Kilponen lone LSU player to earn first team All-SEC laurels

LSU's Ali Kilponen (2) is one of three seniors the Tigers will honor this weekend in their SEC series with Georgia. PHOTO BY: Jonathan Mailhes.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Junior pitcher Ali Kilponen was LSU’s lone player selected to the first team of the 2022 All-Southeastern Conference team that was announced Friday.

The Tigers, which lost to Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Tournament, were also represented on the second team by junior first baseman Georgia Clark, sophomores Ciara Briggs in center field, Danieca Coffey at third base and Taylor Pleasants at shortstop.

Briggs was also named to the 2022 SEC All-Defensive Team, marking the fourth consecutive season that LSU has been represented on the squad excluding the 2020 season (COVID-19).

Kilponen earned the first All-SEC selection of her career and becomes the first LSU pitcher honored on first team since 2018 (Allie Walljasper). She’s posted the league’s fourth-highest win total (18) with five shutouts, her first career no-hitter, along with a 2.32 ERA and 138 strikeouts.

Briggs batted .366 with 67 hits (No. 7 in SEC), a team-high 52 runs scored (No. 3 in SEC), and 32 RBIs. In the outfield, Briggs has no errors in 84 chances. She’s had several highlight-reel play this season, including SportsCenter’s No. 1 play in its Top 10 Plays where she robbed a home run against Texas Tech on Feb. 20. 

Clark’s batting .285 with a team-high 16 home runs (No. 8 in SEC), 59 RBIs (No. 3 in SEC), and a .656 slugging percentage. Coffey took over this season at third base and leads team with a .385 batting average, .464 on-base percentage, 70 hits (No. 3 in SEC), and 10 stolen bases to go along with 26 RBIs.

Pleasants is batting .302 on the year, has a team-high 27 extra-base hits, including 14 doubles (No. 2 in SEC), 12 home runs, and one triple. She’s No. 2 in the league with 105 assists and has been involved in 12 double plays in 224 chances.

The NCAA Softball Championship selection show will be at 6 p.m. Sunday at ESPN2.

The complete 2022 SEC Softball Postseason Awards is as follows:

All-SEC First Team

Montana Fouts, Alabama

Ashley Prange, Alabama

Chenise Delce, Arkansas

Hannah Gammill, Arkansas

Danielle Gibson, Arkansas

Mary Haff, Arkansas

Linnie Malkin, Arkansas

KB Sides, Arkansas

Maddie Penta, Auburn

Skylar Wallace, Florida

Lacey Fincher, Georgia

Jayda Kearney, Georgia

Sara Mosley, Georgia

Erin Coffel, Kentucky

Kayla Kowalik, Kentucky

Lauren Johnson, Kentucky

Ali Kilponen, LSU

Mia Davidson, Mississippi State

Kimberly Wert, Missouri

Brooke Wilmes, Missouri

Haley Lee, Texas A&M

All-SEC Second Team

Bailey Dowling, Alabama

Ally Shipman, Alabama

Hannah McEwen, Arkansas

Bri Ellis, Auburn

Cheyenne Lindsey, Florida

Sydney Kuma, Georgia

Renee Abernathy, Kentucky

Tatum Spangler, Kentucky

Ciara Briggs, LSU

Georgia Clark, LSU

Danieca Coffey, LSU

Taylor Pleasants, LSU

Chloe Malau’ulu, Mississippi State

Jenna Laird, Missouri

Ivy Davis, Tennessee

Erin Edmoundson, Tennessee

Kelcy Leach, Tennessee

Kiki Milloy, Tennessee

Zaida Puni, Tennessee

Katie Dack, Texas A&M

Makinzy Herzog, Texas A&M

SEC All-Defensive Team

P – Tatum Spangler, Kentucky

C – Kayla Kowalik, Kentucky

1B – Danielle Gibson, Arkansas

2B – Hannah Adams, Florida

SS – Ivy Davis, Tennessee

3B – Hannah Gammill, Arkansas

LF – Casidy Chaumont, Missouri

CF – Ciara Briggs, LSU

RF – Rylea Smith, Kentucky

Player of the Year: KB Sides, Arkansas

Pitcher of the Year: Chenise Delce, Arkansas

Freshman of the Year: Bri Ellis, Auburn

Coach of the Year: Courtney Deifel, Arkansas

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