TROY, Ala. – The Sun Belt Conference announced its 2013 Softball All-Conference teams and individual award winners Tuesday evening during Family Night at the SBC Softball Championship in Troy, Ala. The selections were made in a vote by the league’s nine head coaches.
South Alabama senior Brittany Fowler was named the league’s Player of the Year after leading the league with a .518 batting average and .645 on-base percentage against SBC opponents. The Jacksonville, Fla. native hit for a .406 average and .648 slugging percentage on the season with 48 runs scored, eight homers and 31 RBI. The shortstop was a perfect five-for-five in stolen bases and won SBC Player of the Week honors on March 18.
USA’s Haley Fagan earned SBC Freshman of the Year after ranking first in the league in slugging percentage (.883), home runs (7), RBI (30) and total bases (53) in conference action. The Dunnellon, Fla. product hit for a .433 average from third base and picked up SBC weekly accolades on April 22.
Fowler and Fagan were two of eight Jaguars selected to the SBC All-Conference teams, including six on the First-Team. Pitcher Hannah Campbell earned First-Team honors as she ranks No. 2 in the nation with a 0.94 ERA. She has allowed just 22 earned runs in 164.2 innings and has made 33 appearances on the mound. Campbell also ranks fourth in the country in saves (6) and top-15 in shutouts (7).
Rounding out the First-Team for USA were outfielders Blair Johnson and Julie Moss, and At-Large selection Kaitlyn Griffith at second base. Pitcher Farish Beard and outfielder Britany Campbell earned All-Conference Second-Team accolades.
WKU’s Emily Rousseau was named SBC Pitcher of the Year after posting a 14-1 record in league play with a 1.56 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 99.0 innings. The junior from Greenwood, La., was a four-time SBC Pitcher of the Week winner. On the season, she tallied a 22-5 record with 23 complete-games, 198 K’s in 187.2 innings, 1.60 ERA and limited opponents to just a .192 average.
Lady Topper head coach Tyra Perry was selected SBC Coach of the Year after guiding the team to their first softball championship and the SBC Tournament’s top-seed. Under Perry’s direction, WKU swept five conference opponents en route to setting the program’s single-season record for most wins in a season with 38. The Lady Toppers defeated five ranked teams this season, including No. 11 Missouri and both No. 18 USA and No. 21 Louisiana-Lafayette twice.
In addition to Rousseau, WKU placed five student-athletes on the All-Conference teams, including three on the First-Team. Second baseman Olivia Watkins and At-Large selection Kelsie Mattox, an outfielder, earned First-Team honors, while third baseman Preslie Cruce and shortstop Amanda Thomas were selected to the Second-Team.
Louisiana-Lafayette recorded five All-Conference First-Team honorees including senior outfielder Brianna Cherry who led the league on the season with a .408 batting average, .758 slugging percentage, 57 runs, 64 hits, four triples and 119 total bases. Catcher Sarah Draheim also hit at a .400 clip with 13 homers and ranked second in the conference with a .731 slugging percentage, .517 on-base percentage and 13 homers.
Sophomore Jordan Wallace was a workhorse for the Cajuns on the mound and earned All-Conference First-Team honors with an At-Large position. She registered a 15-2 record in conference play. Wallace ranks third in the nation with 11.1 strikeouts per seven innings with 302 K’s on the season. Additionally, she won SBC Pitcher of the Week four times, a league best. Wallace set a school record by tallying 18 strikeouts in a seven inning game against Louisiana-Monroe.
First baseman Matte Haack and At-Large winner Nerissa Myers completed the First-Team for the Cajuns, while Shelly Landry earned an At-Large spot on the Second-Team after leading the league with 15 home runs and 54 RBI.
Troy’s Kacie McAllister rounded out the All-Conference First-Team at the UT/DP position. In league play, the junior hit for a team best .350 batting average, 21 hits and 16 RBI with a .517 slugging percentage. She also swiped six bases and belted a pair of homers. First baseman Caitlin Ortiz and catcher Hannah Renn earned All-Conference Second-Team honors for the Trojans.
North Texas notched three All-Conference Second-Team spots as pitcher Ashley Kirk and At-Large selections Brooke Foster and Taylor Schoblocher earned the honors. Outfielder Lindsey Shell and UT/DP Stephanie Call represented Florida Atlantic on the Second-Team, while second baseman Brie Rojas and At-Large winner Amber Curry represented FIU. Outfielder Nina Dever from Middle Tennessee completed the Second-Team.
The 2013 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship is slated for May 8-11, at the Trojan Softball Complex in Troy, Ala. The opening round begins at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The championship game will be played at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, and will be televised live on ESPN3.com and CSS/CST.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Brittany Fowler, South Alabama
PITCHER OF THE YEAR:
Emily Rousseau, WKU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
Haley Fagan, South Alabama
COACH OF THE YEAR:
Tyra Perry, WKU
All-Conference First-Team
P Hannah Campbell South Alabama
P Emily Rousseau WKU
1B Matte Haack Louisiana-Lafayette
2B Olivia Watkins WKU
3B Haley Fagan South Alabama
SS Brittany Fowler South Alabama
C Sarah Draheim Louisiana-Lafayette
OF Brianna Cherry Louisiana-Lafayette
OF Blair Johnson South Alabama
OF Julie Moss South Alabama
UT/DP Kacie McAllister Troy
At-Large Nerissa Myers Louisiana-Lafayette
At-Large Jordan Wallace Louisiana-Lafayette
At-Large Kaitlyn Griffith South Alabama
At-Large Kelsie Mattox WKU
All-Conference Second-Team
P Ashley Kirk North Texas
P Farish Beard South Alabama
1B Caitlin Ortiz Troy
2B Brie Rojas FIU
3B Preslie Cruce WKU
SS Amanda Thomas WKU
C Hannah Renn Troy
OF Lindsey Shell Florida Atlantic
OF Nina Dever Middle Tennessee
OF Britany Campbell South Alabama
UT/DP Stephanie Call Florida Atlantic
At-Large Amber Curry FIU
At-Large Shelly Landry Louisiana-Lafayette
At-Large Brooke Foster North Texas
At-Large Taylor Schoblocher North Texas