BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Junior pitcher Ali Kilponen was LSU’s lone player selected to the first team of the 2022 All-Southeastern Conference team that was announced Friday.
The Tigers, which lost to Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Tournament, were also represented on the second team by junior first baseman Georgia Clark, sophomores Ciara Briggs in center field, Danieca Coffey at third base and Taylor Pleasants at shortstop.
Briggs was also named to the 2022 SEC All-Defensive Team, marking the fourth consecutive season that LSU has been represented on the squad excluding the 2020 season (COVID-19).
Kilponen earned the first All-SEC selection of her career and becomes the first LSU pitcher honored on first team since 2018 (Allie Walljasper). She’s posted the league’s fourth-highest win total (18) with five shutouts, her first career no-hitter, along with a 2.32 ERA and 138 strikeouts.
Briggs batted .366 with 67 hits (No. 7 in SEC), a team-high 52 runs scored (No. 3 in SEC), and 32 RBIs. In the outfield, Briggs has no errors in 84 chances. She’s had several highlight-reel play this season, including SportsCenter’s No. 1 play in its Top 10 Plays where she robbed a home run against Texas Tech on Feb. 20.
Clark’s batting .285 with a team-high 16 home runs (No. 8 in SEC), 59 RBIs (No. 3 in SEC), and a .656 slugging percentage. Coffey took over this season at third base and leads team with a .385 batting average, .464 on-base percentage, 70 hits (No. 3 in SEC), and 10 stolen bases to go along with 26 RBIs.
Pleasants is batting .302 on the year, has a team-high 27 extra-base hits, including 14 doubles (No. 2 in SEC), 12 home runs, and one triple. She’s No. 2 in the league with 105 assists and has been involved in 12 double plays in 224 chances.
The NCAA Softball Championship selection show will be at 6 p.m. Sunday at ESPN2.
The complete 2022 SEC Softball Postseason Awards is as follows:
All-SEC First Team
Montana Fouts, Alabama
Ashley Prange, Alabama
Chenise Delce, Arkansas
Hannah Gammill, Arkansas
Danielle Gibson, Arkansas
Mary Haff, Arkansas
Linnie Malkin, Arkansas
KB Sides, Arkansas
Maddie Penta, Auburn
Skylar Wallace, Florida
Lacey Fincher, Georgia
Jayda Kearney, Georgia
Sara Mosley, Georgia
Erin Coffel, Kentucky
Kayla Kowalik, Kentucky
Lauren Johnson, Kentucky
Ali Kilponen, LSU
Mia Davidson, Mississippi State
Kimberly Wert, Missouri
Brooke Wilmes, Missouri
Haley Lee, Texas A&M
All-SEC Second Team
Bailey Dowling, Alabama
Ally Shipman, Alabama
Hannah McEwen, Arkansas
Bri Ellis, Auburn
Cheyenne Lindsey, Florida
Sydney Kuma, Georgia
Renee Abernathy, Kentucky
Tatum Spangler, Kentucky
Ciara Briggs, LSU
Georgia Clark, LSU
Danieca Coffey, LSU
Taylor Pleasants, LSU
Chloe Malau’ulu, Mississippi State
Jenna Laird, Missouri
Ivy Davis, Tennessee
Erin Edmoundson, Tennessee
Kelcy Leach, Tennessee
Kiki Milloy, Tennessee
Zaida Puni, Tennessee
Katie Dack, Texas A&M
Makinzy Herzog, Texas A&M
SEC All-Defensive Team
P – Tatum Spangler, Kentucky
C – Kayla Kowalik, Kentucky
1B – Danielle Gibson, Arkansas
2B – Hannah Adams, Florida
SS – Ivy Davis, Tennessee
3B – Hannah Gammill, Arkansas
LF – Casidy Chaumont, Missouri
CF – Ciara Briggs, LSU
RF – Rylea Smith, Kentucky
Player of the Year: KB Sides, Arkansas
Pitcher of the Year: Chenise Delce, Arkansas
Freshman of the Year: Bri Ellis, Auburn
Coach of the Year: Courtney Deifel, Arkansas
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