Big South Announces 2010 Softball Award Winners
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Radford junior shortstop Kristen Shifflett and Highlanders head coach Mickey Dean have been voted the 2010 Big South Conference Softball Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, by the League’s head coaches, it was announced this evening at the annual softball awards ceremony held on the campus of Coastal Carolina. The coaches voted Liberty junior Tiffani Smith Pitcher of the Year, while Liberty pitcher Kat Johnson and Coastal Carolina shortstop Jazmin Daigle tied for Freshman of the Year honors. Charleston Southern senior pitcher Caitlin Allen was voted Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the League’s sports information directors.
Shifflett (Charlottesville, Va.) ranks in the League’s top five in 11 offensive categories, leading the Big South in batting average (.400), hits per game (1.33), runs scored (50), total bases (111) and stolen bases (22). She ranks 17th in the nation in runs per game (1.04) and owns the top fielding percentage amongst Conference shortstops (.946). The three-time Big South Player of the Week and Big South Preseason Player of the Year led Radford with 21 multiple-hit games, including 10 in Big South action. In Conference play, Shifflett led the League in hits (tie-26), home runs (7), runs scored (22) and slugging percentage (.898), and was second in doubles (6), RBI (16) and on-base percentage (.493). Her Conference-best 14-game hitting streak started a stretch of hits in 35 of her last 41 contests. Shifflett received six first-place votes for 13 total points, ahead of Gardner-Webb’s Christa Fullwood (one first-place vote and seven points).
Smith (Hanover, Pa.) leads the Big South with 194 strikeouts and a .197 opponent’s batting average, and ranks fourth with a 2.50 ERA in 154.0 innings pitched this season. The three-time Big South Pitcher of the Week finished the regular-season with an 18-6 overall record with three saves and an 8-1 record with one save in Conference play. During League action, Smith ranked first in the Big South in ERA (1.20), strikeouts (75) and opponent’s batting average (.147). Smith received six first-place votes for 13 total points, ahead of Radford’s Chelsea Kelley (one first-place vote and seven points).
Dean guided Radford to its second consecutive regular-season championship with an overall record of 32-14 and a 16-2 record in the Big South to earn the No. 1 seed in 2010 Big South Conference Softball Championship presented by Musco Sports Lighting. The 16 League wins are tied for the most Conference victories in Big South history, which the Highlanders set a season ago. Radford ranks first in the Big South in batting average (.315), doubles (82), total bases (715), slugging percentage (.541), total hits (416), home runs (67), stolen bases (82), and ranks fourth in the nation in doubles per game (1.71). The Highlanders received two votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll on May 4; marking just the second time in school history the Highlanders have obtained votes. Dean received five first-place votes and 12 total points, ahead of Liberty’s Paul Wetmore (one first-place vote and six points).
Johnson (Levelland, Texas) posted an 11-4 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Conference play for the Lady Flames. She leads all Big South pitchers with a 1.97 ERA and ranks second in the League with a .215 opponent’s batting average. Her numbers were even better in Conference play as she ranked third in the Big South with a 1.67 ERA and a .211 opponent’s batting average. She recorded 79 strikeouts in 99.1 innings pitched this season. Johnson picked up all three wins in the sweep over Coastal Carolina on May 7-8, and finished the regular season with four consecutive victories.
Daigle (Spring Valley, Calif.) ranks fourth in the Big South and leads all freshman hitters with a .371 batting average. Hitting in the third spot for the Chanticleers, the rookie leads her team in several offensive categories, including batting average, hits (59), doubles (9), RBI (28) and total bases (89). She recorded a 14-game hitting streak during the season, hitting .420 during the span. Daigle tallied 16 multiple-hit games and seven multi-RBI games during her freshman campaign, including a grand slam in her first collegiate game against USC Upstate.
Allen (N. Augusta, S.C.) is the first Charleston Southern player to be voted Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and was recently named an ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District III Second-Team selection. Allen recorded a 3.78 ERA and a 6-3 record, to go along with two saves in 74.0 innings pitched this season. She finished with a 3-1 record in Conference play, with the one loss coming against the Big South regular-season champion, Radford.
2010 SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
First-Team All-Conference
OF: Hope Creasy, Radford
OF: Shannon Keefe, Radford
OF: Jana Matthews, Charleston Southern
1B: Christa Fullwood, Gardner-Webb
2B: Nichole Beall, Radford
SS: Kristen Shifflett, Radford
3B: J’nae Jefferson, Liberty
C: Sarah Himan, Radford
P: Tiffani Smith, Liberty
P: Chelsea Kelley, Radford
DP: Cacia Pierre, Coastal Carolina
UT: McKenzie Morenus, Gardner-Webb
Second-Team All-Conference
OF: Tera Powell, Presbyterian College
OF: Meredith Baisden, Liberty
OF: Lauren Williams, Radford
1B: Megan Hall, Charleston Southern
2B: Cassie Hendrix, Liberty
SS: Jazmin Daigle, Coastal Carolina
3B: Shayla Cullum, Charleston Southern
C: Mandy Ward, Gardner-Webb
P: Kat Johnson, Liberty
P: Cari Wooldridge, Winthrop (tie)
P: Cindy Boomhower, Gardner-Webb (tie)
DP: Kristin Kelleher, Charleston Southern
UT: Danielle Howard, Liberty
All-Academic Team
Caitlin Allen, Charleston Southern
Ashley Frederick, Coastal Carolina
Christa Fullwood, Gardner-Webb
Chelsea Kelley, Radford
Brittany Howell, Presbyterian College
J’nae Jefferson, Liberty
Lauren Levin, Winthrop
Player of the Year
Kristen Shifflett, Radford
Pitcher of the Year
Tiffani Smith, Liberty
Coach of the Year
Mickey Dean, Radford
Co-Freshman of the Year
Jazmin Daigle, Coastal Carolina
Kat Johnson, Liberty
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Caitlin Allen, Charleston Southern