South Atlantic Conference Places 10 On Daktronics All-Region Softball Team

ROCK HILL -- Ten South Atlantic Conference softball players have been named to the 2007 Daktronics NCAA Division II Softball All-South Atlantic Region first team. The All-Region teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Seven were named to the first team and advance to the national ballot for All-American. The members of CoSIDA will select three Daktronics All-American teams (first, second and third) comprised of 13 players each based on position.

South Atlantic Conference pitcher of the year Meredith O'Connor was one of three members from Lenoir-Rhyne College to make the All-Region team. First baseman Leah Krohn was also named to the first team, while pitcher Casey Hanes was named to the second team.

Meredith O'Connor

Leah Krohn

Joy Henry

LaRonda McClain

Courtney Lindler

Whitney Hickam

Brittney Walker

Casey Hanes

Sara Powell

Sara Henn

Wingate University senior outfielder Joy Henry (Virginia Beach, Va.) and freshman utility player LaRonda McClain (Kings Mountain, N.C.) were both named to the first team.

Henry earned first team All-South Atlantic Conference honors two years in a row (2006 and 2007). Henry hit .524 in the 2007 Food Lion SAC tournament, leading Wingate to the championship game for the second season in a row. She finished the 2007 season on a 15-game hitting streak, the longest on the team this season.

In 2007, Henry led the Bulldogs in batting average (.421), hits (72) and total bases (88). She shared the team lead in multiple hit games (23). Thanks to the efforts of Henry and her teammates, the Bulldogs (37-20 overall) tied for second in the 2007 SAC regular season race.

In 2006, Henry hit .345 with 35 runs, 11 doubles, six triples and 24 RBI. The Bulldogs set a new school single-season win record with a 47-11 overall ledger in 2006. The 47 wins included two victories in the 2006 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional tournament.

LaRonda McClain earned second team All-South Atlantic Conference honors as a utility player in 2007. She was a true utility player, starting 15 games at shortstop, 14 games at first base, nine games in right field and nine games at DH. She also played three games in center field.

McClain was second on the team with a .401 batting average and 69 hits. McClain led the team (or shared the team lead) in stolen bases (23), multiple hit games (23) and runs scored (42). She had a 12-game hit streak earlier this season. A very consistent performer, McClain hit .390 in SAC play this season.

Newberry College's Courtney Lindler was named to the first team at shortstop, while and Sara Powell was named to the second team at the utility positon.

Lindler, a senior from Irmo, S.C., was named the first team shortstop, making her eligible for All-American honors. Lindler led the Lady Indians in nearly every offensive category this season and was also one of the most consistent defensive shortstops in the region. She was also named second team all-South Atlantic Conference.

The senior had a .430 batting average with 80 hits, 22 doubles, five homeruns and a school-record 54 runs batted in. She was 12-for-12 stealing bases, and had 28 multiple hit games as well as 13 multiple RBI games. She had two hitting streaks of over 14 games, including a 22 game hitting streak in March and early April. Lindler was an astounding .593 with runners in scoring position and was a perfect 13-of-13 with the bases loaded.

Sara Powell, a freshman from Ocean View, Del., was named the second team utility player. This is Powell's first regional honor of her career. She was named the first team all-South Atlantic Conference utility player in April.

Powell was the only Lady Indian to start in all 60 games this season, featuring in four different positions. She started 28 games at third base, 18 games at catcher, 13 games at first base and one game at shortstop. Powell hit .329 on the season, with 55 hits, 11 doubles, one triple and six homeruns. She also had 13 multiple-hit games and seven multi-RBI performances.

Carson-Newman second baseman Whitney Hickam was named a first team all-South Atlantic Region selection.

Hickam hit .387 for the Lady Eagles while leading the team with 10 homers, 62 RBI, and a .681 slugging percentage in the regular season. Hickam also earned second team All-South Atlantic Conference honors.

Hickam and her Lady Eagle teammates will open the NCAA South Atlantic Regional tournament on Thursday, May 10 as the fourth seed against fifth-seeded USC Upstate in Columbus, Georgia.

Also, South Atlantic Conference member Lincoln Memorial University has a pair of honorees. Lincoln Memorial was not eligible for the SAC championship or conference awards this season.

Lincoln Memorial University softball player Brittney Walker (Ooltewah, TN) has been named Daktronics first team All-South Atlantic Region as an outfielder and South Atlantic Region Player of the Year.

A 5-7 pitcher/outfielder, Walker hit .429 this season crossing the plate a team-best 56 times. In addition, the four-year letter winner had 82 hits, 26 doubles, two triples and a team-best 16 homeruns while recording 50 RBI. Walker's .838 slugging percentage and .495 on base percentage were also at the top of the Lady Railsplitter statistics.

Walker ends her career at Lincoln Memorial as a three-time All-Gulf South Conference First Team selection, having literally rewritten the Lady Railsplitter record book. By making the all-region team, Walker now becomes eligible for the Daktronics All-American Team which will be released in the next several weeks. Walker leaves the LMU softball program at the top of nearly every career statistical category.

Sara Henn (Kettering, OH) was named to the second team as a third baseman.

A 5-7 product of Kettering Fairmont High School, Henn hit .395 this season while recording 73 hits, 17 doubles and 14 homeruns in only her first season of collegiate play. In addition, the first year starter had a team-high 54 runs batted in with a .714 slugging percentage and a .444 on base percentage.

The Lady Railsplitters ended the 2007 season with an overall record of 37-18-1, tying the 2001 and 2006 LMU softball team's single-season marks for most wins. The Lady Railsplitters lost four seniors this season to graduation and will be competing next season for the first time as a member of the South Atlantic Conference.

The 2007 season marks the first year CoSIDA has selected All-Region and All-American teams in softball and baseball.

2007 DAKTRONICS All-South Atlantic Region Softball Teams

First Team

Pitchers:
Amber Browning- Columbus St.
Meredith O'Connor- Lenoir-Rhyne
Rachel Darr- Columbus St.

Catcher:
Jessica Strickland- USC Aiken

First Base:
Leah Krohn- Lenoir-Rhyne

Second Base:
Whitney Hickam- Carson-Newman

Third Base:
Keidra Baitey- GCSU

Shortstop:
Courtney Lindler- Newberry

Outfield:
Erin Brown- Columbus St.
Brittney Walker- Lincoln Memorial
Joy Henry- Wingate

Designated Player:
Dacia Ijames- Pfeiffer

Utility:
LaRonda McClain- Wingate

Second Team

Pitchers:
Casey Hanes- Lenoir-Rhyne
Jenny Jackson- Mount Olive
Shelly Catlett- Coker
Mandy Chandler- GCSU

Catchers:
Amber Lanier- Columbus St.

First Base:
Paige Phillips- Augusta St.

Second Base:
No nominations

Third Base:
Sara Henn- Lincoln Memorial

Shortstop:
Jelena Shaw- UNC Pembroke

Outfield:
Deidra Baitey- GCSU
Sherelle Brooks- USC Aiken
Whitney Propes- NGCSU

Designated Player:
Jordan Tharp- GCSU

Utility:
Sara Powell- Newberry