EDWARDSVILLE – SIUE softball seniors Haley Chambers-Book (Coatesville, Indiana) and Allison Smiley (Johnston City, Illinois) have been honored as All-Mideast Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Chambers-Book, the Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, was named to the first team. This is her third All-Region honor. Smiley, a second baseman, was selected to the second team in her first appearance on the All-Region list. NFCA member coaches from each region voted on the teams.
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Honorees from the 10 regions will be placed on the national ballot for All-American honors. The 2017 NFCA Division I All-American teams will be announced May 31.
Chambers-Book, who threw her fifth career no-hitter this season, completed the season with a 27-8 record and a 1.42 earned run average. She tossed 10 complete-game shutouts in her 30 starts this season. She became SIUE's all-time leader in strikeouts and completed her collegiate career with 979. She also was a top hitter for the Cougars with a career .333 batting average and 158 hits.
The Cougar left-hander is ranked nationally in victories (7th), shutouts (10th), strikeouts (11th), hits allowed per seven innings (26th), earned run average (29th) and strikeouts per seven innings (32nd). She was drafted 14th overall by the Texas Charge in the National Pro Fastpitch draft last month.
"Haley had a great year," said SIUE Head Coach Sandy Montgomery. "I'm very happy for her. I think this was her best year from a statistical standpoint. I hope she is recognized more moving forward."
Smiley completed the 2017 season as SIUE's top hitter with a .351 batting average and 42 runs batted in. She is 13th nationally in toughest to strike out, having fanned just four times in 151 at bats. Two school records were broken this season by Smiley – most times hit by a pitch in a season (18) and a career (34).
The Cougar infielder also is well known for her defensive prowess. She finished the season with a .994 fielding percentage that included just one error.
"Allison has been a huge part of our success for the last four years," Montgomery said. "I'm happy that she has been recognized on a national level for her accomplishments and everything she has done for our program."
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