Monday, April 30, 2007

MACON, Ga. – Kennesaw State’s Brittany Matthews and Keri McKee gave the Owls a sweep of Atlantic Sun Conference weekly softball honors after the squad claimed their first regular season championship.

McKee hit a whopping .522 (12-for-23) in eight games last week to close her stellar career with the Owls. The first baseman piled up three doubles and two home runs on her way to posting a slugging percentage of .913 last week. She also walked five times to tally a .586 on-base percentage. McKee scored a run and drove in another to help Kennesaw State defeat Mercer 7-1 in midweek action to clinch at least a share of the A-Sun regular season title. The Buford, Ga., native finished the week by being named Most Valuable Player at the 2007 KSU Invitational. McKee put the finishing touches on her career by becoming the all-time KSU leader for runs batted in and doubles in addition to extending her record number of career hits. The senior majors in Sociology.

Matthews put together another dominating week for KSU. The junior finished with a 3-1 record including a shutout and a record-breaking performance against top-seeded Northern Colorado in the KSU Invitational. The southpaw broke her own single-game record with a 16-strikeout gem in which she had a perfect game through six innings. Her 16 K’s are the most by an A-Sun hurler this season. To open the week, Matthews limited Mercer to just one run on five hits to help the Owls clinch their first regular season title. During the week, she was 3-1 with a 0.72 ERA and had 31 strikeouts while allowing only 18 hits in 29.0 innings. The Brooks, Ga., native held opponents to a paltry .176 average while walking just six batters. Matthews majors in Professional Sales. She currently leads the A-Sun in strikeouts (246) and wins (23).

The Atlantic Sun Conference hands out Player and Pitcher of the Week awards weekly during the 2007 softball campaign.

The 12-member league headquartered in Macon, Ga., consists of Belmont, Campbell, ETSU, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Mercer, UNF and Stetson with Florida Gulf Coast and USC Upstate beginning competition in 2007-08.

OTHER TOP PERFORMERS
• Cheneice Cason, ETSU
(Fr. – OF – Moreno Valley, Calif. – Education Major)
Hit .500 (7-for-14) in four games

• Megan Paul, Campbell
(Sr. – 2B – Oakville, Ontario – Psychology Major)
Clinched Camels’ postseason berth with GW RBI versus Gardner-Webb

• Sarah Vaughn, Belmont
(So. – OF – Lenoir City, Tenn. – Marketing Major)
Went 4-for-5 in season-ending doubleheader

• Brittany Stanley, Campbell
(Fr. – P – West Lafayette, Ind. – Exercise Science Major)
Extended her consecutive scoreless innings streak to 24.0

• Sammi Parks, Belmont
(So. – P – Riverside, Calif. – Political Science Major)
Fired complete game one-hitter in season finale