Auburn head coach Mickey Dean's second regular season on The Plains couldn't have ended much worse, with his Tigers losing 11 of their final 13 conference games, plummeting to the 10-seed in the SEC Tournament.
However, despite the late-season skid, a pair of Tigers are being recognized as some of the top talent the SEC has to offer.
Senior catcher Kendall Veach has been named second team All-SEC while senior second baseman Casey McCrackin was tabbed second team All-Defense, the league office announced Tuesday morning.
Veach leads the Tigers (35-18, 10-14 SEC) in homers with 20 — one short of Kasey Cooper's single-season record from 2015.
The senior from Selma, Alabama, also led the Auburn offense in on-base percentage (.420), RBI (47), total bases (112), slugging percentage (.778) and walks (29).
McCrackin, meanwhile, committed just one error all regular season out of 57 fielding opportunities as Auburn's defensive leader. McCrackin's 96 assists were second-most on the team, supplemented by her 18 turned double plays.
“Those are two seniors who have worked hard since they got to Auburn, and it’s nice to see them get rewarded,” said Auburn softball head coach Mickey Dean. “Kendall takes hitting to heart and Casey, since the first day we’ve gotten here, her defense has improved tremendously."
Auburn faces 7-seed Mizzou at 3 p.m. CST on Wednesday in College Station, Texas.
Full 2019 All-SEC teams
First Team All-SEC
P – Sarah Cornell, Alabama
P – Montana Fouts, Alabama
P – Ashley Rogers, Tennessee
IF – Bailey Hemphill, Alabama
IF – Amanda Lorenz, Florida
IF – Alyssa DiCarlo, Georgia
IF – Abbey Cheek, Kentucky
IF – Shemiah Sanchez, LSU
OF – Hannah McEwen, Arkansas
OF – Kylan Becker, Ole Miss
OF – Kat Moore, Mississippi State
OF – Brooke Wilmes, Missouri
C – Jenny Schaper, Kentucky
C – Mia Davidson, Mississippi State
DP/U – Kendyl Lindaman, Florida
DP/U – Fa Leilua, Mississippi State
Second Team All-SEC
P – Autumn Storms, Arkansas
P – Kelly Barnhill, Florida
P – Molly Jacobsen, Ole Miss
IF – Maddie Morgan, Alabama
IF – Katie Reed, Kentucky
IF – Amanda Sanchez, LSU
IF – Jana Johns, South Carolina
IF – Aubrey Leach, Tennessee
OF – Elissa Brown, Alabama
OF – Ciara Bryan, Georgia
OF – Aliyah Andrews, LSU
OF – Jenna Holcomb, Tennessee
C – Kendall Veach, Auburn
DP/U – Shelbi Sunseri, LSU
Freshman All-SEC
P – Montana Fouts, Alabama
P – Elizabeth Hightower, Florida
P – Shelby Wickersham, LSU
IF – Skylar Wallace, Alabama
IF – Lacey Fincher, Georgia
IF – Jazmyn Rollin, Missouri
IF – Madison Owens, South Carolina
IF – Baylee Klinger, Texas A&M
OF – Kayla Kowalik, Kentucky
OF – Savannah Stewart, LSU
OF – Tate Whitley, Ole Miss
OF – Anna Kate Segars, Mississippi State
C – Kaili Phillips, Tennessee
DP/U – Kaitlin Parsons, Tennessee
SEC All-Defensive
P – Sarah Cornell, Alabama
C – Jenny Schaper, Kentucky
1B – Amanda Lorenz, Florida
2B – Casey McCrackin, Auburn
SS – Katie Reed, Kentucky
3B – Abbey Cheek, Kentucky
LF – Jenna Holcomb, Tennessee
CF – Elissa Brown, Alabama
CF – Aliyah Andrews, LSU
RF – Kaylee Horton, Ole Miss
Player of the Year: Abbey Cheek, Kentucky
Pitcher of the Year: Sarah Cornell, Alabama
Freshman of the Year: Montana Fouts, Alabama
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Katie Reed, Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Patrick Murphy, Alabama
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
