SAC Places 14 Softball Players On Daktronics All-Southeast Region Team

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- A total of 14 softball players from the South Atlantic Conference have been named to the 2009 Daktronics NCAA Division II Softball All-Southeast Region teams, officials announced Tuesday.

Four players were named to the First Team and will advance to the national ballot for All-American honors. Mars Hill College first baseman Ashley Seawell, Newberry College second baseman Kat Hammond, Carson-Newman College shortstop Jessie Howard and Wingate University catcher catcher/designated hitter Debra Grijalva at utility player were all named to the first team.

The Peach Belt Conference swept the two special awards for the Southeast Region. North Georgia College and State University's Sarah Phillips was named Daktronics Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year, while Georgia College & State University outfielder Sherquita Bostick took Position Player of the Year honors.

Debra Grijalva	Kat Hammond
Ashley Seawell	Jessie Howard
Hallie Pettigrew	LaRonda McClain
Brittany Blankenship	Amanda Huckestein
Ashley Harber	Sarah Atkins
Noel Belk	Allie Marshall
Sarah Little	Stephanie Templeton

The All-Region teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The 2009 season marks the third year CoSIDA has selected All-Region and All-American teams in softball and baseball. The 13 first team honorees will advance to the national ballot. The members of CoSIDA will select three Daktronics All-American teams (first, second and third) comprised of 13 players each based on position.

Wingate

Four Wingate University softball student-athletes have been named to the 2009 Daktronics NCAA Division II Softball All-Southeast Region teams, officials announced Tuesday. Bulldog junior catcher/designated hitter Debra Grijalva (San Jose, Calif.) earned first team honors as a utility player. Three Bulldogs were named to the second team: third baseman Hallie Pettigrew (Uniontown, Ohio), outfielder LaRonda McClain (Kings Mountain, N.C.) and pitcher Brittany Blankenship (Midlothian, Va.).

Debra Grijalva was an All-South Atlantic Conference selection this year, leading the league with a .413 batting average. She was second on the league charts with her 46 RBI. Grijalva led the Bulldogs with in home runs (eight), slugging percentage (.710) and on-base percentage (.490).

A Food Lion SAC All-Tournament selection, Grijalva led all SAC tourney participants with a .692 batting average, nine hits and 10 RBI. She was also second in slugging percentage and total bases. Grijalva drove in at least two runs 15 times, while driving in five against Catawba in the SAC tournament.

Hallie Pettigrew was the SAC co-Player of the Year and the SAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner in 2009. A four-year All-SAC choice, Pettigrew is only the third softball student-athlete in SAC history to win both of the league's marquee awards in the same year. Pettigrew joins Lenoir-Rhyne University infielder Traci Hyman (2000) and Carson-Newman College pitcher Marci Mitchell (2002, 2003) as the only players to achieve the rare feat.

In 2009, Pettigrew was second on the Bulldogs charts with her .405 batting average. She had 62 hits, 38 runs and 17 stolen bases this year. Pettigrew had 18 multi-hit games in 2009, also second on Wingate's team list. She led the Bulldogs with 140 assists this season.

Pettigrew was named to the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III softball first team (college division), selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). In the classroom, Pettigrew holds a 3.75 GPA. A Mathematics and Education major, she is the only SAC student-athlete to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors this year.

LaRonda McClain was a first team All-SAC selection in 2009. She led the SAC with 27 stolen bases. The Kings Mountain High School product was listed in the SAC statistical rankings in hits (65), runs scored (41) and batting average (.374).

McClain posted a team-best 20 multi-hit games on the year. She hit .473 in league games with 26 hits and 14 runs to go along with 12 stolen bases and a .508 on base percentage. McClain and Pettigrew were named Wingate's team MVP award winners at the University's Athletic Awards ceremony in late April.

Blankenship is a repeat performer, as she earned Daktronics All-Region second team laurels in 2008. This year, she shares the SAC lead with 18 wins. Ten of her victories came at the expense of league opponents. Blankenship topped the Wingate charts in victories (18), appearances (30), starts (23) and innings pitched (160.0).

A 2009 first team All-SAC choice, Blankenship had a 2.45 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 160 innings of work. She picked up a win in 10 of her last 11 decisions. Blankenship allowed five hits or fewer in 19 of her 30 appearances. She won both games of a doubleheader at (then) number 10 Lenoir-Rhyne University March 24. Blankenship allowed only three runs in 13 innings against the Bears, striking out 10 in the process.

The 2009 SAC regular season champions, Wingate earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional tournament May 8-10 in Dahlonega, Ga. The Bulldogs (33-16-1 overall) captured the 2009 SAC regular season title and posted a 13-3 record in league play.

Newberry

Two Newberry College softball player were selected to the DAKTRONICS All-Southeast Region squad as Kat Hammond (Irmo, S.C.) and Amanda Huckestein (Port Charlotte, Fla.) were named to the first and second team.

Hammond, a first-team second baseman, batted .413 on the year as she led Newberry in batting average as well as several other offensive categories. She was the leader in homeruns (12), RBIs (48), slugging percentage (.790) and on-base percentage (.509). Her twelve homeruns set a Newberry record for homeruns in a season surpassing the previous mark of 10.

She was also selected to the All-South Atlantic Conference First Team as she led Newberry to a 10-6 record in conference play and a 30-16 overall record.

Huckestein, a second-team designated player and pitcher, finished the year with an 18-6 record and team high 178 strikeouts. Her 18 wins on the year was the tops on the team as well was her eight shutouts. Her 1.24 ERA was the best in school history beating the previous mark by .39.

During the season, Huckestein batted .362 with five homeruns and 32 RBIs. She also led the team in doubles with 16. Her pitching performances throughout the year earned her Pitcher of the Year honors in the South Atlantic Conference.

With her selection to the All-Southeast Region First Team, Hammond is now eligible for All-American consideration, which will be determined later this month.

Carson-Newman

Three Carson-Newman Lady Eagles have been named to the Daktronics Softball All-Southeast Region team, officials announced Tuesday.

Junior Jessie Howard (Knoxville, Tenn.) grabbed the first-team spot at shortstop, while pitcher Stephanie Templeton (Ringgold, Ga.) and first baseman Sarah Little (Calhoun, Ga.) were named to the second team.

Howard in batting .382 for the year and has stolen 24 bases in 26 attempts. The Knoxville, Tenn. native has been named to both the All-South Atlantic Conference Tournament team and the All-Hickory Regional team since leading the Lady Eagles to seven-straight postseason wins. She was named NFCA First Team All-American last season.

Templeton has been the key factor in the C-N's late season success. The junior is 11-1 in her last 13 starts and earned SAC Tournament MVP honors in late April. She has six complete games in the postseason, and has allowed four hits or less in three of the wins.

The Ringgold, Ga. native missed much of the season with an eye injury, but has led the Lady Eagles to a 16-3 record since her return.

Little leads the SAC with 12 home runs and is batting .357 for the year. Her late season surge, batting .393 with 12 RBIs in seven games, has lifted C-N to almost six runs per game in the postseason.

The junior delivered a pair of RBI singles to clinch the SAC Tournament title in a 2-0 win against Wingate. She followed with RBIs on all seven of her hits during the Hickory Regional, including a game-winning solo home run in a 2-1 win over Lenoir-Rhyne in the regional final.

Carson-Newman is 32-15 on the season, and opens play in the NCAA D-II Southeast Super Regional on Friday night against North Georgia in Dahlonega, Ga. First pitch is at 7 p.m.

Mars Hill

Ashley Harber and Ashley Seawell have been named to the 2009 Daktronics Softball All-Southeast Region Team. Seawell was a first team selection while Harber made the second team.

Seawell, a sophomore from Asheboro, N.C., was voted first team All-South Atlantic Conference and was voted the SAC Player of the Week on March 16. In the SAC she ranked 4th in RBI with 40; 5th in total bases with 90; 5th in hits with 56; 6th in homeruns with nine; 7th in .389 batting average (.389); 8th in slugging percentage (.625); 9th in on base percentage (.440); struck out only seven times and committed only two errors in 45 games.

Harber, a senior from Goose Creek, S.C., was named South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year; named first team All-SAC and named SAC Player of the Week on March 30. In the SAC she ranked 4th with 21 walks; 6th in on base percentage (.468); 7th with eight homeruns; 9th in slugging percentage (.603); 11th with a .382 batting average; 11th with 33 RBI; and had 90 assists from shortstop position.

Lenoir-Rhyne

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Softball Team has placed two players on the 2009 Daktronics NCAA Division II Southeast Region Second Team, region officials announced today.

Senior utility player Noel Belk (Charlotte, N.C./Queens Univ.) and freshman catcher Sarah Atkins (Newport News, Va./Warwick HS) each received second-team all-region honors in addition to being named to the All-South Atlantic Conference First Team earlier this season.

Belk, who played games this season as a pitcher, first baseman and second baseman, batted .388 for the year and tallied a team-leading 66 hits and 45 runs at the plate. In the circle, Belk went 16-5 on the year with a 2.07 ERA and recorded five shutouts as well.

Atkins led the team in home runs (10) as she batted .376 and tallied 15 doubles and 35 RBI en route to being named the 2009 SAC Freshman of the Year. Her 101 total bases and .678 slugging percentage also led the Bears for the 2009 campaign.

Lenoir-Rhyne finished the season with a 38-13 overall record and a 11-5 mark in SAC play. The Bears advanced to the NCAA playoffs for the fourth straight year as they hosted the Hickory Regional of the 2009 NCAA Division II Softball Tournament, and advanced to the regional final Sunday, falling to Carson-Newman College, 2-1.

Catawba

Catawba second baseman, Allie Marshall (Pleasant Garden, NC/SW Guilford HS), has been named to the 2009 Daktronics All-Southeast Region Softball Team. The rising senior was selected to the second team after batting .358 and leading the Catawba Indians with 40 runs batted in.

Marshall also led the team with 49 hits and a .439 on-base percentage, drawing 20 walks with just 11 strikeouts. She was second on the team with 10 home runs and added 11 doubles. On defense, Marshall committed just two errors over 171 chances in the field.

Daktronics Softball All-Southeast Region

Pitcher of the Year: Sarah Phillips, North Georgia
Player of the Year: Sherquita Bostick, Georgia College

First Team
Catcher: Jessica Strickland, USC Aiken
First Base: Ashley Seawell, Mars Hill
Second Base: Kat Hammond, Newberry
Third Base: Katie Knapp, Erskine
Shortstop: Jessie Howard, Carson-Newman
Utility: Debra Grijalva, Wingate
Designated Player: Leslee Smith, North Georgia
Outfield: Sherquita Bostick, Georgia College
Outfield: Courtney McGuire, North Georgia
Outfield: Jasmine Dobbin, St. Andrews Presbyterian
Pitcher: Sarah Phillips, North Georgia
Pitcher: Toni Flessate, USC Aiken
Pitcher: Mandy Chandler, Georgia College

Second Team
Catcher: Sarah Atkins, Lenoir-Rhyne
First Base: Sarah Little, Carson-Newman
Second Base: Allie Marshall, Catawba
Third Base: Hallie Pettigrew, Wingate
Shortstop: Ashley Harber, Mars Hill
Utility: Noel Belk, Lenoir-Rhyne
Designated Player: Amanda Huckstein, Newberry
Outfield: LaRonda McClain, Wingate
Outfield: Jessica McFadden, Barton
Outfield: Pilar Harden, North Georgia
Pitcher: Amanda Huckestein, Newberry
Pitcher: Brittany Blankenship, Wingate
Pitcher: Michaela Wolf, Francis Marion
Pitcher: Stephanie Templeton, Carson-Newman