Arkansas Softball Garners 5 All-SEC Selections
AUBURN, Ala. – Headlined by three First-Team selections, the No. 13 Arkansas softball team garnered five All-Southeastern Conference selections as voted on by the coaches.
For the first time in their careers, junior first baseman Bri Ellis, sophomore center fielder Reagan Johnson and fifth-year senior RHP Morgan Leinstock were tabbed First-Team All-SEC. Senior second baseman Cylie Halvorson was named Second-Team All-SEC for the second consecutive year.
Earning the honor in 2022 and again in 2024, senior third baseman Hannah Gammill was selected to the SEC’s All-Defensive Team along with Bri Ellis. They’re the first Razorback duo to be named to the SEC’s All-Defensive Team in the same year since Gammill (third base) and Danielle Gibson (first base) were named to the 2022 SEC All-Defensive Team. Additionally, Arkansas’ three First-Team honorees are the most since collecting a program-record six First-Team All-SEC selections in 2022.
Bri Ellis has dominated the SEC in her first year as a Razorback, leading the team with a 1.124 OPS, runs scored (36), home runs (14), RBI (47), total bases (95) and slugging percentage (.679). Ellis brings a .329/.679/.446 slash line into Friday’s week’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal game vs. Missouri. The Houston native also leads the team in two-out RBI with 17. She became the first Hog in program history to win SEC Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks after earning the accolades on March 12 and March 19. An integral part of Arkansas’ defense at first base, Ellis has recorded a .991 fielding percentage on 347 total chances while helping turn 21 double plays.
Building upon her breakout freshman campaign, Reagan Johnson continues to be amongst the SEC’s best at center field and as a leadoff batter. The Karnes City, Texas, native ranks second in the conference in hits with 70 and sixth in batting average, sporting a team-high .388 clip. Johnson paces Arkansas in hits, stolen bases with 11 and multi-hit games with 21. Defensively, Johnson has posted a .988 fielding percentage on 84 total chances.
In her lone SEC season in the circle, Leinstock has showcased why she’s one of the conference’s premier pitchers after racking up two SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. Leinstock (13-4) brings a 1.75 ERA, 129 strikeouts, eight complete games, three complete-game shutouts and a .205 opponent batting average into this week’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup vs. Missouri. During league-only play, Leinstock finished amongst the league’s best, finishing fourth in saves with two, sixth in wins (8), sixth in batters struck out looking (20), eighth in ERA (2.00), ninth in innings pitched (80.1), ninth in batters struck out (66) and 11th in opponent batting average (.213). She’s second on Arkansas’ pitching staff with a 1.12 WHIP this season.
Despite changing positions from first to second base during the offseason, Cylie Halvorson made sure the transition was flawless as she was recognized as Second-Team All-SEC for the second year in a row. Halvorson, slashing .304/.558/.365 during the regular season, heated up during conference play and hit at a .313 clip while notching 20 hits, a team-best five doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, a .531 slugging percentage and a .389 on-base percentage. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native made her presence felt at second base after amassing a .967 fielding percentage on 182 total chances while helping flip 16 double plays.
Hannah Gammill has been a staple in the Razorback lineup throughout her four seasons on The Hill. Claiming her second SEC All-Defensive Team honor, Gammill has filed a .985 fielding percentage on 137 total chances with eight double plays. During conference play, Gammill finished with a .986 fielding percentage on 71 total chances with four double plays. During the conference season, Gammill slashed .230/.525/.347 with 18 hits, three doubles, five home runs and a team-high 20 RBI. The Beebe, Ark., product also drew the second-most walks on the team with nine and reached via hit by pitch three times.
The Razorbacks will finish Thursday’s quarterfinal game vs. Missouri at 9 a.m. Friday from Jane B. Moore Field. Trailing 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning, the game was suspended Thursday evening due to weather. The game will broadcast on SEC Network with Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Amanda Scarborough (analyst) and Alyssa Lang (sideline) on the call.
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