Monday, March 02, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Jacksonville's Sarah Sigrest allowed no runs at the Jacksonville Invitational to earn Pitcher of the Week. Preseason All-Conference infielder Cheyenne Jenks homered four times and scored 11 times to lead FGCU to a 6-0 record at the FGCU Spring Break Tournament to take home Player of the Week award, the conference announced Monday.

Cheyenne Jenks led the Eagles with a .667 batting average, earned nine RBI to push the Eagles winning streak to 11 games. The senior third baseman helped score 14 runs in two games as FGCU knocked off Dartmouth and St. Francis on Sunday in the final day of the FGCU Spring Break Invitational. The Naples, Fla. native added one double and six walks to her weekend repertoire. The Eagles (19-4) head to Honolulu, Hawaii to play in the Malihini Tournament hosted by the University of Hawaii from March 5-8.

Sigrest, the freshman pitcher allowed no runs, scattered three hits and fanned 15 batters in 12.0 innings of relief for a 2-0 record at the JU Invitational. She opened the invitational with two strikeouts in three hitless to help earn a no-hitter against Coastal Carolina on Feb. 27. The Daphne, Ala., native followed that effort up with 15 strikeouts over five innings of relief in the next game to help the Dolphins down Vermont, 4-0. The business marketing major retired 10 of the 11 batters to get the win again against Vermont on Saturday before closing the tournament up with a scoreless inning against Marist.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers
Lizzie Goldbach, Campbell (OF - Chapel Hill, N.C. - So. - Physical Therapy) -- Had a strong week in leading Campbell to a 4-1 record and the championship at the Charleston Southern Tourney…started her week with 1-for-2 afternoon with a run scored, a walk and three RBIs against Siena (2/24)…her big hit of the day was her three-run home run against the Saints…she picked up an outfield assist in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement in Campbell's close 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Norfolk State (2/27)…she picked up a hit in the 2-1 win over Charleston Southern (2/27)…broke out with a 3-for-3 afternoon with two RBIs, a triple, a stolen base and three runs scored in the win over Norfolk State (2/28)…for the week, Goldbach went 5-for-10 with four runs scored, a triple, a home run, five RBIs, 10 total bases, 1.000 slugging percentage, a walk, .545 on-base percentage, a stolen base and an assist.

Katie Kelly, Jacksonville (2B/SS - Callahan, Fla. - So. - Exercise Science) -- Kelly paced the offense at the JU Invitational after hitting .600 (12-20) with four doubles, five runs driven in, nine runs scored and 16 total bases. She had a slugging percentage of .800 and an on-base percentage of .619, while also pushing her hitting streak to a career-best nine games. Kelly opened the invitational with a pair of hits in the win over Coastal Carolina and went 3-for-4 with two doubles in the victory against Vermont. She batted 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a double in both wins against Marist. She also had a season-high four runs driven home in the 11-2 win over Marist to close out the invitational.

Christina Melton, USC Upstate (P - Charlotte, N.C. - Fr. - Undecided) -- The freshman continued to pitch well going 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in 11 innings pitched...she only allowed a run, five hits and a walk while limiting opponents to a .139 batting average for the week…started her week going the first six innings with seven strikeouts and only a run allowed against Charleston Southern (2/27)…she completed her week with a complete game shutout performance against Norfolk State (2/28), only surrendering three hits with six strikeouts against the Spartans.

Catherine McDaniel, FGCU (P - Melbourne, Fla. - Jr. - Early Childhood Education) -- Cat McDaniel went 2-0 last week at the FGCU Spring Break Tourney. She pitched one shutout, saw 11.0 innings of action, and struck out 12 batters. Her ERA for the weekend was 0.64. She pitched a three hit shutout against Colgate, while also ringing up nine batters.