CANTON, Ga. – The Millsaps softball team finished with its best regular season since 2017 as still has chances to add to its win total entering the 2025 SAA Softball Championship. On Wednesday, the league head coaches' vote was announced with the Majors totaling eight SAA All-Conference awards.
Freshman
Hailey Peterson was named the program's third SAA Softball Rookie of the Year and first since 2017. She also claimed a spot on the All-SAA First Team.
A quartet of Majors were named All-SAA Second Team, including freshman
Brynn Arena (outfielder), sophomore
Kadence Cannon (second base), senior
Kinsey Smith (designated player) and sophomore
Allana Vasquez (utility).
Additionally, sophomore
Ella Morgan Sears was selected All-SAA Honorable Mention, while senior
Cassidy Cannella made the SAA All-Sportsmanship Team.
Peterson was a dual threat like many of teammates during the regular season. She switched between third base and pitcher with great success.
Her 30 RBIs and 30 runs scored both rank third or are tied for the third in the SAA. The Metairie, La., native is also fourth with four home runs and seventh with a .546 slugging percentage.
She matches a team-high 12 walks and third-most hits with 37.
Playing both sides of the ball well, she holds an impressive 10-5 pitching record with 105.0 innings pitched and 33 strikeouts.
In 18 appearances, she has an impressive 2.87 ERA, while ranking fifth in the SAA in ERA, innings pitched and wins. She is also second with 88 assists defensively.
On March 20, Peterson helped the Majors defeat Agnes Scott with a six-inning no-hitter. She also was named the SAA Softball Pitcher of the Week to begin the spring, while Arena was the SAA Softball Athlete of the Week on Feb. 3.
Arena was the first of four Majors to make the All-SAA Second Team. She patrols right field and ranks in the top 10 in triples (two, sixth), hit by pitches (four, seventh) and stolen bases (10th, eight).
The Prairieville, La., product has also registered a perfect fielding percentage with 25 putouts, nine RBIs, six doubles and 30 hits with a .349 batting average. Her batting is tied for second on the squad with Cannon.
Cannon boasts 29 hits with an identical .349 batting average, 18 runs scored and 10 RBIs.
She is currently credited with a team-high tying 11 stolen bases (fifth, SAA) and five hit by pitches. Cannon also is third in the conference with five sacrifice bunts.
The Gretna, La., native is tied atop the league with nine fielding double plays alongside senior
Alli Nolen and is ninth with 51 assists defensively.
Smith earned recognition as a designated player after spending much of her time in that position and fielding first base.
She sit third in total putouts (132), fourth in field percentage (.985) and seventh with fielding double plays (four) alongside her conference peers.
Smith is tied for third on the team with eight doubles and two home runs, while ranking fifth with 15 RBIs. She was the SAA Softball Athlete of the Week on March 31 as well.
Vasquez made the All-SAA Second Team after making All-First Team a season ago. She rotates between designated player and pitcher.
Having a stellar sophomore season, Vasquez leads the team with 43 hits, is second with 28 RBIs, while also tying for second with two triples.
Vasquez's team-high .381 batting average stands seventh in the league. She also holds nine walks and 17 runs. Across the conference, she is second in doubles (12), fourth in hits and RBIs, sixth in triples, seventh in batting average (.381) and hit by pitches (four).
Born in Udine, Italy, Vasquez holds a 12-7 pitching record and leads the conference with five shutouts, while her 98 strikeouts are second, win total is third and 3.02 ERA is sixth.
Her outstanding performances led her to being named SAA Softball Pitcher of the Week and SAA Softball Athlete of the Week in the same set of announcements on Feb. 17.
Sears was named the Beacon Award recipient as a leader on the field and showing altruistic spirit. Her offensive prowess was impressive as well.
She leads the Majors with 31 runs, 14 doubles, five triples and three home runs. Her doubles and triples pace the SAA.
Sears holds a .320 batting average and stands second on the team with 39 hits. Additionally across the conference, she ranks well in runs (second), hit by pitches (five, fourth), slugging percentage (team-high .590, fifth), steals (11, fifth), RBIs (24, sixth) and hits (ninth).
Cannella was another distinguished leader on the team and secured a spot on the SAA All-Sportsmanship Team.
Hailing from Plaquemine, La., Cannella plays great defensively behind the plate as catcher. She currently holds a .987 fielding percentage with 72 putouts and four defensive assists.
The No. 2 seed Millsaps College softball team travels to Columbus, Ga., to compete in the 2025 Southern Athletic Association Softball Championship, beginning on Thursday.
Double-elimination games will take place at the South Commons Softball Complex and are scheduled to run through Saturday, with an 'if necessary' game to be played on Sunday. The Majors open the tournament by facing the winner of No. 3 seed Rhodes College and No. 6 seed Centre College at 6:30 p.m. CT. Live video and live stats will be provided at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College softball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
