Team by sophomore shortstop Emily Murphy/Virginia Beach, while freshman second baseman Justina Augustine/Warrenton, freshman pitcher Elizabeth McCarthy/Dunnsville and junior pitcher Libby Morris/Dillwyn were named to the All-Conference Second Team. McCarthy earned All-Freshman Team accolades, and junior Casey Lifsey/Portsmouth was an All-Conference Honorable Mention, as well. Senior Amy Putnam/Poquoson rounded out the award winners for Longwood with an All-Academic Team selection.
 
"Winning an award is the culmination of a team's effort to reach a championship level," said head coach Kathy Riley. "This year is no exception with our entire roster being responsible for the recognition we received from the Big South Conference today. I am especially thankful that the conference coaches recognized Megan Baltzell as Big South Player of the Year because a talent such as hers only comes along once or twice every decade. Megan not only led us offensively, but helped our pitching staff mature into a very strong unit.
 
"Emily played shortstop at an extremely high level and is deserving of a First Team All-Conference nod. We are also proud of Libby, Biz and Justina for receiving Second-Team All-Big South, and of Casey for making a huge impact on our team, which led to her Honorable Mention. I feel very good about the growth of our team this year, and could not be happier for each and every one of our players, who get to share in the success of our All-Big South award winners."
 
Baltzell, who has started all 52 games behind the plate for the Lancers, is currently ranked second in the nation with a .590 on-base percentage and fourth with a .473 batting average. She is also sixth nationally on the active career leaders list for slugging percentage (.826) and eighth for home runs (48). In addition, the catcher also sits atop the Big South rankings with 17 doubles, 38 walks and 122 total bases, and has struck out just five times this season, a league-low mark. Her 17 doubles rank tied for second on Longwood's all-time record list, while her 21-game hit streak this year is good for fourth all-time. Baltzell, who was twice named Big South Player of the Week, totals 47 runs, 69 hits, 10 home runs and 44 RBI to pace the Lancers in 2014.
 
Murphy has also started all 52 games for Longwood with a team-best 22 stolen bases, a mark that is good for third in the Big South. A .305 hitter, she is second on team and fourth in the league with 40 runs scored. Murphy also ranks second on her squad with 154 at-bats, 27 walks, a .539 slugging percentage and a .413 on-base percentage. She currently sits third among the Lancers for RBI (32) and doubles (11). Murphy tallied season-best marks of two home runs and eight total bases at Charleston Southern on March 15. The shortstop, who has registered a team-high 138 assists, was named the Big South Player of the Week on February 24.
 
Augustine, who started the season in the outfield before settling in at second base, has started all 52 games so far as a rookie and is hitting .234 (30-128) with 19 RBI. She sits second on team with 14 stolen bases, third with 17 walks and fifth with 27 runs scored. Augustine recorded her first career home run at Charleston Southern on March 15 to help the squad earn a comeback victory. She set personal-bests for hits (3), RBI (3) and runs (3) against Hampton on April 10. Augustine owns a .976 fielding percentage so far this year with 71 putouts.
 
McCarthy finished the regular season second in the Big South standings with 19 wins as part of a 19-5 overall record. Her team-best 1.55 ERA is good for second in the conference, as well. She is also tied for second in the Big South with four shutouts this season, including against Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference and at South Carolina of the Southeastern Conference. McCarthy, a lefty, currently ranks fourth all-time on Longwood's single-season record list with 139 strikeouts. The rookie notched a personal-best 10 strikeouts twice, most recently against Radford on May 3 . The three-time Big South Pitcher of the Week was named the 2014 Longwood Female Freshman of the Year.
 
Morris, the veteran on the Lancers' pitching staff, put together a seven-game win streak in the circle from March 9-27 en route to a 16-9 record in 2014. Her 16 wins rank third in the Big South, and she is tied for second in the conference with four shutouts and two saves. Morris currently owns a personal-best 2.95 ERA for the season. The right-handed pitcher, who is first on the team with 32 appearances and 17 complete games, tallied a career-high 10 strikeouts against Winthrop on March 22. She earned Big South Pitcher of the Week recognition on March 24.
 
Lifsey has earned a full-time spot in the starting lineup with 43 starts in 44 games played. The outfielder, who was batting just .100 on March 8, improved her average to as high as .375 and is currently hitting at a .303 clip overall. Lifsey has been a standout for the Lancers in conference play with a .380 league-only batting average, good for second on the squad. Also in Big South action, she is second for Longwood in RBI (14), slugging percentage (.600) and on-base percentage (.436). Lifsey, who totals 22 RBI, 18 runs and four home runs, posted a career-high five RBI at Presbyterian on March 30. She holds a .976 fielding percentage with 38 putouts in 2014.
 
Putnam, who is majoring in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise science, has attained a cumulative grade point average of .386. She has started 20 of 29 games played in 2014, batting .196 (1-8) with 11 runs, eight RBI and four walks. The two-time Big South All-Academic Team honoree and four-time Longwood Scholar-Athlete Award recipient was named the 2014 Longwood Female Henry I. Willett Scholar-Athlete.
 
First Team All-Conference
Briana Chiusano, OF, Coastal Carolina
McKenzi Corn, OF, Winthrop
Samantha Meenaghan, OF, Gardner-Webb
Alex White, 1B, Winthrop
Megan Robinson, 2B, Liberty
Emily Murphy, SS, Longwood
Kory Hayden, 3B, Coastal Carolina
Megan Baltzell, C, Longwood
Kiana Quolas, P, Coastal Carolina
Ashley Bagwell, P, Coastal Carolina
Morgan Noad, DP, Coastal Carolina
Jessie Hutchens, UTL, Radford
 
Second Team All-Conference
Becky Mantel, OF, Radford
Milly Martinet, OF, Campbell
Katie Zavodny, OF, Liberty
Sara Rasley, 1B, Coastal Carolina
Justina Augustine, 2B, Longwood
Hope Rogers, SS, Presbyterian College
Whitney Davis, 3B, Radford
Amanda Daneker, C, Coastal Carolina
Elizabeth McCarthy, P, Longwood
Libby Morris, P, Longwood
Maddie Antone, DP, Winthrop
Jessica Brock, UTL, Charleston Southern
 
Honorable Mention
Courtney Klinger, 3B, Campbell
Casey Lifsey, OF, Longwood
Jill McLean, OF, Presbyterian College
Hanna Nichols, 1B, Liberty
Lizzie Olmstead, OF, Charleston Southern
 
All-Freshman Team
Maddie Antone, DP, Winthrop
Katie Baker, P, Campbell
Stephanie Bergmann, C, Charleston Southern
Amanda Daneker, C, Coastal Carolina
Cheyanne Gandara, P, Charleston Southern
Megan Gibbons, 3B, Gardner-Webb
Milly Martinet, OF, Campbell
Amanda Matsumoto, OF, Charleston Southern
Elizabeth McCarthy, P, Longwood
Abby Morrow, P, Radford
Hope Rogers, SS, Presbyterian College
Megan Winningham, OF, Winthrop
 
All-Academic Team
Shaela Churchill, IF, Campbell
Jennifer Giles, P, Charleston Southern
Kiana Quolas, P, Coastal Carolina
Jill Blank, OF, Gardner-Webb
Megan Robinson, 2B, Liberty
Amy Putnam, 1B/OF, Longwood
Jill McLean, OF, Presbyterian College
Casey Burns, 1B, Radford
McKenzi Corn, OF, Winthrop
 
Player of the Year  -  Megan Baltzell, C, Longwood
 
Pitcher of the Year  -  Kiana Quolas, P, Coastal Carolina
 
Freshman of the Year  -  Maddie Antone, DP, Winthrop
 
Coach of the Year  -  Kelley Green, Coastal Carolina
 
Scholar-Athlete of the Year  -  Shaela Churchill, IF, Campbell