The Big South Conference announced on May 5 that Winthrop University’s softball team received ten conference honors, including Kendall Fuller being named Coach of the Year and Darrah Nickens earning Newcomer of the Year.
These awards recognize both individual and team achievements for Winthrop during the regular season. The recognition highlights the program’s strong performance in conference play and marks a significant milestone for several players and coaches.
Six Eagles were selected to all-conference teams. Tia Beckham, Lonna Addison, and Rebecca Thomas made the first team, while Nickens, Grayson Buckner, and Annelisa Winebarger were chosen for the second team. Rebecca Amos was named to the All-Freshman Team, and Buckner also earned a spot on the All-Academic Team. “Fuller guided the Eagles to a 28-21 record overall and 13-4 in the conference on the way to a regular season title and the top-seed for the Big South Tournament. It was the first regular season championship for the Eagles since 2008. Fuller is the first Eagle coach since Mark Cooke in 2008 to earn Big South Coach of the Year honors.” According to league statistics provided by Winthrop University’s release, Nickens batted .350 with notable rankings in several offensive categories within conference play.
Beckham led her team with a .371 batting average along with double-digit home runs for her second consecutive all-conference selection. Addison posted a career-high in wins as pitcher while leading or ranking near league leaders in multiple pitching categories. Amos broke program freshman records for stolen bases and runs scored; she became Winthrop’s first freshman all-conference honoree since Ashley Westbrooks in 2017.
Buckner contributed both offensively at shortstop with steady defense, while Winebarger had her best season behind home plate including seven home runs during conference games—matching feats not seen from an Eagle since Chelsey Schoenfeldt’s performance over a decade ago.
The ten total honors are described as “the most since 2009 when Eagles earned nine conference honors.” The announcement also lists other major award winners across schools: Player of The Year went to Taliyah Thomas (USC Upstate), Pitcher of The Year was Dakota Redmon (Radford), Freshman of The Year went to Hali Duke (Presbyterian), Scholar-Athlete Of The Year was Maggie Chapin (Longwood).
