Monday, February 22, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Mercer’s Sarah Santana claimed A-Sun Softball Player of the Week accolades after earning the Most Outstanding Position Player honor at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial, while Stetson’s Amanda Lindsey earned her second-consecutive A-Sun Softball Pitcher of the Week honor after recording all four of Stetson's victories at the Hatter Invitational.

In her first career-start for Mercer this weekend in Woodstock, Ga., Santana went 7-for-14 with three home runs, including a grandslam, a three-run blast and a solo shot, tallying 12 RBIs. In just her first season with the Bears and with only four starts thus far, the Valdosta, Ga. native also leads the Bears with a .467 batting average. Santana got the Bears going in the top of the first against Middle Tennessee Sate as she drove in senior Stacey Condra on a RBI single to third base. Then in the top of the sixth with a 5-0 cushion, thanks to a sophomore Kristen Marko two-run-homerun, Santana came to bat with two on and belted her third homerun of the season, hitting the Coca-Cola sign in right center field.

Lindsey pitched to a 0.62 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 33.2 innings for Stetson on the weekend at the Hatter Invitational in DeLand, Fla. The Byhalia, Miss. native’s only loss came via a single unearned run (1-0) against No. 8 2009 WCWS semifinalist Alabama while striking out nine Crimson Tide hitters. Lindsey pitched the Hatters to a road win versus nonconference rival UCF for the first time in three years as well as three wins against Rhode Island, two of them featuring 12-strikeout efforts. The senior pitcher’s final strikeout of the weekend marked the 624th of her career and tied her with former teammate Erica Demers '09 for the Stetson program record.

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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
Ashley Byers, Belmont (So. - IF/P - Westerville, Ohio - Exercise Science) – Byers stats stem from a four game run in the USA Invitational in Mobile, Ala. where the team played Nicholls State twice, host South Alabama, and Northwestern State. The sophomore, from Westerville, Ohio, batted .545 with two homeruns, two runs scores one double and 13 total bases to lead the Bruins. Byers also posted a 1.182 slugging percentage, along with a .545 on-base percentage and 1.000 fielding percentage.

Morgan Childers, USC Upstate (Jr. - P - Kings Mountain, N.C. - Secondary Education) – Childers led USC Upstate to a second-place finish in the Campus Suites Spartan Classic. The junior pitcher averaged 14.3 strikeouts per game. Childers struck out 16 and allowed just two hits in the 3-1 win against UMBC, struck out 15 and allowed one earned run and two hits in the 9-1 win versus Eastern Kentucky and tallied 12 strikeouts and allowed just one earned run and three hits in the 2-1 loss to UMBC. The Kings Mountain, N.C. native stands just six strikeouts shy of the conference lead, despite pitching 19.2 fewer innings. The 16 strikeouts against UMBC ranks as an A-Sun best this season.

Amy Joyce, Stetson (Sr. - CF - Lake Mary, Fla. - Psychology) – Joyce stood as the catalyst at the top of the lineup during Stetson's 4-2 run this week, collecting eight base hits, stealing three bags, scoring six runs and reaching base 56.5 percent of the time. The psychology major batted .600 (6-10) with two RBI in the three wins against Rhode Island and stole two bases versus No. 14 Ohio State and its All-American catcher Sam Marder.

Olivia Kline, Jacksonville (Fr. - P/3B - Trinity, Fla. - Communications) – Kline recorded her first complete-game shutout in the second game of a double-header against Presbyterian College on Saturday. The Trinity, Fla. native allowed just one hit and struck out five batters, while sitting down the final 17 batters she faced. Kline finished the weekend with the game-winning RBI on a ground out against the Blue Hose the next day.

Kellie Sirus, Lipscomb (Sr. - 1B/3B - Sarasota, Fla. - Nursing/Psychology) – Sirus notched at least one hit in all five games as the Lady Bisons finished 5-0 to win the Eagle Classic hosted by Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. The senior, from Sarasota, Fla., had RBIs in four of the games, including two multiple RBI games. Sirus also tallied three multiple hit games, to go along with a 66.7 batting percentage, two home runs, three doubles and seven runs scored.