This post was written by Hatchet reporter Sean Hurd.

Six players on the GW softball team made program history Tuesday, when they were named to multiple Atlantic 10 All-Conference teams.

• Courtney Martin was selected to the A-10 First Team, while senior center fielder Autumn Taylor earned a selection to the A-10 Second Team.
• Among first-year players, freshmen Carlee Gray and Meghan Rico were selected to the All-Rookie Team.
• For achievement in the classroom, senior Amanda Zakeri and junior Chelsea Lenhart and Martin all earned spots on the All-Academic Team.

The six GW players on All-Conference teams are the most ever in the softball program’s 11-year history. The Colonials surpassed the 2008 program record, which included four All-Conference players.

In her first season as a full-time starter, Martin quickly emerged as a prominent, consistent pitching force for the Colonials. Going into the A-10 tournament, Martin has a 13-11 record, with three saves and a 2.00 ERA. She’s also logged 159 strikeouts and has pitched an outstanding 181.2 innings this season. Martin’s ERA and win total are the second-best single-season totals in program history, while her strikeout sum is third best.

Coming through with clutch hit after clutch hit for GW this season, the centerfield Taylor has cemented her position as one of the best hitters in GW program history. Entering the A-10 tournament, Taylor is batting a career-best .356 and slugging .652 with 48 hits, five triples, eight home runs and 43 RBIs. Those totals all rank among the top-10 single-season marks in program history, including second in RBIs and triples, fourth in slugging and fifth in batting average. She is the Colonials’ all-time leader in RBIs with 102.

Making her new presence known very early into the season, Colonials freshman first baseman Carlee Gray emerged as a hitting force for GW. Gray ranks second on the team in doubles and third in batting average, hits and RBIs. Earlier this season, Gray reached base in a school-record 18 consecutive games, and was named A-10 Rookie of the Week after blasting the game-winning grand slam against Ohio State.

The other freshman standout performance this season has come from pitching phenom Meghan Rico. Rico carries a 13-10 record into tournament play, holding a 3.06 ERA with 133 strikeouts in 126.0 innings of work. The product of Wrentham, Mass. has held opponents to a .198 batting average, which ranks second in the A-10 and is on pace for a school record. Rico’s 13 wins and five shutouts both match GW rookie records. Rico made waves early on in the season when she recorded GW’s third no-hitter in program history during her first-ever collegiate start.

Combined, Rico and Martin have become the second-best pitching staff in the Atlantic 10.