NACC’s Edwards, Guthrie collect top conference honors

The Northeast Alabama Community College softball team is well represented on the Alabama Community College Conference Division I Softball Postseason Awards list. 

Northeast head coach Joe Guthrie was selected ACCC Coach of the Year and freshman pitcher Addie Edwards was tabbed ACCC Pitcher of the Year while six Mustangs in all received National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region 22 honors at their respective positions.

The ACCC released the 2026 Postseason Awards for Division I Softball on Thursday. The awards and all-region team members were voted on by conference coaches.

Guthrie claimed the Coach of the Year Award after leading the No. 3-nationally ranked Mustangs to a 29-3 record in ACCC play and a 48-4 overall record during a regular season in which the team enjoyed winnings streaks of 19 and 20 games. NACC outscored its opponents 448-102 during the regular season and led the NJCAA in team batting average (.405) while also tying for fifth in fielding percentage (.970) and tying for ninth in team ERA (1.85).

Edwards finished the regular season as the conference leader with 26 wins, 174 strikeouts, a 0.74 WHIP (walks and hits per inning) and a 0.67 earned run average, which was also the best ERA in all NJCAA DI Softball. In 30 regular-season appearances, including 25 starts, Edwards pitched 24 complete games and posted a record of 26-0 with three saves. The right-hander from Chatsworth, Georgia surrendered only 20 runs (15 earned) on 93 hits and 21 walks over 156 2/3 innings pitched. Edwards was chosen the ACCC Pitcher of the Week seven times during the 2026 season.

Meanwhile, six Mustangs were ACCC Postseason Awards/All-Region recipients at their positions.

Edwards was chosen in the "Battery" alongside other pitchers and catchers, while freshman Marti McCluskey was an all-region infielder, sophomore catcher/designated hitter Francesca Lumpp was the all-region utility player and sophomores Chloe Hatch and Kiley Weston and freshman Lorelai Sullivan made up three-fourths of the all-region outfield selections.

McCluskey batted .446 (70-for-157) with 21 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 70 RBIs, 28 walks and 57 runs. She finished second in the ACCC in RBIs, third in batting average and fourth in home runs.

Lumpp turned in a .433 batting average (58-for-134) during the regular season for NACC, posting 12 doubles, seven home runs, 46 RBIs and 13 walks.

Weston batted .446 (74-for-166) and led the ACCC with nine triples. She was also fifth in the conference in RBIs (54) and totaled 22 doubles, two homers, 21 walks, 20 stolen bases and 57 runs scored.

Sullivan led the ACCC in batting average with a .508 average (64-for-126) to go with 14 doubles, seven triples, three home runs, 47 RBIs and 49 runs scored.

Hatch wound up fifth in the conference in home runs (11) while also contributing a .386 average (64-for-166) with 12 doubles, two triples, 49 RBIs, 14 walks, 14 stolen bases and 56 runs.