STEPHENVILLE – The honors keep coming for a pair of student-athletes that made huge impacts in Tarleton State’s run to the conference championship as Shelby Schultz and Kalyn Hill were named NFCA All-Region on Thursday.
Less than a week after the historic season ended for the Texans, Schultz and Hill were named NFCA All-Region Second and Third team respectively.
“Both of these two worked incredibly hard this season and were a team player all year,” said head coach Mark Cumpian. “Schultz was incredible in the circle for us and we knew we could always count on her to give us solid innings when she was out there. Hill was phenomenal behind the plate for us and really solidified our lineup hitting in the cleanup spot for us. Both of these ladies worked so hard all year and the recognition is much deserved.”
Schultz, the freshman southpaw ace from Temple, Texas, has now earned four honors in the last two weeks after being named WAC Freshman of the Year, First team All-WAC and WAC All-Tournament team.
The freshman ended her first collegiate season leading the team in low ERA (2.44), wins (15), appearances (33), complete games (7), saves (3), innings pitched (143.2), and strikeouts (173). In the nation Schultz ranks 15th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.81), 26th in strikeouts per seven innings (8.4) and 27th in total strikeouts (173). She also ranks 59th in saves with three.
With her efforts in the circle early in the season, the southpaw became the first freshman since 2017 and first in the Texans Division I era to earn the victory in their freshman debut. April 4, 2025 was another historic day for the ace as she struck out her 100th batter of the season. Previously Withrow (2017) held the record for the fastest to hit 100 K’s at 25 appearances before Schultz shatter that doing it in just 19 appearances and becoming the first in the Purple and White’s Division I era to do so.
April 15 was another grand day for Schultz as she hit strikeout No. 125 followed by No. 150 just days later on April 25. Schultz ended the season sitting at 173 all-time strikeouts as she will look to take care of that in her first appearance of the 2026 season with the Texans.
Hill was a force both behind the plate and in the box this season and has already earned a couple of awards for her efforts before she added another on Thursday. Hill has already been named First team All-WAC and WAC All-Tournament team as well. The senior catcher from Murieta, California made her presence known behind the plate as she ended her senior season sitting No. 9 in the nation in catching runners stealing with 19 would-be base stealers thrown out.
Offensively for the Texans, Hill led the team in RBI’s with 43 and started every game for the Purple and White (58). The senior ranked second on the team in a multitude of categories including, average (.384), OPS (1.041), at-bats (177), hits (68), total bags (103), slugging % (.582), walks (27), on-base % (.459) and sac flies (3). In the WAC, Hill was consitanctly in the top-four in the conference in batting average as she helped guide the Texans to a Division I era record 36 wins on the season. In the nation she was also 65th in hits with 68.
After transferring in last season to play with her older sister Kelci Hill for her final season, Kalyn Hill wrapped up her two-year career with the Texans this year. She ends her career with the Purple and White hitting .315 over her two years after making a huge jump from her junior year when she was only hitting .219 to her senior year crushing it at .384. She started every game she played in for the Texans at 104 as she had just over 300 at-bats ending her career with 305. She tallied 36 runs on 96 hits while she hit 19 doubles, a triple and eight homers. She also was credited with 55 RBI’s and was slugging .462. She also drew 40 base on balls.
Hill becomes the second Hill for Tarleton State to earned NFCA All-Region honors as her older sister Kelci Hill was named NFCA All-Region Second team last season marking the first in the Texans Division I era. The Hill sisters are the first sisters in program history to both be named NFCA All-Region.
Tarleton State now turns their attention to the off season as they look to get back to work this fall as they look to set new records once again when the 2026 season rolls around.
Be the first to comment