Trio of Hilltopper rookies named to C-USA All-Freshman Team
Published 2:54 pm Tuesday, May 8, 2018
- Shelby Nunn
A trio of Western Kentucky softball rookies – Maddie Bowlds, Shelby Nunn and Jordan Thomas – were recognized Tuesday as members of the 2018 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
Western Kentucky was the only team to land multiple freshmen on the 12-person list.
Hailing from Utica, Bowlds started 48 games at first base for the Toppers. Hitting mainly from the two-hole, Bowlds slashed a line of .313/.373/.395 across her rookie campaign.
Bowlds’ 13 sacrifice hits on the year are tied for the fifth-most in a single season by a Hilltopper. She also swiped eight bases and owns a .981 fielding percentage.
Bowlds made an immediate impact for WKU, going 4-for-5 in her first collegiate game with two RBIs, a double and a triple. She’s racked up 10 multi-hit games across 2018.
A local product from Bowling Green, Nunn has made an immediate impact for the Hilltoppers in the circle owning a C-USA-best 43 appearances – the second most in a WKU single season ever.
Nunn led all C-USA freshman pitchers with 15 wins, which ranked fourth among all hurlers. With 171.1 innings across the regular season, the former South Warren High School star tossed the fifth-most frames of all the league’s pitchers.
With a few at-bats on the year as well, Nunn posted a three-run home run while drawing a pair of walks.
The Lebanon native Thomas was a staple for the Hilltoppers in the leadoff role. In her debut season, Thomas has already tied the program record for doubles in a season with 16 and has reset the walks record with 39.
Thomas owns a team-best 1.027 OPS while hitting at a .325 rate. With 16 doubles, three triples and five home runs, the freshman leads the team with 24 extra-base hits while leading the team in overall hits (50) and runs scored (41).
Thomas is one of four Hilltoppers to start all 52 games on the season, playing mainly in right field.
WKU has landed at least one rookie on the All-Freshman team each year since joining Conference USA. Carleigh Chaumont (2015), Bryce Holmgren (2016) and Kelsey Aikey (2017) have each earned recognition as well.
