NEW ORLEANS – University of South Alabama softball pitcher Olivia Lackie and third baseman Meredith Keel were both named first-team all-Sun Belt Conference Monday afternoon, while first baseman Abby Krzywiecki and outfielder Mackenzie Brasher were selected to the league's second team as announced by the conference office.

The all-conference selections are the first for all four players, while Lackie and Krzywiecki's first team selections mark the 23rd and 24th in program history and Brasher and Krzywiecki's second-team accolades are the 29th and 30th, bringing the all-league honor tally to 56 overall.

The dual first-team selections for Lackie and Krzywiecki mark the eighth-straight time that South Alabama has had at least two players selected to the league's first team.

OLIVIA LACKIE
Freshman – Pitcher

In her first collegiate season, Lackie has had an immediate impact in the circle for the Jaguars as she has posted 16 wins, three saves, and holds a 1.99 earned run average in 158.1 innings of work, to go along with six total shutouts, 14 complete games, 213 strikeouts, and is holding opponents to a .185 batting average.

She has been named the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week on four occasions, and was selected as the Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week on March 9 as well as being named the D1Softball Freshman of the Week, after tossing a 1-0 shutout at then-second ranked Alabama. Throughout the 2021 season, Lackie has twice been recognized by as one of the Louisville Slugger/Wilson NFCA DI Top Performance Selection (4/13).

Last month, Lackie was one of 30 freshmen from around the country selected as a candidate for the 2021 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award

Lackie has struck out the side 18 times and recorded at least two or more strikeouts in 71 innings (44.9%). She has recorded double-digit strikeouts seven times this spring, with five of those going for 12 or more. Of her 481 put outs, 213 have come by strikeout, while 268 have come from balls put in play (44.3%).

Of the 643 batters faced, Lackie has gotten ahead 0-2 in the count to 148 (23.0%) batters, retiring 125 (84.5%) of those batters and striking out 88 (70.4%) of those retired batters. In addition, Lackie has retired the side in order or faced the minimum in 64 (40.5%) of her innings of work.

She set the freshman record for strikeouts in a season in game one of a doubleheader versus ULM on April 25, and holds the program mark for double-digit strikeout games (7) and wins by a freshman.

Lackie was just as good against Sun Belt opponents as she holds a 1.89 ERA, and has struck out 109 batters in her 85.1 innings of work, while holding opponents to a .187 batting average.

Heading into the postseason, ranks second in strikeouts, innings pitched and opposing batting average, third in ERA, strikeouts looking (53) and saves, and fourth in wins. The Walker, La., native is 16th nationally in strikeouts.

MEREDITH KEEL
Junior – Third baseman

No other newcomer has had as big of an impact offensively for South Alabama as Keel. The third baseman has excelled at the plate for the Jaguars both at the top and at the bottom of the lineup, as well as defensively at third.

She leads the team with a .387 average, which ranks fourth in the league, while her 45 hits rank just outside the top 10 among SBC batters. She also has seven sacrifice hits, which are tied for fifth, and is 5-for-6 in her stolen base attempts. Her 14 multi-hit games top the club, six coming against Sun Belt competition.

Her seven doubles rank third on the club, and she is one of six Jaguars to record a triple this spring. She has scored 18 runs and driven in eight.

The Ashville, Ohio, native was even better in Sun Belt play as she holds a .429 batting average – which is the highest by a South Alabama player in league play. She had at least one hit in 16 of her 22 conference games.

Keel went 2-for-2 in each of the last two games of the series at Coastal Carolina, walking in the finale to reach base all three of her plate appearances. She was 3-for-3 with a double in the series finale at Louisiana, and was 3-for-3 in the final against UT Arlington.

ABBY KRZYWIECKI
Senior – First baseman

Krzywiecki was one of the many seniors around the nation that were granted an extra year due the COVID-19 pandemic, and she has taken full advantage of the extra year posting career numbers in several categories.

Currently, the Brighton, Mich., native ranks third on the club with a .297 batting average to go along with four doubles, seven home runs and 26 RBI, which leads the team. Her .571 slugging percentage is second-highest on the Jaguar roster.

She also had a team-best 11-game hit streak during the season, which included her first six conference games against Appalachian State and at Coastal Carolina. Of South Alabama's six last at-bat wins, Krzywiecki has driven in the game-winner. Her eight multi-RBI games are most on the Jaguar roster, five of which have come in Sun Belt play.

In SBC action, Krzywiecki had seven of her extra-base hits, including five of her seven home runs, have come in league play. Four of her six multi-hit games also came in those contests. She has also driven in at least one run in 12 conference games. Her 13 SBC games with at least one hit are second-most by a Jag.

Krzywiecki was 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI against Virginia during the opening weekend of the season. She was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in game two against Kent State.

She opened Sun Belt play with five hits, five RBI, two runs scored and a home run, and was instrumental in helping South Alabama pick up its first Sun Belt conference series sweep since 2018 during the opening league weekend of the spring against Appalachian State.

Krzywiecki drove in the lone run in South's 1-0 victory at Texas State during game two of the series against the Bobcats as she broke a scoreless tie after drawing a bases-loaded free pass, a walk she drew after fouling off five two-strike pitches and working the count full. She hit a two-run home run in the series finale against Texas State that was part of a five-run inning.

The Jag infielder went 2-for-4 in game two against UT Arlington as she hit a three-run home run against the Mavericks.

MACKENZIE BRASHER
Sophomore – Outfielder

Brasher has also been a valuable offensive tool in the Jaguar lineup this season as she is second on the team with a .365 batting average and 12 multi-hit games, both categories ranking just behind Keel.

Brasher has 42 hits and has been successful in seven of her nine stolen base attempts, while her 23 runs scored are the most by a South Alabama player. She has three doubles and has driven three run, while defensively, she has committed just two errors this spring.

In conference play, Brasher has raised her average and is hitting .383 as in her 22 Sun Belt games. Of her 42 hits, 23 have come against league competition to go along with 14 runs scored. Brasher has had at least one hit in 13 of her Sun Belt games this spring, which includes six multi-hit games.

She was 2-for-3 in the series opener against Appalachian State, and then 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI in the opener at Coastal Carolina.

Brasher posted a .667 (6-for-9) batting average in the series at Texas State where she scored three runs. Went 3-for-3 with a run scored – the game winner – in game two of the series, and then followed that with a 2-for-4 showing at the plate, scoring two more runs in the series finale, which clinched the series sweep.

Brasher also went 3-for-4 with a run scored in game two against UT Arlington and closed out the regular season with three hits and two runs scored in the two-game set with Troy.

UP NEXT
- Fourth-seeded South Alabama (25-13, 12-5 SBC) will open up play at the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship at the Troy Softball Complex in Troy, Ala., on Wednesday versus fifth-seeded Appalachian State at 12:30 p.m.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear.  All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub.

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