LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – A trio of Georgia Gwinnett College softball players joined their coach in being recognized by the Association of Independent Institutions for their performances in helping lead the Grizzlies to a No. 9 national ranking and No. 1 seeding for the conference’s championship tournament.

The A.I.I. honored the top individual, all-conference and Champions of Character players, along with top coach, Wednesday night during a pre-championship banquet on the GGC campus.

Senior outfielder Aubree Cox earned the Player of the Year award after posting a .407 batting average, driving in 38 runs and scoring 37 runs this spring. The Rutledge, Ga., native also had four home runs and four triples, while being successfully on 13 of 14 stolen base attempts.

Senior Taylor Hansis received the Pitcher of the Year award for the third consecutive season. She had a 19-7 record, with a 1.24 earned run average, during the regular season. The Longs, S.C., native has tossed 152 strikeouts and seven shutouts from the circle so far this spring.

Sydney Pelaez, from Tampa, Fla., was named the Freshman of the Year after starting 32 games at catcher and having a .360 batting average. She connected on two home runs in her inaugural collegiate season.

Kat Ihlenburg earned the Coach of the Year award. The Grizzlies have a 36-14 record and were ranked among the top 10 teams in the NAIA Top 25 poll throughout the entire 2019 season

Georgia Gwinnett College opens the 2019 A.I.I. Softball Championships on Thursday, May 2, with a game against fourth-seeded Talladega College, starting at noon. Crowley’s Ridge, the No. 2 seed, faces No. 3-seeded Edward Waters College at 2:30 p.m. to close out the opening day. The tournament is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, May 4, with games beginning at noon. The conference’s top two teams will automatically qualify for the NAIA national tournament.

GGC team members receiving A.I.I. honors this season were:

Player of the Year: Aubree Cox

Pitcher of the Year: Taylor Hansis

Freshman of the Year: Sydney Pelaez

Coach of the Year: Kat Ihlenburg, Georgia Gwinnett College

A.I.I. All-Conference First Team

Pitcher – Taylor Hansis

Catcher – Sydney Pelaez

Infielder – Tori Robinson

Infielder – Elyssa Melton

Outfielder – Aubree Cox

Outfielder – RaeQuinn Rossetti

Utility – Piper Wagner

Designated Player – Sydney Willhite

A.I.I. All-Conference Second Team

Infielder – Crystal Busbee

A.I.I. Champions of Character Team

Madison Martin