Monday, March 08, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Lipscomb’s Abby Keese claimed A-Sun Softball Player of the Week accolades, while Whitney Kiihnl earned her second A-Sun Softball Pitcher of the Week honor after their performances during the inaugural Lady Bisons Classic.

Keese had at least one hit in all four games as the Lady Bisons went 4-0 to win the inaugural Lady Bisons Classic against Murray State, Eastern Kentucky and Evansville. Keese's seven-game hitting streak stands as the longest current streak on the team. The Denver, Colo. native is tied for the team season-high for RBI in a game with four in the March 6 game with Murray State, a 9-2 win, and Keese’s nine total bases and two home runs in the March 6 game with Murray State stand as team season highs for a single game.

Kiihnl won three of the four games in the Lady Bisons Classic as Lipscomb won its inaugural tournament. The Batesville, Miss. native pitched her second no-hitter of the season, a 6-0 win against Murray St., March 6. In 16.2 innings, Kiihnl did not give up one run. The sophomore biology major owns an 11-0 mark for the season.

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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
Mariah Fernandez, FGCU (Fr. - 3B - Cape Coral, Fla. - Health Science) – Fernandez helped lead the FGCU to a pair of wins at the USF Under Armour Invitational this weekend in Clearwater, Fla. For the tournament, the Cape Coral, Fla. native hit .429 (6-for-14) with a double and a home run, six runs scored, five RBIs, and one stolen base. In the Eagles’ 10-0 win against Austin Peay, Fernandez finished 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Against Villanova, the freshman went 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored, and four RBIs, including her first collegiate home run, a three-run shot, lifting the Eagles to a 15-8 win versus the Wildcats.

Amanda Lindsey, Stetson (Sr. - P - Byhalia, Miss. - Biology) – Lindsey finished 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 19 innings during the Stetson Invitational. In Saturday's 8-0 five-inning win against Maine, the Byhalia, Miss. native became just the eighth Hatter to pitch a perfect game and the first since 2005. At the plate, Lindsey hit .417 (5-12) with a double and two RBI.

Christina Melton, Campbell (So. - P - Charlotte, N.C. - Undeclared) – For Campbell, Melton had an ERA of under 1.00 for the week (0.50) after pitching 14 innings with 13 strikeouts, including limiting No. 16 LSU to four hits and one earned run in seven plus innings.

Kayla Oullet, Jacksonville (So. - OF - Orlando, Fla. - Nursing) – Ouellet had a team-high .476 average (10-21), 11 total bases and six RBI to lead the Jacksonville to three wins at the USF Under Armour Invitational. The sophomore outfielder went 3-for-4 with a run scored against Saint Joseph’s on March 5. Ouellet added two RBI in JU’s wins against Temple and Austin Peay the next day. Against Loyola-Chicago, the nursing major drove in the Dolphins’ first run of the contest before hitting the game-tying hit in the 4-3 comeback win. Oullet finished 3-for-4 with two RBI in the victory versus the Ramblers.

Jackie Reese, UNF (Fr. - C - Melbourne, Fla. - Exercise Science) – Reese hit her first homerun as an Osprey in UNF's 10-2 win against Jacksonville State in the Buzz Classic last weekend. In that game, the Melbourne, Fla. native went 2-for-4, with two runs and two RBI. In the following game against Bowling Green, Reese hit a pair of homeruns to centerfield to help lift UNF to its fourth win in a row, after going 2-for-2 with two runs and three RBI. Over the weekend, the exercise science major hit .555 and tallied six RBIs.