PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers softball’s Kyleigh Sand and Morgan Smith are going pro.
Sand, a three-time All-Big Ten selection and three-time all-region honoree, has signed to play with the Texas Monarchs, Women’s Professional Fastpitch’s newest team, while Morgan Smith, RU’s first-ever NFCA All-American, has signed on with the Chattanooga Steam for their inaugural season.
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Sand made her mark “On The Banks” as RU’s first three-time all-region selection and the school record holder in both season and career runs score and career batting average. Earning First-Team All-Big Ten honors for the second time in her career in 2024, she led the Scarlet Knight offense batting .418 with 77 hits, nine doubles and four triples along with plating a school record 62 runs. Nationally, she ranked 10th in hits and 12th in runs per game, while in the Big Ten, she led the league in hits, was second in batting average and runs scored, third in on-base percentage, fourth in triples and 10th in stolen bases. Sand also condluded her career ranked third in career hits (216) and stolen bases (63), fifth in career walks (86), eighth in career triples (8) and tenth in career doubles (34) at Rutgers.
Smith is one of the most decorated softball Scarlet Knights in history with Second Team NFCA All-America and First Team Softball America honors along with being named ECAC Player of the Year. Ranked as the No. 1 two-way player in the country by Softball America in their May power rankings ratings, she was also a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten honoree and recognized on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team for the second-consecutive season. Smith hit .408 on the year with 69 hits, 14 doubles, four triples and 19 home runs, including a streak of six consecutive games with a dinger, while collecting a Rutgers season-record 66 RBIs. Nationally, she ranked 11th in home runs, sixth in RBIs, ninth in slugging percentage and fourth in sacrifice flies. Among her Big Ten peers, she led the league in RBIs, was second in home runs and slugging percentage, third in batting average, fourth in runs and triples and seventh in doubles. On defense, Smith held a .983 field percentage playing at both center field and pitcher having only made one error at each position on 118 chances. Altogether she collected 67 putouts and 49…
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