Melanie Carter’s work as head softball coach at Shorter University speaks for itself.

And now, her legacy as a player has reached a whole new level.

Carter, a former standout at NCAA Div. II University of Alabama-Huntsville, was recently named to the Gulf South Conference Softball All-Decade Team as announced by the league’s offices.

Carter secured a spot on the East Division First Team, joining four other UAH alums and solidifying her place among the Gulf South’s most decorated softball athletes.

“This is truly an honor to be recognized as one of the top players in Gulf South Conference over the last 10 years,” said Carter. “When I look at all the great names that appear on that list, I cannot ask for much more.”

After hanging up her cleats in 2003, Carter’s numbers in the dugout are more than impressive.

Since being named head coach in 2007, Carter has led the Lady Hawks to three Southern States Athletic Conference titles, and four straight appearances in the NAIA Softball National Championship. She has logged 195 wins, including a record 51 victories this past season when Shorter turned in a program-best fifth place finish at the national tournament.

Shorter has seen six players earn NAIA All-America honors. Former standout Jessica Sanders and current star Libby Munson are multi-year All-Americans, and Carter was named the SSAC Coach of the Year in 2007.

Berry players to be named to NABC Honors Court

Seven members of Berry College’s 2009-10 men’s basketball team have been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Honors Court in recognition of their achievements in the classroom.

Seniors Will Blackwell, Matt Mixer and Bentley Sparks and juniors Kendall Gadie, David Holloman, Tim Miles and Michael Schulte were all named to the Honors Court.

“The NABC Honors Court is a great accolade for our student-athletes,” Berry head coach Jeff Haarlow said. “I am truly proud of the accomplishments our student-athletes make in the classroom.

“It proves how well rounded they are, both on and off the floor. They are a perfect model of what a Division III student-athlete looks like.”

According to the NABC, in order to be named to the Honors Court, an athlete must meet a high standard of academic criteria, including being a junior or senior in academic standing, being a member of the college’s or university’s varsity team, earning a cumulative 3.2 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at the conclusion of the 2009-10 academic year and having been enrolled at the institution for at least one year.

Mixer, who redshirted last season due to injury, plans to return to the Vikings this fall, along with Gadie, Holloman, Miles and Schulte.

Academic and team honors are nothing new for the Vikings. Earlier this year, Blackwell, Gadie, Holloman, Mixer and Schulte were honored by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes.

Berry is entering its second year as a provisional member of NCAA Division III.