Despite a midseason injury, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff softball ace Kayla Adams did enough to earn the SWAC’s respect this year.
Adams, a sophomore, was named to the All-SWAC First Team for the second straight season.
She joined Cailin Massey of Prairie View A&M and Alyssa Lopez of Bethune-Cookman as the three pitchers on the first team.
Massey was named SWAC Pitcher of the Year.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Last season, Adams was also one of the three All-SWAC First Team pitchers along with being named Co-Freshman of the Year.
Adams (7-8) posted a 2.42 ERA this season, the second best among SWAC pitchers.
She started 15 games and went the distance in 14 of them, pitching 104.1 innings. In conference games, she had a 1.56 ERA, third best in the SWAC, and a 5-3 record after pitching complete games in each of her eight starts.
The Tulsa native last pitched against Texas Southern on March 30.
A foot injury caused her to miss the final 12 games of the season.
Despite missing the final five weeks, she still finished with the most strikeouts of any SWAC pitcher, 119. Second place was 112 from Bethune-Cookman’s Halyne Gonzalez, who pitched 65 more innings than Adams.
Her 80 strikeouts in SWAC games also led the league.
Second place was Alcorn State’s Ta’Niyah Fletcher with 71. Fletcher pitched 87 1/3 innings in SWAC play to Adams’ 58 1/3.
Adams was the lone UAPB player to receive postseason recognition.