LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 14, 2026) – Junior infielder Briley Dover was selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region team for the South Region, announced by the NFCA on Thursday.
 
Dover — from nearby Loretto, Tenn. — becomes the first Division I softball player from UNA to earn an all-region selection. She was voted to the second team as a second baseman. Prior to Dover, Megan Garst and Kara Brewer were the most recent Lions to be selected in 2018 — the final year of UNA's Division II era.
 
In total, the Lions have had 17 all-region selections since 2000.
 
Dover posted historic numbers for North Alabama this season, leading the team to a 36-16 record and a second-place finish in the Atlantic Sun Conference Gold Division. UNA's 69.2 win percentage ranks as the sixth-highest in program history dating back to 1983. The Lions have went 14 seasons without a losing record, including all 13 under Coach Ashley Cozart.
 
Individually, Dover led the team with a .384 batting average and was the only ASUN player to finish the regular season with at least 50 hits, 50 runs, 40 RBI, 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases. The former Loretto High School standout set a Division I single season school record with 55 runs this season.
 
In the ASUN, she led the league in runs and ranked among the top 10 players in batting average, slugging percentage (.673), on-base plus slugging (1.130), total hits (61), RBI (47), doubles (10) and stolen bases (18-22). Dover was also one of the toughest players to strikeout, ranking third in the ASUN with only nine strikeouts in 190 plate appearances.
 
She hit second in the lineup in every game this season.
 
Defensively, Dover played all over the infield with 25 starts at second base, 22 starts at shortstop and five starts at third base. She finished with a healthy .947 fielding percentage on 171 chances while turning four double plays.
 
For her efforts, she was voted First Team All-ASUN this year. She became a two-time all-conference selection after earning second team honors in 2024. Dover was also voted to the ASUN All-Freshman team in 2024. She earned Academic All-ASUN this season and won the Above and Beyond Award at the 2026 UNA Players Choice Awards.
 
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