FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas won three major SEC awards and seven Razorbacks were named to the all-conference softball team Friday.
Senior outfielder KB Sides was named SEC player of the year, junior Chenise Delce was named SEC pitcher of the year and Courtney Deifel was named coach of the year in the awards voted on by league coaches.
Sides, who transferred from Alabama prior to the season, is the first Arkansas player to win conference player of the year. Delce, a Tulsa transfer, gives the Razorbacks their second pitcher of the year in as many seasons. Mary Haff shared the award with Alabama’s Montana Fouts last year.
Sides ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in batting average (.401), on-base percentage (.513), runs scored (59), walks (39) and stolen bases (28).
Delce is 15-2 with a 2.39 ERA. She also has three saves and ranks fifth in the SEC with 149 strikeouts.
Deifel was named SEC coach of the year for the second consecutive season. She led the Razorbacks to their second consecutive conference title this season, but first outright.
Arkansas (42-9) will play Florida in the SEC Tournament semifinals at 4:30 p.m. today in Gainesville, Fla.
Sides, Delce and Haff were joined by teammates Danielle Gibson, Linnie Malkin and Hannah Gammill on the All-SEC first team. Arkansas’ Hannah McEwen was named to the second team, and Gibson (first base) and Gammill (third base) were named to the league’s all-defensive team.