Women's basketball trio named to all-Southern Conference team

Trudy Walker led the Eastern Florida State College women's basketball team both on and off the court this season.

She was rewarded this week by being named first team all-Southern Conference as well as one of the top players in the state.

"She was the heart and soul of this basketball team," interim head coach Stephanie Schafer said. "She always brought her best effort and led this team through adversity with her words and actions. I'm so proud of Trudy and all of her accomplishments this year."

The sophomore from Ft. Pierce led the Titans with 14.6 points and 13 rebounds per game finishing her sophomore season with 16 double-doubles. Walker was even better against conference teams, averaging 15.7 points and 15.9 rebounds.

Teammates Mariah Batz and Caitlyn Smith were named to the all-Southern Conference second team.

Smith finished the season by scoring 20-plus points in four of the final seven games and averaged 14.1 points per game against conference teams. The freshman from Vero Beach also averaged 4.5 assists.

"Caitlyn embraced a leadership role as a freshman, she was the workhorse for us, playing over 40 minutes in multiple games this season," Schafer said. "I'm proud of her accomplishments as a freshman and am excited to see how her talent and leadership continues to grow next season."

Batz finished with a team-high 76 3-pointers and scored at least 11 points in 14 of her 28 games this season. The freshman from Titusville averaged 9.5 points per game this season and shot 35 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

"Mariah is one of the hardest workers I've ever met. She's the first player in the gym and the last one out," Schafer said. "I am excited to see the leadership she will bring on and off the court next season."