Broome, Castaneda tabbed first team NAIA All-Americans
By Matt Green
KANSAS CITY – Shorter University senior Charlsie Broome and sophomore Jackie Castaneda have been named first team All-Americans by the NAIA according to release by NAIA officials on Thursday morning.
Broome and Castaneda become the seventh and eighth players in program history to earn All-America honors from the NAIA, joining former Lady Hawk standouts Jessica Sanders, Missy Duke, Kerry Hammond, Libby Munson, Tiffany Adams and Dandi Ammons on that prestigious list.
Both Broome and Castaneda enjoyed career seasons in helping Shorter claim the program’s first NAIA softball national championship. The Lady Hawks wrapped up the title with their 1-0 extra innings win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
Broome, a center fielder out of LaFayette, hit a career-high .433 this season and also posted career-highs in hits (94), doubles (14), triples (5), home runs (11) and RBI (47). The 2012 Southern States Athletic Conference Gold Glove Outfielder recorded an incredible .696 slugging percentage as Shorter’s leadoff hitter and ranked No. 5 in the NAIA in hits.
Broome stole 26 bases on the year and ends her career as Shorter’s all-time leader in stolen bases with 94. Her 12 career triples are also a Shorter record while her 17 homers are fourth all-time in school history.
Broome capped her Shorter career by tripling and scoring the winning run in the bottom of the ninth against Oklahoma City in the national championship game. She went 3-for-4 in the title game to earn All-Tournament honors and had her home run saving catch over the center field wall in the top of the ninth that preserved a scoreless game featured as the No. 2 play on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 Plays.
Castaneda coupled her SSAC Player of the Year nod with her first NAIA All-America honor.
The sophomore out of Sharpsburg, Ga., led the SSAC with her .444 batting average and 13 home runs. Castaneda drove in 39 runs, hit nine doubles, two triples and racked up an impressive .733 slugging percentage.
Playing both shortstop and catcher this season, Castaneda made only six errors and compiled a .982 fielding percentage. Castaneda ranked eighth in the NAIA with 68 runs scored. Her 18 career home runs in just two seasons already rank third on Shorter’s all-time list and her 25 career stolen bases are fifth all-time.
Castaneda also earned All-Tournament honors after hitting 9-for-16 with a pair of home runs and six RBI during the national tournament.
Oklahoma City senior Lily LaVelle was named NAIA Pitcher of the Year while Lubbock Christian’s Kim Frazier earned NAIA Player of the Year accolades.