Hudson Voted to NFCA All-Southeast Region 2nd Team
Liberty junior Caroline Hudson has been voted a second-team selection at designated player on the 2023 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) NCAA Division I All-Southeast Region Softball Team.
A total of 381 players from 152 different softball programs nationally have been selected to the 2023 NFCA Division I All-Region teams. The all-region teams were voted upon by NFCA member coaches from each region, and all honorees are now eligible to be chosen for one of the three 2023 NFCA Division I All-America teams. The NFCA All-America squads will be announced on May 31.
A native of Paris, Tenn., Hudson receives the 25th Liberty NFCA All-Region selection all-time and 16th under ninth-year head coach Dot Richardson. The Lady Flames have been represented on the NFCA All-Region team every year since 2017.
Hudson repeats as an All-Region player after being voted to the third team as a catcher last year. She is the fourth player in program history to be selected to the NFCA All-Region team in back-to-back years, joining Julia DiMartino (2017-19), Amber Bishop-Riley (2017-19, 21) and Autumn Bishop (2017-18).
After being in the NFCA’s Southeast Region until 2010, the Lady Flames were in the Mid-Atlantic Region for All-Region Awards from 2011-19. This is Liberty’s third year back in the Southeast Region, which features teams from the ACC, ASUN, Big South, MEAC and SEC.
Hudson was voted as designated player, due to the fact that she started 50 percent of Liberty’s games at DP and 50 percent at catcher. The minimum participation to be nominated at one of the nine field positions (pitcher, catcher, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF) is 60 percent at that specific position.
A two-time ASUN Player of the Year, Hudson leads the ASUN with 15 homers, 17 doubles (tied) and 50 RBI, batting .328 with a team-leading .667 slugging percentage. She had one of the biggest hits of the season, a go-ahead three-run home run to sink Montana Fouts and No. 13 Alabama, April 18. That was one of four homers this season against Top 25 opponents (also Duke and Central Arkansas). On March 5 against Radford, she became the first player in program history with four homers in one day. She carried a 16-game hitting streak into the second round of the ASUN Softball Championship.
The Lady Flames (38-20) are currently in Los Angeles, Calif., preparing for tomorrow’s NCAA Los Angeles Regional opener against San Diego State. That game will air live on ESPNU at 11 p.m. ET tomorrow. The Lady Flames are making their third straight NCAA Regional appearance after receiving the first-ever at-large berth in program history.
