The UT Martin softball tandem of Kaci Fuller and Alexis Groet added to their postseason accolades by being named to the 2021 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I Central All-Region third team.
The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association’s 10 regions with first, second and third-team selections. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region voted on the teams, and all student-athletes now become eligible for the 2021 NFCA Division I All-America squads.
The Skyhawk duo were the first pair to earn All-Region honors since 2012 for the program while ranking as two of nine players from the OVC selected to one of the three teams. Fuller earned a spot as the third team’s lone designated player or utility/non-pitcher while Groet slotted in as one of two pitchers on the third team.
A native of Huntingdon, Tennessee, Fuller earned her third postseason honor in her true freshman campaign after garnering All-OVC second team and OVC All-Newcomer accolades previously. The versatile fielder played in all 46 games while splitting time between designated player, shortstop, second and third. In the batter’s box she posted a .350 batting average with 37 runs, 55 hits, 10 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 24 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. She notched a .541 slugging percentage while recording an OPS of .864.
Fuller was named OVC Player of the Week once (2/22) while ranking in the OVC top-10 in seven categories including triples (second), hits (third), runs scored (third), stolen bases (third), total bases (sixth), doubles (ninth) and batting average (10th). She tallied 13 multi-hit outings, including seven with at least three hits while leading the team with a 17-game hitting streak which stretched from Feb. 27 through March 27. The speedster also tied a pair of single-game program records by tallying four hits against Alabama A&M (2/20) while also swiping four stolen bases against Eastern Illinois (4/12).
Hailing from Oskaloosa, Iowa, Groet made a big impact in her debut season for the Skyhawks in the circle en route to All-OVC first team and OVC All-Newcomer honors. She posted a 13-6 overall record with a 1.36 ERA in 123.1 innings of work on the season while notching three complete shutouts and combining for three more. She appeared in 30 contests while earning 20 starts and tossing five complete games. The power pitcher tallied 118 strikeouts while issuing 41 walks and held opponents to a .202 batting average.
Groet was named OVC Player of the Week twice (3/15 and 4/22) while ranking in the OVC top-10 in eight categories including earned run average (first), wins (third), strikeouts (fourth), strikeouts looking (sixth), opponent batting average (seventh), wins (seventh), games started (seventh) and innings pitched (eighth). Her miniscule 1.36 ERA ranked as the second-lowest single-season ERA in program history, just missing Paij Lintz’s 2007 mark of 1.35. Overall, she recorded 15 scoreless appearances on the year while posting shutouts against Eastern Kentucky (3/27), Eastern Illinois (4/12) and Austin Peay (4/30) in addition to combined shutouts against Arkansas Pine Bluff (3/9), SIUE (4/2) and Morehead State (4/18). She struck out five or more batters in 13 contests while recording a season-high 10 punchouts against Belmont (4/25).
