ROME, Ga. – Two members of the Salem softball team were recognized by the USA South Conference on Wednesday afternoon for their contributions during the 2025 campaign. Salem's Maleah Tate was named Second Team All-Conference and teammate Madison Long earned All-Sportsmanship Team honors. 

Tate earned her first-ever postseason accolade and became the fifth player in program history to receive a Second Team All-Conference honor from the USA South Conference office. The previous winners include Breanna Herman and Lauryn Smith, who earned Second Team West Division honors in 2017, as well as Brittany Morton and Amanda Dacunto, who received Second Team East Division honors in 2019. 

Tate played in 35 games over the course of the season, making 33 starts along the way, as a staple in the Salem outfield. She ranked in the Top 5 of seven offensive categories, among those with 10 starts, including hits (38-1st), runs scored (23-1st), at bats (98-1st), total bases (40-1st), stolen bases (35-1st), on-base percentage (.444-2nd) and slugging percentage (.408-4th). 

Recognized for her speed on the base pads, Tate capitalized on her 38 hits and six walks by resetting her own single-season program mark in stolen bases with 35. That was seven more than she swiped in 2024 and was tops in the USA South Conference. Tate had at least two steals in 10 contests, including a four-steal performance against St. Andrews on February 27th, finishing one shy of tying the most by a USA South Conference player. She also made her presence felt defensively with 51 putouts, which ranked fifth on the team. 

The Lexington, N.C., native had 11 multi-hit performances, including four multi-hit games against USA South Conference opposition. Her best single-game hitting performance of the season came in the opening game of the Methodist series on April 26th, where she finished 3-for-3 from the plate with two stolen bases. Along with setting a new mark in stolen bases, Tate also notched the second triple of her career, which came in a clash with William Peace on April 12th. 

Long also made her presence felt on the Salem offense, finishing 7-for-21 (.333 batting average) from the plate as she finished with two RBI and two doubles in 14 games. Long garnered seven starts over the course of the season and led the way for the Salem offense in game two of Covenant (March 8) series, finishing 3-for-3 from the plate as she belted two doubles. Her fourth hit of the slate came at Carolina University (March 18). 

When league play began, Long closed 1-for-2 at Southern Virginia (April 12) and connected on a single in Salem's game at Meredith (April 6). She also played a key role in helping the Spirits close the season with a 7-6 win in extra innings against Methodist on April 26th. In that contest, Long accounted for one of Salem's 10 hits.

Long becomes the seventh different Spirit to be named as a member of the All-Sportsmanship Team for Salem. The previous winners include Katie Bilbrey (2017), Brittany Morton (2018), Stephanie Galioto (2019), Abby Shelton (2022), Jessica Pinnix (2023) and Madeline Brown (2024).