Telegraph Staff Writer
University of West Florida senior softball player Teala Howard has been named to the Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II National Player of the Year Top 50 watchlist.
Howard, a 2018 Union County High School graduate, leads her team in five offensive categories and leads the Gulf South Conference in three.
The third baseman, who’s started 28 games for the Argos this season, is batting .425, which leads her team. Howard also leads the Argos in hits (48), runs scored (28), triples (4) and stolen bases (22). She’s been unsuccessful on only two stolen-base attempts.
Howard is second on her team in on-base-plus-slugging (1.073) and doubles (8).
In the Gulf South Conference, which consists of West Florida and 12 other teams, Howard is number one in hits, triples and stolen bases. She’s third in batting average, seventh in runs scored and ninth in on-base-plus-slugging.
The Argos (21-9) played a series at Montevallo this past weekend, with Howard going 2 for 5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a 7-4 win on April 1. It was the 16th multi-hit game this season for Howard, who, after the series was over, has now had at least one hit in every game but three.
Some of Howard’s highlights this season include wins over Palm Beach Atlantic (Feb. 5), Shorter (Feb. 26), Christian Brothers (March 5) and West Alabama (March 12).
In a 3-2 win against Palm Beach Atlantic, Howard went 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored, while in a 10-0 win over Shorter, she went 3 for 3 with an RBI, scoring three runs and stealing two bases.
Howard went 2 for 5 with two solo home runs in an 8-4 win over Christian Brothers. With her team trailing 4-2, Howard hit her first homer in the top of the fifth to make it a one-run game. She then tied the score in the sixth with her second long ball.
In a 15-13 win over West Alabama, Howard drove in three runs and scored three runs, going 3 for 5 with a triple. She also stole two bases.
