Troy University Athletics
Cunningham, Boswell Earn NFCA All-Region Accolades
5/14/2026 12:05:00 PM | Softball
TROY, Ala. – After leading their team to a fourth straight 30-plus win season in head coach Eric Newell's tenure, Ella Cunningham and Makaley Boswell earn NFCA All-Region (Gulf) accolades. Cunningham leads Troy softball on the second team, followed by Boswell on the third team.
"It comes to me as no surprise that both Ella and Makaley have earned all-region recognition; it is well deserved," Newell said.
Ella Cunningham – Second Team – UTL/P
Cunningham transferred to the Trojans from Michigan State and battled to become the No. 10 dual-threat player, according to Softball America. Her 2.63 ERA through 27 appearances on the mound ranked ninth in the Sun Belt and 89th nationally. She totaled 11 wins, three complete games, two saves (ninth in the SBC), 87 strikeouts and a .227 opposing batting average. From the mound, her 6.4 strikeouts per seven innings ranked sixth in the SBC, while her 5.71 hits allowed per seven innings sat third and ranked 69th in the country. The sophomore peaked twice with a career-high 17 strikeouts against Alabama State and a no-hitter against Furman with 10 punch-outs through five innings.
"Ella proved all year that she was one of the best two-way players in the country, leading our team in wins and tying for the team lead in home runs," Newell said.
At the plate, Cunningham also played in 53 games with 50 starts. With her .317 batting clip and .531 slugging percentage, Cunningham accumulated 46 hits, 10 doubles, 15 runs, seven homers (tied for a team-high), seven HBPs (eighth in the SBC) and 30 RBIs. The Cleveland, Tenn. native totaled 13 multi-hit games, with eight multi-RBI games (second for Troy). Her career-high of four RBIs came against Central Arkansas, while her pair of hits against South Alabama were home runs in game three for a career-high of two runs scored.
Makaley Boswell – Third Team – UTL/DP
Boswell returned for her third season with Troy and led the team in batting average (.386), slugging percentage (.667), RBIs (46), runs (45), doubles (17), triples (five), homers (seven), total bases (114), hits (66) and stolen bases (19). Her consistency also pushed her to the top, leading the Trojans in multi-RBI (13) and multi-hit games (20). She was the lone Trojan with 5-plus RBIs in a game, with six against Furman.
"Makaley put together one of the strongest years in Troy softball history, leading the team in almost every offensive category and anchoring down our defense at whatever position we needed her at," Newell said.
The Geneva, Ala. native's .386 batting clip finished as the sixth highest in Troy single-season history, while her .667 slugging percentage (ninth in the SBC) broke into 10th. Boswell finished the season with 17 doubles, which led the Sun Belt and ranked 42nd in the country – she also tied for the third-most in a Troy single season. The junior also went 19-of-21 in stolen bases to rank third in the conference (77th nationally) in stolen bases. Her 19 stolen bases averaged 0.36 per game, which ended fourth in the league and 100th in the nation.
"It comes to me as no surprise that both Ella and Makaley have earned all-region recognition; it is well deserved," Newell said.
Ella Cunningham – Second Team – UTL/P
Cunningham transferred to the Trojans from Michigan State and battled to become the No. 10 dual-threat player, according to Softball America. Her 2.63 ERA through 27 appearances on the mound ranked ninth in the Sun Belt and 89th nationally. She totaled 11 wins, three complete games, two saves (ninth in the SBC), 87 strikeouts and a .227 opposing batting average. From the mound, her 6.4 strikeouts per seven innings ranked sixth in the SBC, while her 5.71 hits allowed per seven innings sat third and ranked 69th in the country. The sophomore peaked twice with a career-high 17 strikeouts against Alabama State and a no-hitter against Furman with 10 punch-outs through five innings.
"Ella proved all year that she was one of the best two-way players in the country, leading our team in wins and tying for the team lead in home runs," Newell said.
At the plate, Cunningham also played in 53 games with 50 starts. With her .317 batting clip and .531 slugging percentage, Cunningham accumulated 46 hits, 10 doubles, 15 runs, seven homers (tied for a team-high), seven HBPs (eighth in the SBC) and 30 RBIs. The Cleveland, Tenn. native totaled 13 multi-hit games, with eight multi-RBI games (second for Troy). Her career-high of four RBIs came against Central Arkansas, while her pair of hits against South Alabama were home runs in game three for a career-high of two runs scored.
Makaley Boswell – Third Team – UTL/DP
Boswell returned for her third season with Troy and led the team in batting average (.386), slugging percentage (.667), RBIs (46), runs (45), doubles (17), triples (five), homers (seven), total bases (114), hits (66) and stolen bases (19). Her consistency also pushed her to the top, leading the Trojans in multi-RBI (13) and multi-hit games (20). She was the lone Trojan with 5-plus RBIs in a game, with six against Furman.
"Makaley put together one of the strongest years in Troy softball history, leading the team in almost every offensive category and anchoring down our defense at whatever position we needed her at," Newell said.
The Geneva, Ala. native's .386 batting clip finished as the sixth highest in Troy single-season history, while her .667 slugging percentage (ninth in the SBC) broke into 10th. Boswell finished the season with 17 doubles, which led the Sun Belt and ranked 42nd in the country – she also tied for the third-most in a Troy single season. The junior also went 19-of-21 in stolen bases to rank third in the conference (77th nationally) in stolen bases. Her 19 stolen bases averaged 0.36 per game, which ended fourth in the league and 100th in the nation.
Players Mentioned
UTL
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