Monday, April 12, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Jacksonville’s Katie Kelly collected her first A-Sun Softball Player of the Week accolade after a tremendous week in which she went a team-best 8-for-20 with six RBIs and a double to lead the Dolphins to a 5-1 record, while Stetson’s Amanda Lindsey tallied her fourth career A-Sun Softball Pitcher of the Week honor and third on the season after earning all four of the Hatters’ wins in a perfect weekend.

Kelly batted 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI in Jacksonville’s 2-1, 11-inning game-one win against UNF. The Callahan, Fla. native also finished with two hits in game-two against the Ospreys. In game-two against ETSU, Kelly recorded four RBIs, including a three-run homer, to lead the Dolphins to an 8-2 game two victory for their first A-Sun sweep of the season. The junior shortstop finished the week with an RBI in Jacksonville's 4-3 comeback win against USC Upstate.

At Patricia Wilson Field, Lindsey tossed eight and two-thirds shutout innings against Campbell Saturday and threw 12 innings in a pair of wins against FGCU the next day. The Byhalia Miss. native allowed just one earned run in 20 and two-thirds innings of work to lead the Hatters into a tie for third place in the A-Sun standings.

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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
Morgan Childers, USC Upstate (Jr. - P - Kings Mountain, N.C. - Secondary Education) – Childers tossed a no-hitter last week at UNF and claimed a complete-game shutout at South Carolina to highlight the week. The Kings Mountain, N.C. native began the week by striking out 12 and allowing just two hits to blank South Carolina in Columbia, 6-0. In her next outing, Childers struck out 10 and went the distance in a no-hitter at UNF, her first against A-Sun competition. The junior took a loss in relief against the Ospreys in the next game and pitched twice at Jacksonville, seeing limited duty and earning one loss.

Cheniece Cason, ETSU (Sr. - SS - Moreno Valley, Calif. - Education) – Cason hit safely in five of the games this past week for the Lady Bucs – going 11-for-23 (.478) with two doubles, six runs scored and three RBIs. The ETSU leadoff hitter posted multi-hit games in four contests – including 3-for-4 efforts against Jacksonville and UNF. For the week, Cason led all conference players in hits (11), runs scored (6), ranked second in batting average (.478), tied for third in doubles (2) and ranked tenth in slugging percentage (.565). The senior has started in the last 97 games for ETSU.

Mariah Fernandez, FGCU (Fr. - CF – Cape Coral, Fla.) – Fernandez helped lead the Eagles to a 3-3 record this week, including a sweep of Campbell Thursday. In the 7-2 game one victory versus the Camels, the freshman went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases. In FGCU’s 10-4 win at FIU Tuesday, Fernandez belted her fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot to dead center field. The Cape Coral, Fla. native capped the week by launching a solo home run off of Stetson's Amanda Lindsey Sunday afternoon. For the week, the health science major batted .357 with two home runs, five runs scored and six RBIs. Fernandez also drew four walks, stole two bases, and registered a .526 on-base percentage and a .786 slugging percentage.

Devyn Findley, UNF (Sr. - P - Alachua, Fla. - Exercise Science and Community Health) – Findley pitched a career night for UNF in the second game against Jacksonville, allowing one earned run and striking out a career high 15. The senior’s15 strikeouts came one short of tying UNF’s school record. Findley tossed 15.2 innings, whiffed 24 and allowed one run on five hits in both games against the Dolphins. Findley and sophomore pitcher Shaina Dent combined for 32 strikeouts on the night against the cross-town rivals.

Kellie Sirus, Lipscomb (Sr. -1B - Sarasota, Fla. - Psychology/Nursing) – Sirus hit a pair of home runs as Lipscomb went 2-2 for the weekend against Mercer and Kennesaw State on the road. The senior scored at least one run in all four games. Sirus led the Lady Bisons with four RBIs against the Owls and also had a double Wednesday against Tennessee State, with one of three hits in those two wins for the Lady Bisons.