Landry a Preseason SLC 2nd-team softball selection

Following a record-breaking season, Nicholls State University softball sophomores Amanda Gianelloni, Megan Landry, Gretchen Morgan and Veronica Villafranco were named to the 2017 Preseason All-Southland Team, the league office announced Friday.
Gianelloni, Morgan and Villafranco were automatic selections to the team after earning all-conference honors last season, and Landry, a Central Catholic alum, was one of the five players voted on to this year’s squad. Gianelloni received first-team honors, while her classmates landed on the second team.
Gianelloni headlined the honors after a phenomenal rookie campaign in 2016. In addition to being named freshman of the year, the Napoleonville native was the only freshman to receive first-team accolades. She finished the conference season ranked in the top 10 of the SLC in seven offensive categories, including top 5 rankings in batting average (.385), slugging percentage (.679), total bases (53) and triples (four).
She totaled four home runs in SLC games, including a grand slam against UIW.
For the season, Gianelloni posted a .391 batting average with seven home runs and 40 RBIs.
Morgan landed on the second team as a designated player after hitting .381 in conference play with a double, one home run and 10 RBIs. The Southlake, Texas, native played in 41 games with 20 starts, hitting .309 with 14 RBIs.
Villafranco, a native of Spring, Texas, started the second half of conference play, tallying a .410 batting average with four doubles and 11 RBIs en route to being named second-team utility. First used as a pinch hitter, Villafranco started as a designated player and had the second-longest hitting streak for the Colonels at eight games.
She finished the season with a .407 batting average and 15 RBIs in 27 games played.
Hailing from Pierre Part, Landry was one of two pitchers to be voted to the preseason second team. In conference games, she was 6-3 and ranked fourth in ERA (1.83) and third in opponent batting average (.184) as a freshman.
Overall, Landry was 15-8 with a 1.80 ERA, which ranked in the top 50 of the NCAA.
The Colonels are coming off a historic 2016 season where they finished 39-17 overall and 21-5 in the Southland. The overall and conference win totals were the most for the program since 1998, and the 21 victories was just the fourth time the Colonels have won 20 or more games since joining the Southland in 1992.
Nicholls opens its season this weekend in the Lion Classic in Hammond. The Colonels kick off the tournament with games Friday against Army (3 p.m.) and Mississippi Valley State (5 p.m.).
For the latest news on Colonel softball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_SB.