HUNTSVILLE | The 2019 Gulf South Conference Softball Postseason Awards were announced on Wednesday, and The University of Alabama in Huntsville placed four of its players on the All-GSC First Team including Kiara Akles, Shelby Booker, Ashley Cornell, and Amber Hammonds.
 
The four First Team choices are tied with Mississippi College for the second-most honorees on the list behind West Florida's five First Team selections.
 
Akles has excelled both offensively and in the circle on her way to earning a second-straight selection to the First Team, as she is batting .359 with 43 RBI thanks in part to seven doubles and nine home runs, and she is 11-1 with a 3.21 ERA and 51 strikeouts. The sophomore was named the GSC Player of the Week on April 20 after throwing her second career no-hitter on the road at Delta State.
 
With her 11 wins, Akles is tied for 10th in the GSC, and she is eighth in the GSC in RBI and tied for seventh in home runs.
 
Booker is one of the nation's top hitters as she is batting an impressive .456 on the season with 73 hits including 12 doubles and a triple, and she has scored 55 times after getting on base at a .519 clip. The sophomore – who was a Second Team choice last season – has totaled 19 multi-hit games including five three-hit showings and three four-hit games, and the third baseman has scored three times in five different games.
 
The .456 batting average for Booker is the second-best mark in the GSC, while her 73 hits are the fourth-best total in the league.
 
Cornell is also hitting over .400 as she earns All-GSC status for the first time in her three years in Huntsville. The junior is batting .419 with 57 hits including 11 doubles and seven home runs, and the outfielder has driven in 39 runs while also scoring 47 times. Cornell owns 17 multi-hit games including three three-hit contests, and she also is tied for the team lead with 14 multi-RBI games.
 
The fifth-best batting average in the GSC is Cornell's .419 mark, and she is also tied for 12th in the conference with the 39 RBI.
 
Hammonds is also a first-time All-GSC selection following a regular season senior campaign in which the outfielder batted .367 with 10 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs helping her drive in 44 runs. The senior also has walked 20 times and has been hit by a pitch 10 times to feature a .490 on-base percentage, and she has recorded 13 multi-hit games and tied for tops on the team with 14 multi-RBI games.
 
The 44 RBI for Hammonds has her ranked eighth in the GSC heading into the postseason.
 
UAH and its four First Team All-GSC selections will open up play in the GSC Softball Championship on Thursday in Pensacola, Florida, taking on seventh-seeded Union at 12:30 p.m.