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Monday, April 25, 2005

SAINTS SOFTBALL TAKES HOME TOP POST-SEASON HONORS
Willis named co-Picher of the Year, Cobb named Freshman of the Year

Rome, Ga. – Two North Georgia College & State University softball student/athletes took home top awards at the Southern States Athletic Conference banquet last week at Shorter College. Senior Beth Willis (Williamson, Ga.) and freshman Brittany Cobb (Oxford, Ga.) led 10 different Saints on All-Conference teams.

Willis, a senior starting pitcher, took home the co- Pitcher of the Year award along with Lee University's senior starter Jessica Pike (Montoursville, Tenn.). This marks the second season in a row that she has been named conference Pitcher of the Year . Willis finished the regular season with a 1.19 ERA in 188.0 innings of work. She led the conference in strikeouts, wins, and innings pitched and was a three time Player of the Week for the SSAC. In the conference tournament, Willis pitched three complete games and struck out 20 batters while allowing only one earned run and six hits. She lowered her season ERA to 1.12 and now has 265 strikeouts to only 70 walks this season, an average of 1.3 strikeouts per inning to only 0.34 walks per inning. Willis was also selected to the first team All-Conference.

Cobb, a freshman center fielder, was selected as Freshman of the Year after being one of the top lead off hitters and center fielder's in the conference. Batting .410 heading into the conference tournament, Cobb is fourth in the conference in batting average, first in runs scored, and third in hits and triples. She leads the team in at-bats, hits, runs, and triples and has a fielding percentage of .976 from her center field position. Cobb was also named to the first team All-Conference as well.

Willis, Cobb, and four other Saints were named to the SSAC All-Conference squad. Senior's Annie Ball (Marietta, Ga.) and Katie Thrasher (Arnoldsville, Ga.) were both named to the team along with junior's Lara Seamon (Richfield Springs, N.Y.) and Lynsey Thompson (Dacula, Ga.).

Ball has helped lead North Georgia to the regular season conference championship all four year's of her career. She is hitting .377 this year, fifth overall on the team, and is third on the team in home runs with four. Ball is also second on the team with 10 doubles and third in RBIs with 40. This season, she has committed only four errors from her second base position while making 80 put outs for a .973 fielding percentage.

Thrasher has been one of the most productive catcher's in the conference this season. She is batting .260 with 23 runs and 19 RBIs. She has legged out five doubles, one triple, and hit one home run. In 47 games, Thrasher has allowed only eight passed balls guarding the backstop and has picked off three base runners.

Seamon leads the team in home runs with seven and is second on the team in RBIs and total bases. She currently is second in the conference in batting average and is ranked in the top five in seven different offensive categories. Seamon has also performed well at the first base, making a team high 279 put outs with 17 assists and committing only four errors for a fielding percentage of .987.

Thompson has led the North Georgia offense all season and is one of the best batter's in the conference. She is fourth in the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, and hits as well as second in RBIs. She currently leads the team in batting average, hits, doubles, RBIs and slugging percentage. Thompson is also second on the squad in home runs with six. She was named SSAC Player of the Week for the week of March 1 this season.

Sophomore Bronwyn Miller (Woodstock, Ga.) and freshman Michelle Brock (Loganville, Ga.) and Candace Shubert (Colbert, Ga.) were all named to the second team All-Conference. Miller is batting .292 for North Georgia and has 28 RBIs and 21 runs scored this season as a designated hitter. Shubert is fourth on the team in batting average and has four doubles to go along with 35 runs scored. She has committed only four errors from her third base position. Brock is batting .371 with 20 runs scored and one home run. The left fielder injured her wrist in the final game of the regular season, but looks to be healthy for the Region XIII Tournament.

Freshman starting pitcher Rachel Bridges (Lexington, Ga.) was selected to the All-Freshman team after posting a 7-3 record and a 2.53 ERA in 18 appearances. She struck out 68 batters and limited opponents to a .211 batting average.

Sophomore's Brooke Kesler (Colbert, Ga.) and Danielle Rainey (Lawrenceville, Ga.) were both named to the SSAC All-Academic Team. Kesler batted .266 and drove in 12 runs while scoring 11 runs. Rainey has a 2.90 ERA with 36 strikeouts and a .232 opponents batting average. She won the Saints final game of the SSAC Tournament and evened her overall record to 6-6. Student/Athletes must have a GPA of 3.25 or higher and be have at least 30 hours to be selected to the All-Conference Team.