AUGUSTA, GA – The Peach Belt Conference has announced the 2021 softball All-Conference team. UNC Pembroke’s Tatum Brummitt and Columbus State’s Hannah Rose Corbin were named the co-Players of the Year. North Georgia’s Kylee Smith was named the Pitcher of the Year for the third year in a row while teammate Laken Chambers was named the recipient of the Elite 16 Award presented by EAB. CSU’s Caitlyn Canady was named the Freshman of the Year and UNCP’s Brittany Bennett the Coach of the Year.

Co-Player of the Year: Tatum Brummitt, UNC Pembroke

• A junior first baseman from Garner, N.C.
• Started all 39 games for the Braves, hitting .485 with a .921 slugging percentage, 13 doubles, nine home runs and 39 RBIs
• Leads the PBC and is ranked 13th in NCAA Division II in batting average; also ranked second in the league in runs scored and doubles, third in slugging percentage and hits
• Her .485 batting average is on pace to become the sixth-highest single-season average in PBC history
• Collected multiple hits in 19 games and hit .471 with a .980 slugging percentage in conference games
• Becomes the second Brave to be named the PBC Player of the Year, joining Jelena Shaw who won in 2010

Co-Player of the Year: Hannah Rose Corbin, Columbus State

• A sophomore pitcher and designated player from Clanton, Ala.
• Hit .400 in 44 games played with a .967 slugging percentage, 16 home runs and 39 RBIs
• Pitched in 31 games with a 20-9 overall record, 165.1 innings of work with a 2.63 ERA and 211 strikeouts
• Leads the PBC and is ranked seventh in Division II in slugging percentage, also leads the conference in on-base percentage and is tied for second in home runs and tied for fifth in RBIs
• Leads the PBC and is ranked sixth in Division II in strikeouts; also leads the league in innings pitched, victories and is sixth in ERA
• The 2019 PBC Freshman of the Year, she becomes the fifth PBC player to be named both the Freshman of the Year and either the Player or Pitcher of the Year in her career; she is also the fourth Cougar to be named the Player of the Year

Pitcher of the Year – Kylee Smith, North Georgia

• A senior pitcher from Suwanee, Ga.
• Becomes the first pitcher in PBC history to be named the Pitcher of the Year three times
• Broke the PBC career record for strikeouts this season, currently with 1,232 in her career which is currently 11th most in NCAA Division II history
• Is 15-3 in 2021 with 109.2 innings pitched, 11 complete games, a 1.28 ERA and 168 strikeouts
• Leads the PBC in opponent batting average and is second in strikeouts, ERA and wins
• Keeps the PBC Pitcher of the Year award at UNG for the ninth time in the last 11 years and is the fifth Nighthawk to win the honor

Freshman of the Year – Caitlyn Canady, Columbus State

• A freshman outfielder from Loganville, Ga.
• Started all 44 games this season for the Cougars, hitting .421 with 10 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 12 stolen bases and 23 RBIs
• Leads the PBC in total hits and triples and is second in runs scored and third in batting average
• Hit safely in all but six games during the season with 19 games of two or more hits with a 17-game mid-season hitting streak
• Is the second straight CSU Freshman of the Year after Hannah Rose Corbin and the sixth Cougar to ever win the award

Elite 16 Award presented by EAB – Laken Chambers, North Georgia

• A junior from Blairsville, Ga., with the highest cumulative GPA of any player competing in the PBC Tournament
• Twice named a PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar, she has also been named to the PBC Team of Academic Distinction, won the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award and was named an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete; carries a perfect 4.00 GPA
• Named second-team All-Conference this season, she is 11-0 on the season with a 0.56 ERA in 62 innings of work with 36 strikeouts
• Leads the PBC in ERA and walks allowed and is tied for fifth in wins
• Becomes the first UNG softball player to win the Elite 16 Award and the 11th Nighthawk overall

Coach of the Year – Brittany Bennett

• Currently in her eighth year as the head coach of UNCP softball
• After being picked ninth in the PBC preseason coaches’ poll, she led the Braves to a fourth-place finish in the PBC standings, their first appearance in the top four since 2016 and fourth time overall
• UNCP had the #4 seed for the PBC tournament, their highest seed since 2008, and played in the PBC tournament semifinals for the third time in program history
• UNC Pembroke is ranked among the PBC’s top four in batting average, runs scored, doubles, triples, RBI, slugging and ERA
• Becomes the second UNCP coach to be named the PBC Coach of the Year, the first since Steve Johnson in 2008

The All-Conference team is listed below as selected by the league’s head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

2021 Peach Belt Conference Softball
All-Conference Team

First Team
1b - Tatum Brummitt, UNC Pembroke
2b - Morgan Elston, Columbus State
3b - Gracie Mixson, North Georgia
SS - Margaret Simmons, North Georgia
C - Jill Torres, Young Harris
DP - Morgan Curley, Young Harris
UT - Hannah Rose Corbin, Columbus State
OF - Caitlyn Canady, Columbus State
OF - Biz Walters, Young Harris
OF - Natalie Corbin, Young Harris
P - Kylee Smith, North Georgia
P - Kyra Gipson, Flagler
At-Large: Kaylyn Anthony, North Georgia
At-Large: Shelby Hammontree, North Georgia
At-Large: Rendi Wetherington, UNC Pembroke
At-Large: Haylie Shope, Young Harris

Second Team (At-Large)
Jordan Adcox, UNC Pembroke
Olivia Biles, Augusta
Laken Chambers, North Georgia
Faith Cooke, USC Aiken
Katelyn Cooper, Columbus State
Tybee Denton, North Georgia
Jill Dixon, Young Harris
NaJah Gerrald, Flagler
Delaney Guerrero, Lander
Emily Harris, Young Harris
Megan Matsil, Francis Marion
Cheyanne Mosteller, North Georgia
Olivia Sinquefield, North Georgia
Mackenzie Smith, Flagler
Samantha Vinson, Georgia College
Zoe Willis, Georgia Southwestern

Elite 16 Award Presented by EAB
Laken Chambers, North Georgia

Freshman of the Year
Caitlyn Canady, Columbus State

Pitcher of the Year
Kylee Smith, North Georgia

co-Players of the Year
Tatum Brummitt, UNC Pembroke
Hannah Rose Corbin, Columbus State

Coach of the Year
Brittany Bennett, UNC Pembroke