Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Six Earn NFCA All-Region Honors

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Six student-athletes have earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Mid Atlantic Region honors for their performance on the softball diamond this season. The Fighting Irish have three first team selections in catcher Carlli Kloss, first baseman Karina Gaskins and third baseman Joley Mitchell. Payton Tidd and Lexi Orozco earned second team All-Region honors and outfielder Macie Eck adds a third team All-Region selection. This season, the Irish earned their 24th-consecutive NCAA Regional appearance as they will take part in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional May 19-21, hosted by Arkansas. Notre Dame finished the regular season 29-17-1. In the program’s 34 years of existence, the Irish have never had a season with a winning percentage below .500. 

Kloss is a key cog in the 2023 Irish softball machine. Kloss has caught every pitch from Irish pitchers this season as she earned her first NFCA honors in her junior season. The catcher caught 13 of an attempted 29 base stealers, leading the Atlantic Coast Conference with a .552 stolen base allowed percentage. She also earned a .986 fielding percentage to go with allowing just four passed balls in 304 innings behind the dish. The primary lead-off hitter in the lineup, Kloss leads the team with 14 doubles, adding three triples and three home runs. She’s scored a team-best 41 runs, and adds 23 RBI. 

Gaskins earned her third consecutive first team All-Region honors this season.  Gaskins put together another impressive campaign, following up an All-American season in 2022. The junior hit for a .341 average while leading the team with 14 home runs and driving in 40. She added 40 walks, tying her own record for the second-most in a single season in program history. She also scored 36 runs, and is second on the team with a .722 slugging percentage. 

Mitchell put together a superb senior season at third base. She led the team with a .383 batting average, starting all 47 games at the hot corner. She also led the squad with 15 stolen bases and three sacrifice hits. She is the third member of the squad to hit double digit home runs, leaving the yard 10 times to go with nine doubles and racking up 40 RBI. This is Mitchell’s second-consecutive All-Region honor, after being named third team All-Region in 2022. 

Tidd collects her fourth NFCA All-Region honor, as she has been named All-Region in every season with the exception of the 2020 season in which there were no All-Region selections. Tidd has been a mainstay in the circle, earning second team honors in 2023. The graduate student worked 147.2 of the team’s 304.0 innings this season, leading the Irish in appearances (29), starts (24), complete games (10) and strikeouts (102). Along with her prowess in the circle, Tidd also put together one of her best seasons at the dish. She hit for a.284 average, with a career-best eight doubles, 28 RBI while knocking three home runs and scoring 13 times. 

This is Orozco’s first NFCA honor as a member of the Irish, having earned two previous NFCA All-Region honors during her previous seasons at Utah State. Orozco was tied with Gaskins for the team lead with 14 home runs, and led the squad with 44 RBI, hitting in the heart of the order throughout the season. She added five doubles, her first career triple and scored 33 runs this season. Her .725 slugging percentage led the team while drawing 30 walks and earning a .475 on-base percentage. 

Eck earned her first All-Region honors this year. The senior saw an expanded role in her final campaign as she finished the season hitting at a .343 average with 23 base knocks, two doubles and scoring 11 runs. She added six RBI and a .982 fielding percentage playing left and right field throughout the season. Eck tallied her first career stolen base as well as earning a .353 on-base percentage. 

These six and the rest of the Irish roster will begin the NCAA Fayetteville Regional Friday evening at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 as the Fighting Irish will take on the Oregon Ducks in the opening round of the tournament.