Monday, March 22, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Campbell’s Taylor McGee earned A-Sun Softball Player of the Week accolades after leading the offensive charge for the Camels, who went 6-0 on the week, while USC Upstate’s Morgan Childers earned her fifth A-Sun Softball Pitcher of the Week honor after tossing her third no-hitter of her career.

Campbell’s six wins on the week ranks one more than the team had on the season up to that point after a competitive schedule. McGee picked up hits in five of the six games, including two three performances against North Carolina Central. In the team's two games against NCCU, the Charlotte, N.C. native posted six hits in seven at bats with four runs scored, two home runs and eight RBIs.

McGee hit .563 for the week, posting nine hits, eight runs scored, 10 RBIs, four walks and did not strikeout in 15 at bats. The sophomore played as the catcher of a pitching staff that allowed a total of one earned run in 40 innings of work on the week.

Childers tallied a 5-1 record on the week with two shutouts in four starts, also combining for another shutout in relief. The Kings Mountain, N.C. native tossed her third career no-hitter and first of the year in a 1-0 victory against N.C. A&T Sunday and also posted a season-high and A-Sun best 17 strikeouts in the dominant win. Childers struck out the first nine batters and 11 of the first 12 in the no-no and posted a 4-0 shutout of Coastal Carolina in the A-Sun series of the week.

The junior secondary education major allowed just two earned runs in the week and limited hitters to just a .108 batting average. She entered the second game of the sweep of N.C. A&T with the score tied at 0-0 and shut down the Aggies as the Spartans went on for the win and sweep. Childers earned both victories in the sweep of Charleston Southern, one in a complete game win without giving up an earned run, and the other in three scoreless innings of relief.

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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
Jessica Cross, Kennesaw State (So. - P - Tunnel Hill, Ga.) – Cross pitched a two-hit shutout in Kennesaw State’s 1-0 victory against Samford Thursday. The sophomore pitcher struck out seven batters while walking none, and only one Samford baserunner advanced into scoring position. The win snapped the Owls’ five-game losing streak and improved Cross' record to 7-3 on the season. The performance lowered her earned run average to 1.22 and gave her the sixth complete game of the season.

Devyn Findley, UNF (Sr. - P - Alachua, Fla, N.C. – Community Health/Exercise Science) – Findley went 2-1 over the week, taking advantage of her two starts. The senior earned the first conference win against Stetson Wednesday and then recorded her second win of the week against No. 16/17 (ESPN/NFCA Top 25) Ohio State. Findley tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits and registering nine K’s against the Buckeyes. On the week, the Alachua, Fla. native posted an ERA of 0.29 and allowed only two runs and whiffed 27 in her five appearances.

Olivia Kline, Jacksonville (Fr. - 1B - Trinity, Fla. - Communications) – Kline batted 4-for-6 with six RBIs, three home runs and four runs in Jacksonville’s doubleheader sweep against Savannah State March 19. The communications major went 3-for-3 with five RBI and two homers in the game one 11-0 victory. With the two homers, she became the third Dolphin to help two roundtrippers in the same game this season. Previously, no Dolphin had accomplished the feat in the seven seasons of the program. Kline also pitched five scoreless frames and struck out seven to get the game one win in the circle. In game two, the Trinity, Fla. native had the game-winning home run in the seventh inning to help JU get the sweep.

Amanda Lindsey, Stetson (Sr. - P/1B - Byhalia, Miss. - Biology) – Lindsey hit home runs against Yale and UNF and reached base a whopping 80 percent of her plate appearances in Stetson's three games last week. The home runs rank her the fourth Hatter in school history to hit 20 career longballs. Lindsey also pitched to a 2.33 ERA with eight strikeouts in six innings in the circle.

Nicole Peltz, Stetson (Sr. - P - Navarre, Fla. - Marketing) – Peltz picked up her first two wins of the season in dominating fashion, coming into the week having never thrown a shutout in her career and ending the week with two to her name. The senior tossed a one-hitter in Monday's 8-0 win against Yale and also blanked A-Sun rival UNF on six hits in a 1-0 win in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader, striking out a career-high 10 against the Ospreys.