News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
LOUISVILLE – Texas A&M softball ace Emiley Kennedy earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American Second Team recognition, the organization announced Wednesday.
Kennedy becomes the first Aggie left-handed pitcher to earn All-America honors in 41 years, joining Lori Stoll (’81, ’82, ’83) as the only lefty hurlers in Texas A&M history to achieve All-American status.
The Woodlands, Texas, native was one of the most feared pitchers registering the third-most shutouts (10) and complete games (24) in the nation, while ranking top 20 in the country in wins (24), strikeouts (200) and innings pitched (202.2). Kennedy became the first Aggie pitcher to record double-digit shutouts in 13 seasons and the first to register at least 200 strikeouts in a season in 11 years.
Kennedy was dominant in the nation’s best conference earning All-SEC First Team honors, including SEC Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks. It marked the first time an Aggie pitcher earned consecutive weekly conference honors since 2008. The junior set program records in innings pitched (100.1) and strikeouts (86) in SEC play. She led the league in innings pitched and appeared in every game in seven-of-eight conference series, while her nine wins ranked second-most and three saves were third.
Kennedy set a career-high 16 strikeouts on Feb. 25, which began a streak of three consecutive starts of 10-plus strikeouts, the first Aggie starter to do so since 2017.
The standout was also named to the D1 Softball All-America First Team and Softball America All-America Second Team. Kennedy was named D1 Softball National Pitcher of the Week on March 12, becoming the first pitching in program history to earn the recognition since 2008.