Pirates Place Four Players On All-AAC Teams

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina sophomore outfielder Emma Jackson, graduate first baseman Morgan Johnson and senior utility Taylor Woodring have been named to the 2024 All-American Athletic Conference Second Team while freshman pitcher Taylor Apple was tabbed to the AAC All-Rookie Team according to an announcement by the league office on Tuesday morning.

The three second team selections mark the most that the Pirates have garnered in a single season as a member of the American since joining the league prior to the 2015 season. Apple's All-Rookie Team selection marks the third Pirate freshman in as many seasons under head coach Shane Winkler to earn a spot on the first-year team.

Jackson has burst onto the scene in her first season with the Pirates, batting .407 at the plate while tallying an NCAA-leading 23 doubles in 54 games played this season. The Chincoteague, Va. native leads the team in multi-hit games with 18 and has hit 10 of her 13 home runs against conference competition. She was named the AAC Player of the Week after the opening week of the season, scoring 11 runs and recording six doubles with a .652 batting average in ECU's first six games. Jackson is currently second all-time in program history for doubles in a single season with 23 and is four away from breaking the single season record of 26 set by Kate Manuse in 2004.

Johnson has also enjoyed a strong season at ECU with a .371 batting average and 13 home runs as well as 47 RBI while playing at first base. In a five-game span at the Pirate Clash, Johnson tallied 16 RBI, seven hits and three home runs to earn a spot on the AAC Weekly Honor Roll. Johnson held a streak of reaching base in 26 games from February 17 to March 28 and had a stretch of four home runs in five games.

Woodring posted career-highs in nearly every statistical category as a senior, slashing numbers of .310/.504/.402 to go with 35 hits, 18 RBI and five home runs. She was named AAC Player of the Week after she batted .600 at the plate with five RBI and three home runs to help lead the Pirates to four wins including a sweep over UTSA which was the program's first sweep of a conference foe since 2021.

Apple was the top arm in the circle for the Pirates, recording a team-best 2.54 ERA in 38 appearances including 25 starts. She recorded nine complete games in the circle and tossed 106 strikeouts for a 14-7 record and was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll twice this season. The Burlington native threw a career-high 10 strikeouts in ECU's win over Fairfield on Feb. 16 and was part of a combined no-hitter against N.C. Central on Feb. 25, the first no-hitter from a Pirate since Toni Paisley in 2011.

East Carolina will enter the AAC Softball Championship at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kan. as the No. 7 seed. The Pirates will face No. 6 UAB in the first round on Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Below is the complete list of award winners and all-conference teams.

Player of the Year
CC Wong, Wichita State

Defensive Players of the Year
Lexi Winters, Charlotte
Kathy Garcia-Soto, South Florida

Pitcher of the Year
Georgeanna Barefoot, Charlotte

Rookie of the Year
Kiley Channell, Florida Atlantic

Coaching Staff of the Year
Florida Atlantic

First Team All-Conference
P - Georgeanna Barefoot, Charlotte
P - Ainsley Lambert, Florida Atlantic
P - Skylar Savage, North Texas
C - Kate de Leon, Florida Atlantic
1B - Arianna Rodi, Charlotte
2B - Mikayla Smith, North Texas
SS - Taylor Sedlacek, Wichita State
3B - Ella Chancey, Charlotte
OF - Kamryn Jackson, Florida Atlantic
OF - Presley Leebrick, Florida Atlantic
OF - Addison Barnard, Wichita State*
DP/U/P - Trinity Schlotterbeck, Florida Atlantic*
DP/U/Non-P - CC Wong, Wichita State*

Second Team All-Conference
P - Sam Gress, Charlotte
P - Payton Dixon, South Florida
C - Taylor Jensen, UTSA
1B - Morgan Johnson, East Carolina
2B - Cori Hoffler, Charlotte
SS - Imani Edwards, Tulsa
3B - Jesiana Mora, Florida Atlantic
OF - Bella Wiggins, UAB
OF - Emma Jackson, East Carolina
OF - MacKenzie Denson, Tulsa
DP/U/Non-P - Taylor Woodring, East Carolina

All-Rookie Team
Hannah Dorsett, INF, UAB
Olivia Williams, OF, Charlotte
Taylor Apple, P, East Carolina
Kiley Channell, SS, Florida Atlantic
Anneca Anderson, P, Tulsa
Chloe Barber, P, Wichita State

*denotes unanimous selection

Players Mentioned

Taylor Apple

Emma Jackson

Morgan Johnson

Taylor Woodring

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