BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2021 All-SWAC Softball teams and individual award winners on Monday morning. The all-conference honors were voted on by the league’s coaches and sports information directors.  

Alcorn State’s Amari Ramsey was named Player of the Year, while Texas Southern’s Naomi Reyes was tabbed Pitcher of the Year.

Alabama State’s Madison Myers was selected Newcomer of the Year and Alabama A&M’s Esperanza Coe claimed Freshman of the Year accolades.

Jackson State’s Kevin Montgomery and Texas Southern’s Raven Rodriguez shared Co-Coach of the Year honors after leading their respective teams to divisional titles.

Player of the Year
Alcorn State’s Ramsey was the 2021 Preseason SWAC Player of the Year. This season she became the 15th member of the program’s 100-hit club. Ramsey currently has the program’s third-most doubles in a single season (14). She was tabbed SWAC Hitter of the Week on March 13 and ranks 9th in the SWAC in slugging percentage (.539). She leads the Lady Braves in batting average, hits, runs scored, doubles and total bases.

Pitcher of the Year
Reyes enters postseason play as the SWAC leader in ERA overall (1.52) in league play. She’s tossed 11 complete games highlighted by three shutouts. She ranks 4th in strikeouts with 78 and threw her first career perfect game against Alcorn State earlier this season. She was also tabbed for SWAC Pitcher of the Week honors multiple times this past season.

Newcomer of the Year
Myers is third on the team in hitting at .291, while also doubling as a pitcher this season. She has an OPS of .628 for the Lady Hornets with 32 hits in 110 official at-bats. She has scored 16 runs and driven in four from her spot at or near the top of the lineup. Myers also doubled as a pitcher, appearing in 17 games in the circle with five starts. She finished with a 7.66 earned run average in 44.2 innings to go along with 20 strikeouts.
 
Freshman of the Year
Coe has delivered an impressive first collegiate campaign from both sides of the plate. This season she has earned league weekly honors a total of five times, three times as the Player of the Week and twice as the Pitcher of the Week. On the year she has started all 27 games she has played in, hitting .313 (26-of-83) with four doubles, tied for the league-lead with five homeruns, to go along with 17 RBIs and 11 runs. She has also been one of the most prolific pitchers, going 9-7 in the circle while posting a 5.20 earned run average to go with 14 complete games, one shutout, and 76 strikeouts.

Co-Coach of the Year
In just his third season at the helm of the Jackson State Lady Tigers program, Montgomery guided JSU to a 12-6 conference record and to the SWAC East division championship . The Lady Tigers enter the 2021 SWAC Tournament as the East’s #1 seed.

Co-Coach of the Year
Rodriguez took over the program prior to the start of the regular season and has kept the system going as TSU clinched its eleventh consecutive divisional championship. Texas Southern also has several impressive non-conference wins and multiple players who rank at the top of the SWAC in their respective categories.
 
The complete listing of all-conference selections and individual awards winners can be found below.

2021 All-SWAC Softball Team

Player/Hitter of the Year
Amari Ramsey– Alcorn State
 
Pitcher of the Year
Naomi Reyes– Texas Southern
 
Newcomer of the Year
Madison Myers– Alabama State
 
Freshman of the Year
Esperanza Coe– Alabama A&M
 
Co-Coach of the Year
Kevin Montgomery– Jackson State

Raven Rodriguez–Texas Southern 
 
First Team
C – Isabel Gusman- Jackson State
1B – Alexis Arredondo- Jackson State
2B – Jaeda Gardner- Alabama State
SS – Zoey Keyes- Jackson State
3B – Amari Ramsey- Alcorn State
OF – Madison Myers- Alabama State
OF – Aubrion James- Southern
OF – Monica Serrano- Jackson State
P –  Naomi Reyes- Texas Southern
P –  Esperanza Coe- Alabama A&M
P – Skyler Sullivan- Alabama State
DP – Esperanza Coe- Alabama A&M
 
Second Team
C – Daryn Haslem- Texas Southern
1B – Alex Massie- Alabama State
2B – Brianna Grays- Prairie View A&M
SS – Paige Jackson- Texas Southern
3B – Alyssa Garcia- Prairie View A&M
OF – Tevanae Tate- Texas Southern
OF – Cameron Lavergne- Prairie View A&M
OF – Natalie McLennan- Prairie View A&M
P – Kayla Owens- Jackson State
P – Ambria Dorsey- Alcorn State
P – Payton Shells- Grambling State
DP – Kayla Owens- Jackson State