May 9, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Senior Kasey Cooper was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year to highlight a record-tying number of Auburn players selected for all-conference accolades, the league office announced Tuesday.
Kaylee Carlson and Carlee Wallace garnered All-SEC First Team honors, while Alyssa Rivera and Cooper were tabbed All-SEC Second Team. Rivera also earned All-Freshman Team recognition, while Carlson, Cooper and Wallace earned spots on the SEC All-Defensive Team.
Auburn's total of four players honored by the league office tied a program record, matching the 2005 and 2015 teams.
Cooper, the first back-to-back Scholar-Athlete of the Year choice in program history, maintained a 3.98 grade point average as a mechanical engineering major. She was selected for two research studies involving the "breaking in" of Demarini bats and a value-based study of chemotherapy drugs utilized in the treatment of gynecologic cancers.
The Dothan, Ala. native is a two-time Academic All-American and is a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award. She is only the second player in the SEC record books to repeat as the conference's top scholar-athlete.
Carlson, the SEC's win leader during the 2017 campaign with 25, became the second pitcher in program history to be named an all-conference selection, joining Kristen Keyes in 2004.
She was one of only two pitchers to amass 10 wins in SEC play and tied for second in the league with four saves overall. The Garden Grove, Calif. native held the lowest ERA in the SEC among those to make at least 25 starts with a 1.17 mark.
Carlson paced the league with 19 complete games, including 15 in conference play, and totaled 179 innings in the circle, good for second in the SEC. She held a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 55 chances, including 45 assists and 10 putouts, and was involved in six double plays.
Wallace was voted the league's top catcher after leading the Tigers at the plate in hits (55), extra-base hits (28), RBI (47), slugging percentage (.641) and on-base percentage (.482). She was the only backstop and one of just six players to rank in the top 15 in the SEC in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
The Alpine, Calif. native tied for the conference lead in doubles with 18 was directly involved in a team-high 13 game-winning plays by way of an RBI or run scored in 2017. She led the team with 14 multi-hit games and 13 contests with at least two RBI.
Wallace touted a .981 fielding clip with 142 putouts and caught six runners stealing.
Cooper became the SEC's all-time career leader in RBI with 266, which ranks in the top 10 in NCAA history. She also became the second player in league history to amass 250 hits and 250 RBI in a career.
Cooper was one of only three players in the SEC to have 40-plus RBI, 30-plus runs scored, 20-plus extra-base hits and at least five stolen bases. She successfully advanced runners at a .608 clip.
The third baseman boasted a .959 fielding percentage during the regular season in 146 chances. She was also directly involved in 10 double plays.
Rivera was the conference's batting champion among freshmen with a team-high .379 clip. She was also the league's only rookie to record at least 20 hits and 10 RBI in league games.
The Eagle Lake, Fla. native laced six game-winning hits and batted .358 with runners on base during the 2017 campaign. She collected 12 multi-hit games and seven contests with multiple RBI.
Rivera was also a standout in the field with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage that included 30 putouts and a team-best three outfield assists.
Auburn opens postseason play at the SEC Tournament Thursday, May 11 in Knoxville, Tenn. The second-seeded Tigers are slated to face the winner between No. 7 seed Kentucky and No. 10 seed South Carolina at 4 p.m. on the SEC Network.
The awards were voted on by the league's head coaches.
First Team All-SEC
P - Kaylee Carlson, Auburn
P - Kelly Barnhill, Florida
P - Delanie Gourley, Florida
IF - Nicole DeWitt, Florida
IF - Kayli Kvistad, Florida
IF - Katie Reed, Kentucky
IF - Caroline Seitz, Mississippi State
IF - Meghan Gregg, Tennessee
OF - Amanda Lorenz, Florida
OF - Cortni Emanuel, Georgia
OF - Bailey Landry, LSU
OF - Kylan Becker, Ole Miss
C - Carlee Wallace, Auburn
DP/U - Aleshia Ocasio, Florida
Second Team All-SEC
P - Alexis Osorio, Alabama
P - Allie Walljasper, LSU
P - Kaitlin Lee, Ole Miss
P - Matty Moss, Tennessee
IF - A.J. Belans, Arkansas
IF - Kasey Cooper, Auburn
IF - Alyssa DiCarlo, Georgia
IF - Kristen Cuyos, Texas A&M
IF - Riley Sartain, Texas A&M
OF - Alyssa Rivera, Auburn
OF - Justine McLean, Florida
OF - Sydni Emanuel, Georgia
OF - Regan Nash, Missouri
C - Sahvanna Jaquish, LSU
DP/U - Brooke Vines, Tennessee
Freshman All-SEC
P - Autumn Storms, Arkansas
P - Morgan Bruce, Ole Miss
P - Caylan Arnold, Tennessee
IF - Sophia Reynoso, Florida
IF - Alex Martens, Kentucky
IF - Braxton Burnside, Missouri
IF - Mackenzie Boesel, South Carolina
IF - Chelsea Seggern, Tennessee
OF - Elissa Brown, Alabama
OF - Alyssa Rivera, Auburn
OF - Bailey Vick, Kentucky
OF - Sarah Hudek, Texas A&M
DP/U - Bailey Hemphill, Alabama
SEC All-Defensive
P - Kaylee Carlson, Auburn
C - Carlee Wallace, Auburn
1B - Kaylea Snaer, South Carolina
2B - Nicole DeWitt, Florida
SS - Meghan Gregg, Tennessee
3B - Kasey Cooper, Auburn
LF - Bailey Vick, Kentucky
CF - Amanda Ivy, Mississippi State
RF - Sydni Emanuel, Georgia
Player of the Year: Meghan Gregg, Tennessee
Pitcher of the Year: Kelly Barnhill, Florida
Freshman of the Year: Caylan Arnold, Tennessee
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kasey Cooper, Auburn
Coach of the Year: Tim Walton, Florida