Youngs Both Tabbed as All-Region

• Cassie and Jamie Young were both named All-Region by the NFCA on Monday.
• Cassie was a First Team All-Region selection.
• Jamie earned a spot on the Third Team list.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Saint Mary's softball players Cassie and Jamie Young were both named All-Region for the Central Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) on Monday.

Three all-region teams were named for each of the NFCA's eight geographic regions and included 364 Division III student-athletes from across the country. Cassie Young was one of 15 student-athletes to earn All-Region First Team honors while Jamie Young was one of 15 selections for the All-Region Third Team. The Central Region is comprised of Division III schools from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Cassie Young was one of the three outfielders listed on the first team list after posting a .492 batting average with 60 hits, 36 runs scored, 34 RBI, and 12 doubles. Her 60 hits is the second-highest in program history for a single season while her batting average is the fifth-best single-season batting average by a Belle. Nationally, her batting average ranked 21st among all Division III softball players prior to last weekend's opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, she is ranked in the top 200 among all Division III softball players in runs batted in per game, doubles per game, runs per game, on base percentage, sacrifice flies, and total RBI. The First Team All-Region honor is the first of her career.

Jamie Young was one of the 15 at-large players to earn a spot on the third team. She had a .393 batting average with 53 hits, 39 runs scored, six doubles, and nine runs batted in as the Belles' primary lead-off hitter. Her 53 hits put her in a tie for the fourth-most hits in a season in program history while the 39 runs she scored ties her for the third-highest mark by a Belle in a single season. Nationally, she ranked 42nd among all Division III softball players prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament in the toughest to strikeout category, and she is ranked 72nd overall in runs per game.

It marks just the third time since 2007 that multiple members of the Saint Mary's softball team have been recognized with All-Region accolades by the NFCA. Cassie Young is the sixth player in program history to be a First Team selection while Jamie Young is the sixth Third Team honoree for the program. It is the first time a pair of sisters have been named to the All-Region list for the Saint Mary's softball program.

In total, the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association had ten student-athletes named All-Region in 2016.

All-Region players are nominated and selected by NFCA member coaches in each of the eight Division III regions. First team All-Region choices are eligible for selection to the NFCA All-America team, which will be announced the evening of May 25 online at NFCA.org and in person at the NCAA Division III Championship banquet in Salem, Va.

For the full list of all of the NCAA Division III All-Region honorees, visit the NFCA release here.