OKLAHOMA CITY — Louisiana junior shortstop DJ Sanders was named Thursday to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-America First Team, the Association announced Wednesday afternoon.
It is the first career honor for Sanders, a former standout at New Hope High School in Columbus. Sanders hit a team-and career-best .388 with career-high totals in home runs (29) and RBIs (82). Nearly half of her 62 hits were home runs. She had seven games of multiple home runs and tied the NCAA single-season record for grand slams with six.
It’s the 16th time Louisiana has produced multiple All-Americans in a single season.
Sanders is the first shortstop in program history to earn first-team All-America status.
Outfielder Aleah Craighton, a second-team honoree in 2016, also was a first-team All-America choice.
Sanders and Craighton were named to the NFCA All-Central Region First Team on May 18, which made them eligible for All-America honors.
A top-10 finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year and Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Sanders led the nation in runs per game, home runs, home runs per game, RBIs, RBIs per game, total bases, and slugging percentage at the completion of regular-season play. Defensively, she committed only one error in Sun Belt Conference play and seven all season.
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