The Samford softball team had six players earn All-Southern Conference honors, according to a May 5 announcement from the league office. Olivia Shaw was named Southern Conference Player of the Year, and she, Katie Campbell, and Brandy Phillips were selected for the first team. Makinley Turner and Addison Smith received second-team recognition, while Reese Hickey was named to the freshman team.
These awards highlight individual performances across several positions on the Samford roster. Shaw finished in the top ten in seven offensive categories within the conference and led in doubles with 17. She also led her team in batting average (.381), hits (64), and runs (43), starting all 55 games this season. “Shaw is the Bulldogs’ fourth SoCon Player of the Year, the first since Mary Katherine Tedder in 2022,” according to Samford Athletics.
Campbell started every game for Samford this season and set a school record with 18 home runs, leading both her team and conference in that category. She hit .352 overall with a team-best 54 RBIs. Phillips contributed across multiple roles including center field, third base, first base, and pitching; she hit .286 with 11 home runs and pitched 71 innings.
Smith earned second-team honors after starting most games as an outfielder with a .328 batting average. Turner finished as Samford’s lead pitcher despite missing part of the season due to injury; she posted an ERA of 2.88 over more than ninety innings pitched. Hickey made an impact as a freshman pitcher by finishing with five wins out of twenty appearances and recording two complete-game shutouts.
The Bulldogs will return to play Thursday at noon when they begin their participation in the Southern Conference Tournament against either ETSU/Mercer or Western Carolina.
