Softball Photos: Three Seniors End Final Regular Season at UGA

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Softball Photos: Three Seniors End Final Regular Season at UGA

 

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Georgia’s three senior softball players (Brittany Gray, Kendall Burton and Cortni Emanuel) completed their final regular season game Sunday at Jack Turner Stadium before a capacity crowd. In fact, all parking spaces were taken and shuttles transported fans from an off-site parking lot.

Kendall Burton bio (georgiadogs.com):

2017: Played in 39 games with 32 starts, including 26 in the outfield…Finished the year with a .283 average, scoring 19 times on 26 hits…Ranked third in the SEC with four triples and ninth with six sacrifice bunts…Was 8-for-8 in stolen bases…Tabbed six multi-hit games, including season-best three against Delaware State…Posted three RBI against Syracuse after hitting a bases-clearing triple to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh before scoring the winning run in the walk-off win…Also scored deciding run in walk-off victory against Michigan State…Named to J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll.

2016 (at UTSA): Started all 53 games for the Roadrunners…Hit a team-best .304 with 52 hits, including six doubles, three triples, and a pair of home runs…Set UTSA record with 10 career triples…Finished fourth in C-USA with her three triples…Named Preseason All-C-USA.

Kendall Burton

2015 (at UTSA): Started all 54 games in centerfield and hit .363 with 43 runs, a team-leading 69 hits, 12 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, 42 RBI, a .401 on-base percentage, and .611 slugging percentage en route to Second-Team All-Conference USA and All-Freshman Team honors…Named to C-USA All-Tournament Team…Her seven triples led C-USA and ranked eighth in the nation while she also ranked among the league’s best in total bases (2nd), runs (t-4th), hits (6th) and RBI (t-9th)…Led the team with 26 extra-base hits and 22 multi-hit games while her 14 multi-RBI games were second on the squad.

High School: Three-year starter and letterwinner at Ridge Point High School in Missouri City, Texas, under head coach James McClanahan…Three-time All-District selection and was an All-State pick by the Texas Girls Coaches Association and the Texas Sports Writers Association…Hit .554 as a senior with 41 runs, 58 hits, 40 RBI, 23 stolen bases, and a pair of home runs…Batted .401 with 114 runs, 142 hits, 65 stolen bases, and a school-record 107 RBI in her career…Helped lead the team to district titles as a junior and senior…Played travel ball with the Texas Storm-Wymer 18Gold.

Personal: Daughter of Jay and Lezlie Burton…Born on Apr. 18, 1996…Has a sister, Laine…Father played baseball at Lamar and was selected by the New York Yankees in the 44th round of the 1984 MLB Draft…Majoring in Communication Studies.

Brittany Gray bio (georgiadogs.com):

2018: Recipient of the Beatrice F. Cole & Ronnie M. Cole Softball Scholarship. Gray’s season ended with surgery for an arm injury.

2017: Appeared in 37 games with 29 starts, finishing with a 2.17 ERA and 18-11 record…In 168 innings, allowed 121 hits, 78 runs, and 52 earned runs while striking out 134…Ranked in the top 15 of the league in opposing batting average (eighth), innings pitched (10th), strikeouts (ninth), strikeouts looking (11th), wins (11th), appearances (11th), and games started (fifth) while ranking nationally in ERA (98th), hits allowed per seven innings (44th), and strikeouts (104th)…Combined for no-hitter against Delaware State…Earned a save against Kentucky…Tied career-high 11 strikeouts against UNC Wilmington…Threw 12 complete games while securing three shutouts and five combined shutouts.

Brittany Gray with brace on her arm after season-ending injury

2016: Held 11 wins with a 3.21 ERA in 111.1 innings pitched…Had 128 strikeouts, which ranked top 15 in the SEC…Ranked 16th in the nation and third in the league with five saves…Threw an 11-strikeout no-hitter in her first game of 2016 against Winthrop, setting a career high in strikeouts…Tied her strikeout mark with 11 against LSU…Posted six strikeouts in win over Northwestern…Had six strikeouts in complete-game effort against Tennessee…Threw a perfect frame of relief against Auburn at the WCWS.

2015: Appeared in 34 games with 18 starts during her freshman year…Threw 137 innings with a 15-6 record and 2.20 ERA…Gave up 118 hits, 43 earned runs and 51 walks to go with 99 strikeouts…Held opponents to a .218 batting average…Ranked 54th in the nation in ERA and 94th in hits allowed per seven innings…Ranked in the top 12 of the league in opponent batting average and ERA…Went 6-4 in SEC play with a 2.68 ERA in 13 appearances…Gave up 60 hits, 24 earned runs, 20 walks and struck out 34 batters in 62.2 innings against SEC foes…Earned first win after throwing four-hitless innings against Coppin State…Threw first complete-game no-hitter in five-inning win over Indiana…Tossed nine strikeouts against Wright State…Earned SEC wins over Mississippi State, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky.

High School: Ranked as the 26th-best player in the nation by Student Sports Softball…Played four years at Greenwood High School…Two-time Johnson County Player of the Year…Two-time Gatorade Player of the Year nominee…Four-time All-Conference honoree…Led her team to the Mid-State Conference Championship title from 2010-14…Helped Greenwood to a county championship in 2013 and 2014…As a junior, played in the Indiana Elite North and South All-Star Challenge where she was named the MVP…As a junior, earned a spot on the ICGSA Indiana All-State team and was a member of the All-County team…Broke the Greenwood High School record for home runs in a season with 14 as a sophomore…Named to the Indianapolis Star Super Team in 2012…Named the Indianapolis Star Player of the Year in 2012…Member of the 2012 All-County team…Named the Johnson County Player of the Year in 2012…An ICGSA Second-Team All-State selection as a sophomore…Earned a spot on the All-Conference team, All-County team, and the Indianapolis Star All-South Team as a freshman…Played travel ball for the Chicago Bandits…Helped the Bandits to the 2013 DiMarini Invitational title…Helped her team to a first-place finish at the 2011 Independence Day Invitational and a third-place finish at the ASA National Tournament.

Personal: Daughter of Timothy and Ronda Gray…Has one brother, Joshua…Born on July 25, 1995…Majoring in Communication Studies.

Cortni Emanuel bio (georgiadogs.com):

2017: Earned NFCA All-America Third Team, NFCA All-Region First Team, and All-SEC First Team honors…Named one of the top-34 finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year…Played and started in 56 games, finishing first on the team with 49 runs and 43 stolen bases while second with a .426 average and 80 hits…Ranked 10th in the nation and first in the SEC in stolen bases while ranking seventh in Georgia’s single-season records…Finished 14th in NCAA and fourth in the league in hits…Ranked 28th in the nation and fourth in the SEC in batting average, which ranked fifth in Georgia’s single-season records…Recorded her 100th stolen base in her career, making her just the second Bulldog ever to tab 100+ swiped bags in a career…Named SEC Player of the Week after hitting .636 in a series win at No. 24 Arkansas…Tied for team-high 25 multi-hit games, setting a new career high with four against Dayton and South Carolina…Tied career best with three RBI against Ohio State…Notched 11 multi-stolen base performances, including three versus Syracuse, Dayton, and Michigan State…Secured walk-off win over Syracuse with single…Named to J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll.

2016: Played in 61 games, starting all of them…Hit .404 with 82 hits, 20 RBI, 56 runs, and 33 stolen bases…Named Top 25 Finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year…Earned a spot on the NFCA All-Region Second Team and All-SEC Second Team…Set school record with 23-game hit streak…Ranked top 10 in league and top 75 nationally in batting average…Finished 79th in nation and 12th in SEC in runs per game while third in league and 42nd nationally in stolen bases…Posted three-RBI triple against UCLA…Went 3-for-4 in both games against Minnesota…Had five hits in each series vs. No. 8 LSU, No. 14 Missouri, and No. 3 Auburn, going 3-for-4 in game three’s win over LSU and 3-for-5 in the series opener in Columbia…Notched game-winning run in top of the seventh in WCWS opener against No. 8 Florida State.

2015: Named to the NFCA All-America Third Team and All-Regional First Team as an utility/non-pitcher…Selected as a Top 10 Finalist for the USA Softball Freshman of the Year…Named a Freshman All-SEC selection…Second on the team with a .408 batting average with 78 hits…Scored 53 runs, drove in 18, and posted an on-base percentage of .436…Was 45-of-49 in stolen bases, the most by a Georgia player since 2007…Ranked eighth in the nation in stolen bases while ranking 91st in batting average and 98th in runs per game…Ranked first in the league in stolen bases while ninth in total hits, and 10th in batting average…Hit at a .316 clip in SEC play, registering 24 hits and scoring 13 runs…Finished tied for second in stolen bases in conference games with eight…Earned SEC Freshman of the Week after stealing 12 bases and hitting .778 in six games during the opening weekend of play…Posted 24 multi-hit games, including eight games with three hits and one with four, coming at Mississippi State where she was 4-for-5 with two runs and a RBI…Had 15 games with two or more stolen bases, including games with three swiped bags versus Coppin State, Murray State, and Arkansas…Notched season-long hit streak of 13 games.

High School/Club: Four-year member of the Ridge Point High School softball team…Led Ridge Point to the District 22-4A title…Helped Ridge Point to a spot on the regional finals…Earned First Team All-District honors as an infielder as a junior…Earned Third Team All-State honors by the Texas Sports Writers Association as a junior…As a senior, earned First Team All-State honors by the TSWA…Named the district MVP as a senior…Played travel ball for the Texas KAOS as a shortstop and second baseman.

Personal: Daughter of Bert and Teri Emanuel…Majoring in Psychology…Has three sisters, Sydni, Brittni, Whitni and one brother, BJ…Sister, Sydni, played for Georgia softball… Born Jan. 6, 1997…Father was a second-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1994 NFL Draft out of Rice…Played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Detroit Lions…Father also played baseball at Rice for two years and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays out of high school before being drafted out of college by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Greg is closing in on 15 years writing about and photographing UGA sports. While often wrong and/or out of focus, it has been a long, strange trip full of fun and new friends.