LOUISVILLE, Ky. – UNC Greensboro junior outfielder Makenna Matthijs was named to the All-Mideast Region Second Team and Western Carolina junior shortstop Bailey Huneycutt earned third-team honors as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced its 2021 NFCA Division I All-Region accolades Thursday.

Matthijs and Huneycutt were among 380 student-athletes from 154 programs to earn the honor. The awards honor softball student-athletes from the NFCA’s 10 regions with first-, second- and third-team selections. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region voted on the teams, and all student-athletes now become eligible for the 2021 NFCA Division I All-America squads, which will be announced on Wednesday, June 2.

This is the latest accolade for Matthijs, who was named to the 2021 All-SoCon First Team and All-SoCon Tournament Team and was the SoCon Player of the Week on April 19.

Matthijs leads the SoCon in hits (60), runs (44) and RBIs (43). She was also second in home runs (13) and third in batting average (.361).

Matthijs had 14 multi-hit games, including a four-hit performance at Chattanooga. She hit two home runs in a pair of games against Elon. On March 10, Matthijs hit one of five NCAA-record tying home runs in the seventh inning.

With UNCG having to sweep the final weekend series against Western Carolina to win the regular season title and host the SoCon Championship, Matthijs shined by hitting .444 (4-of-9) with two home runs, five RBIs, and a walk. Her effort helped the Spartans beat the Catamounts by a score of 23-2 over the three games.

UNCG won the Southern Conference tournament championship and earned a trip to the NCAA tournament, where it meets No. 13 Duke in a first-round matchup Friday in the Athens Region at noon.

Huneycutt, a first-team All-SoCon selection and the 2021 SoCon Player of the Year, ended the 2021 campaign leading the team and the SoCon with a .364 batting average, the second-highest in the 15-years of the Catamount program. She also topped the conference with 14 home runs.

She led the team with 51 hits, which ranked 12th in the WCU record books for hits in a season, and was second in the conference with 35 runs scored. She had 10 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games.

Her .497 on-base percentage was the highest in program history, while her .714 slugging percentage was the second-highest. She had 35 walks for the season, which was the third-most. Huneycutt tied the school record for most consecutive games reaching base with 30 before her streak was snapped.

For her career, Huneycutt has a total of 28 double plays, ranking second in the WCU record books. Her 22 career home runs rank fifth in the record books.

Finishing second in the 2021 regular season, Western Carolina ended the year with a runner-up showing in the 2021 Southern Conference Championship with a record of 27-26 – the third-most wins in program history.

For the NFCA’s full release, click here.