SF standout returns to Florence, will play for FMU

Francis Marion University softball coach Stacey Vallee has announced that former South Florence High School standout Brittany Cannon will be transferring from Santa Fe College to FMU and will play for the Patriots this coming season.

Cannon, a 5-8 native of Florence, is a left-handed center fielder. She played two honor-laden seasons for coach Chris Ahern at Santa Fe.

This past spring, she earned first-team All-American honors from both the NJCAA and the NFCA. She was named the FCCAA state Player of the Year following both of her seasons with the Saints. She was also a first-team NJCAA All-American as a freshman.

In 2009, she batted a school-record .508 with 74 runs scored, 12 doubles, 10 triples, six home runs, 40 runs batted in, and 51 stolen bases (in 53 attempts). She compiled a .528 on-base percentage and did not commit an error in 60 fielding chances. She helped lead Santa Fe to a 47-9 record and a Top 10 national ranking. She ranked seventh in the NJCAA in stolen bases, 12th in batting average, and 22nd in on-base percentage.

As a freshman, she set school records for hits (115), doubles (23), triples (15), and runs scored (85), while batting .491 with six home runs, 49 RBIs, and 50 stolen bases. She helped lead the Saints to a 62-5-1 record, the state championship, and a spot in the NJCAA national championship game.

She ended her two-year career owning the school’s career marks for hits, average, doubles, triples, runs scored, and stolen bases.

At South Florence, she played for coach Bobby Jones and helped the Bruins to a pair of AAAA state championships (2006, 2007). She earned numerous All-State honors and was named Miss Softball as a senior by the High School Sports Report.

“We are so excited about Brittany returning to Florence and attending Francis Marion,” said Vallee. “She may arguably be the most decorated recruit our program has ever signed. Her stats and honors speak for themselves. She will immediately fill our void in center field, and add power and speed to our line-up.”

Cannon will join nine players who previously committed to the Patriots: infielder Tristan Faile of Lancaster, S.C., catcher-outfielder Olivia Ferguson of Roanoke, Va., catcher-first baseman Annie Hegar of Jefferson, N.C., catcher-infielder Meghan Heiser of Sacramento, Calif., shortstop Jessica Hogan of Asheboro, N.C., right-handed pitcher Cea Knox of Myrtle Beach, right-handed pitcher Rayna McClinton of Columbia, left-handed pitcher Murphy McConnell of Milton, Ga., and utility player Jamie Ross of Cape Coral, Fla.

Francis Marion finished the 2009 season with a 32-19 record, and narrowly missed earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament.