Softball lands Four Players with USCAA All-American Honors
AKRON, Ohio – The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) released the Softball All-Americans on Thursday. Altogether, 45 players were honored in total, and a quartet of those members represented the University of Dallas softball team.
Among the unit were Senior Taylor Garcia (Pflugerville, Texas), and sophomores Katie Lee (Houston, Texas), Avery Finch (Jamul, Calif.), and Lyda Tesauro (Hollywood, Fla.). Garcia and Lee headlined the recognitions with First Team All-American accolades, while Finch and Tesauro earned Second Team.
Garcia is familiar with the listing, becoming the fourth player in the Dallas softball program to earn two USCAA All-American awards. The graduating catcher received USCAA All-American Honorable Mention in 2013, and is the first player to garner multiple honors since Amanda Acevedo did it in 2004 and 2006.
Garcia finished her impressive career with stellar numbers for the Lady Crusaders' squad. She ranked first on the team and second in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference with 40 RBI. That mark also was a personal best and helped set a single-season record for the program. Garcia ended her collegiate slate with 104 ribbies, which slots her second behind the career record by two. The native of Pflugerville, Texas, paced the Navy and White with a .373 batting average, 41 hits, and three home runs. She was second on the team with 12 doubles and produced 11 multi-hit performances.
Also getting the nod on the All-American First Team list was fellow battery mate, Lee. The right-handed pitcher anchored Dallas in the circle throughout most of the spring. She hurled a season-record, 212 innings, and shattered the win mark totals in the program for both a single-season and career. Lee's 19 victories helped eventually lift her to the all-time mark of 25. A native of Houston, Texas, the sophomore at one point pitched 139.2-straight innings and led the SCAC in wins, innings tossed, and 101 strikeouts. Lee was effective for the most part, spinning an ERA of 3.35 and blanked opponents six times, including half of those in a row.
Finch and Tesauro received their first All-American Honors with slots on the second team. The outfield duo rounded out the top three spots in hits with 39 and 38, respectively.
Tesauro boasted a .369 batting average to rank second on the squad, and was atop the leaderboard with 15 doubles and three triples. The native of Hollywood, Florida, was a perfect 24-for-24 in stolen bases. Her speedy thefts placed her second on UD and in the league behind the other member of this tandem.
Finch batted .317 and set a single-season record with 30 stolen bases. The centerfielder's swipes led the league and team all spring. Finch carried a seven-game hitting streak and tied Garcia for 11 multiple hit performances.
Dallas has now watched 23 players in the softball program be recognized as All-Americans. The quartet is the most the Lady Crusaders have had announced since five athletes were counted in 2006. This current number matches the second-most, which happened in 2004 the other occasion.
Dallas tied a program-record 20 wins after boasting a 20-16 record overall, and 13-9 mark within the SCAC. It was the most victories in both categories since UD joined the conference four years ago.
About the USCAA:
"The USCAA is a national organization that exists to provide quality athletic competition on a regional and national level. The USCAA focuses specifically on smaller institutions of higher learning and their student-athletes. The association believes that all athletes and programs deserve the same national opportunities as larger institutions. We are an organization that can provide those opportunities."