IRVING, Texas – Conference USA released the recipients of its 2018 softball all-conference and superlative honors Tuesday afternoon, as selected by a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches. Louisiana Tech boasted Player of the Year in league batting leader Morgan Turkoly, and Pitcher of the Year Preslee Gallaway. North Texas’ Katie Clark was crowned Newcomer of the Year after already inking her name in the Mean Green offensive record books. Rookie standout Aly Harrell paced the Marshall lineup and immediately made an impact as Freshman of the Year. Florida Atlantic claimed the C-USA Regular-Season Championship and No. 1 seed for the tournament with Coach of the Year Joan Joyce at the helm.

Complete Release (PDF)
 
Turkoly crafted a reached-base-safely streak of 40 games, good for third in the nation and longest by a C-USA player in more than eight years. The junior leads all league hitters in batting average (.414) and ranks inside the top-10 in slugging percentage (.586), runs (42), hits (63) and doubles (12) for all games. Her .548 on-base percentage stands 11^th among all NCAA Division I hitters and she tops the Lady Techsters with 14 multi-hit games on the year. The outfielder also collected an All-C-USA First-Team nod, her second in a row and third all-conference selection of her illustrious career.
 
Gallaway was lights out for Louisiana Tech this season and was recognized as a three-time C-USA Pitcher of the Week. Her stat line for all games reads as one of the most elite in the conference as she currently dons 17 wins, a 2.41 ERA, 140 strikeouts and a pair of saves through 159.2 frames. In conference action, her 10 victories top all C-USA arms with 72 punch outs to just 22 walks. The Texas native’s campaign included complete-game shutouts against nationally-ranked Texas State and a competitive James Madison. She also drew up a trio of shutout innings versus a top-25 Oregon State squad. Gallaway paired her specialty honor with an all-conference first-team selection.
 
Clark bested North Texas’ single-season stolen base record with 17 to date, and sits fifth with the league’s fourth-best .376 batting average. In 46 starts, the sophomore commands the Mean Green stat sheet with 33 runs, 59 hits, a .402 on-base percentage and a .967 fielding clip. Her longest reached-base streak stretched 21 in games in 2018. In a sweep of Louisiana Tech, Clark amassed six hits and became the 13^th Mean Green player with four knocks in a single game. The all-conference second-team nod was also one of three to power two home runs in one game.
 
Harrell quickly came into her own at Marshall and paces the Thundering Herd with 10 home runs, 40 RBI, and .675 slugging and .473 on-base slugging percentages. The freshman owns a .342 batting average through 47 games with one of the league’s lowest strikeout clips (nine). She set a program record as she drew a walk in eight-consecutive games. She slammed three of her home runs in three-straight games, and demolished a pitch at WKU that gave her career’s first grand slam. The first baseman and all-conference first-team pick committed just two errors this season en route to one of the team’s highest fielding percentages at .985.
 
Joyce steered the Owls to secure their second title in three seasons after securing the regular-season crown in Florida Atlantic’s final league series at UTSA. She led the squad to a 15-8 mark in conference play, now in her 24^th year. The 2018 campaign is her sixth-consecutive season with 15+ league victories.
 
2018 Conference USA Specialty Awards
Player of the Year: Morgan Turkoly, Louisiana Tech
Pitcher of the Year: Preslee Gallaway, Louisiana Tech
Newcomer of the Year: Katie Clark, North Texas
Freshman of the Year: Aly Harrell, Marshall
Coach of the Year: Joan Joyce, Florida Atlantic
 
All-Conference USA First Team
C - Taylor McCord, Marshall
C - Morgan Harris, Middle Tennessee
INF - Haley Pace, Charlotte
INF - Kasandra Castle, FIU
INF - Emily Lochten, Florida Atlantic
INF - Natalie Erwin, UAB
INF - Courtney Clayton, UTEP
OF - Jackie Schoff, FIU
OF - Madisyn Palmer, Florida Atlantic
OF - Morgan Turkoly, Louisiana Tech
OF - Bailee Baldwin, UTSA
DP/Utility - Aly Harrell, Marshall
P - Shannon Saile, FIU
P - Preslee Gallaway, Louisiana Tech
P - Cori Jennings, Middle Tennessee
 
All-Conference USA Second Team
C - Marilyn Rizzato, Louisiana Tech
C - Samantha Papp, Southern Miss
INF - Jessica Rivera, FIU
INF - Elicia D’Orazio, Marshall
INF - Lexi Cushing, Middle Tennessee
INF - Summer Burgess, Middle Tennessee
INF - Lacy Gregory, North Texas
OF - Jordan Colliflower, Marshall
OF - Precious Birdsong, Middle Tennessee
OF - Katie Clark, North Texas
OF - Destini England, UAB
DP/Utility - Ciarra Cherry, Southern Miss
P - Haley Wiseman, Charlotte
P - Tatum Buckley, Florida Atlantic
P - Hope Trautwein, North Texas

Conference USA All-Freshman Team
Venessa Gallegos, FIU
Sloane Stewartson, Louisiana Tech
Amber Baldwin, Middle Tennessee
Aly Harrell, Marshall
Hope Trautwein, North Texas
Destini Brown, Southern Miss
Emily Kachel, UAB
Ariana Valles, UTEP
Ashlynn Walls, UTSA
Shelby Nunn, WKU
Maddie Bowlds, WKU
Jordan Thomas, WKU