Lakehawk Softball’s Payton Parkes Named to 2024 NFCA All-Region Team
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Softball) – The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced the 2024 NFCA/NJCAA DII All-Region Teams. 76 student-athletes were selected from 34 schools.
This award honors high performing student-athletes from each of the three regions, East, Midwest, and South. After being nominated, head coaches from member organizations vote for the winners.
Freshman Payton Parkes was named to the South Region Second Team. Parkes was a top-performer for the Lakehawks this season as the team's primary second baseman and leadoff batter.
Parkes finished the year with a .384 batting average, .419 on-base percentage, and a .643 slugging percentage. She recorded 71 hits with 15 doubles, three triples, and nine homeruns.
At the conference level, she ranked fifth for slugging percentage and homeruns, sixth for hits, seventh for runs scored (47) and doubles (15), and tenth for batting average.
Defensively, Parkes recorded just 10 errors on the infield for a .944 fielding percentage.
Head Coach Jay Miller shared his thoughts on Parkes' honor, "The NFCA selects 76 softball players form the entire country for their all-Region teams. Payton was just one of two second basemen selected from the South Region and I think that shows how impactful her freshman season was.
"Payton was asked to play out of her natural position at third base and make the move to second base full-time in January, just three weeks before season started. She ended the year as one of the top second basemen in the country.
"We are very proud of her," said Coach Miller.
Parkes now moves forward to be considered for NFCA/NJCAA All-America teams, which will be announced on Friday, May 31.
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