ROCK HILL, S.C. – Longwood University senior standout Brooke Short/Hurt has been named the 2013 Big South Conference Softball Player of the Year, the league announced at its annual awards banquet Wednesday evening on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Short also received First-Team All-Conference honors as a designated player. She was joined on the First Team by sophomore catcher Megan Baltzell/Stafford and sophomore outfielder Kori Nishitomi/Kaneohe, Hawaii, while freshmen Carly Adams/Colonial Heights and Emily Murphy/Virginia Beach were named to the All-Conference Second Team as a second baseman and shortstop, respectively. Adams and Murphy earned All-Freshman Team accolades, as well. Junior Amy Putnam/Poquoson rounded out the award winners for Longwood with an All-Academic Team selection.

Short, who will leave Longwood as one of the most productive hitters to have ever worn the Blue and White, has already become the program's all-time career leader for at-bats (617), hits (242), RBI (191), runs scored (167), home runs (54), walks (98) and games played (210). She earned Big South Pitcher of the Week honors once this season and Player of the Week accolades on two occasions, while starting all 53 of the squad's games. Short finished the regular season ranked first on the team with a .528 on base percentage, and second with a .433 average, 14 doubles and 63 RBI, in addition to a .860 slugging percentage. The lefty set new career highs with three home runs, 12 total bases and four runs scored at Winthrop on March 6. Short, who boasts a 2.97 ERA, also leads the Lancers with an 18-8 record in the circle and 94 strikeouts.

Baltzell, who has started all 53 games behind the plate for the Lancers this season, leads the nation with a school-record 26 home runs and 0.49 home runs per game. She is currently first on team and in the conference with 71 RBI, good for a new program best, and a 1.012 slugging percentage. With a 39-game streak of reaching base in the books from earlier this season, Baltzell sits second on the team with a .520 on base percentage and third with a .423 average. The 5-9 lefty has logged five multi-home run games this season and a team-high 19 multi-RBI games. Baltzell, who was named Big South Player of the Week for the last week of the regular season, totaled a career-high six RBI and nine total bases at Norfolk State on April 4.

Nishitomi also started all 53 games in 2013, setting program highs of 184 at-bats, 75 runs scored and 82 hits. She logged a school-record, 24-game hit streak that spanned from March 1 to March 27, as well. The outfielder, who paces the Lancers with a .446 batting average, is ranked first in the nation with 1.42 runs scored per game. She leads the conference in at-bats (184), hits (82) and runs (75), and is also first on the team with 15 doubles, 20 stolen bases, 25 multiple-hit games and a 1.000 fielding percentage. Nishitomi recorded her first career home run at Charleston Southern on March 17. 

Adams, who is a .302 hitter for the season, has started all 53 games at second base.  She is sixth on team with 60 total bases and a .403 slugging percentage. A native of Colonial Heights, Adams recorded a .935 fielding percentage during the regular season. She notched a season-best four hits against Coastal Carolina on March 19 before setting a personal-best with three RBI against Radford on March 27.

Murphy has started all 53 games at shortstop for Longwood and is averaging .309 at the plate. In her rookie campaign, she has already set a program record with 37 walks. She is currently third on team with 59 RBI and 10 home runs. Murphy is also fourth on the squad with 85 total bases, 47 hits and 45 runs scored. The Virginia Beach native registered a season-high three runs scored against Syracuse on March 2, and a personal-best three hits at Winthrop on March 5. She has tallied a season-high four RBI on four occasions, including against Radford on March 27.

Putnam, who is majoring in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise science has attained a 3.819 cumulative GPA. She has appeared in 25 games this season with one start and six runs scored. She is a member of Cormier Honors College at Longwood and a three-time recipient of the Longwood Scholar-Athlete Award.

First Team All-Conference
Kori Nishitomi, OF, Longwood
Katie Zavodny, OF, Liberty
Stephanie Jones, OF, Campbell
Raven Lee, 1B, Campbell
Samantha Meenaghan, 2B, Gardner-Webb
Ericka Nesbitt, SS, Campbell
Kory Hayden, 3B, Coastal Carolina
Megan Baltzell, C, Longwood
Kiana Quolas, P, Coastal Carolina
Rachael Walters P, Radford
Brooke Short, DP, Longwood
Marci Christian, UTL, Charleston Southern

Second Team All-Conference
McKenzi Corn, OF, Winthrop
Jana Matthews, OF, Charleston Southern
Morgan Eye, OF, Radford
Morgan Baker, 1B, Gardner-Webb
Carly Adams, 2B, Longwood
Emily Murphy, SS, Longwood
Stephanie Sbardella, 3B, Charleston Southern
Courtney Klingler, C, Campbell
Courtney Roberts, P, Campbell
Ashley Bagwell, P, Coastal Carolina
Chelsey Schoenfeldt, DP, Winthrop
Cat Tarvin, UTL, Presbyterian College

All-Freshman Team
Courtney Klingler, C, Campbell
Courtney Roberts, P, Campbell
Emily Murphy, SS, Longwood
Rachael Walters, P, Radford
Briana Chiusano, OF, Coastal Carolina
Carly Adams, 2B, Longwood
Emily Naegele, C, Radford
Erin Ruff, DP/UTL, Presbyterian
Morgan Noad, C, Coastal Carolina
Becky Mantel, CF, Radford
Kassidy McCoy, 3B, Liberty
Casey Burns, 1B, Radford

All-Academic Team
Brittany Arnn, P, Campbell
Jennifer Giles, P, Charleston Southern
Kiana Quolas, P/OF, Coastal Carolina
Savannah Burns, SS, Gardner-Webb
Megan Robinson, 2B, Liberty
Amy Putnam, OF, Longwood
Morgan Durham, 2b, Presbyterian College
Ryndee Ruch, OF, Radford
Chelsey Schoenfeldt, P/DP, Winthrop

Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Savannah Burns, Gardner-Webb
Player of the Year – Brooke Short, Longwood
Pitcher of the Year – Kiana Quolas, Coastal Carolina
Freshman of the Year – Courtney Klingler, Campbell
Coach of the Year – Drew Peterson, Campbell