Date Posted: 4/7/2008

MACON, Ga. - Freshman pitcher Jenni Holtz of Mercer allowed only one earned run in a 4-2 victory over Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday, the first conference loss of the season for the Eagles. Holtz notched a win against Stetson earlier in the week to earn her second Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week Award. Holtz was the only pitcher to slow down FGCU's Carmen Paez, as Paez belted four home runs and drove in 13 RBI to win her third A-Sun Player of the Week Award, the conference announced on Monday.

Holtz, a native of Tracy, Calif., turned in a complete-game effort on the road at FGCU, holding the Eagles to their lowest run total in a conference game this season. Holtz also struck out nine batters against FGCU, more than any A-Sun pitcher this season. On Friday, Holtz tallied her first road victory of the week in a match-up with Stetson. In a rain-shortened contest, the freshman shut out the Hatters and fanned 10 batters, leading the Bears to a 2-0 triumph. Holtz went toe-to-toe with two of the top hurlers in the conference during the week, out-dueling Rachael Edinger (19-6, 1.87 ERA) of FGCU and Erica Demers (14-6, 1.99) of Stetson. She held batters to a measly .175 batting average.

With four home runs on the week, Carmen Paez increased her season total to 22, tying her for the second most in a season in A-Sun history. The highlight of the senior outfielder’s week came in a doubleheader against Florida International. Despite the Eagles suffering a sweep, Paez went deep three times and drove in four runs. Her fourth home run of the week came against Kennesaw State's ace, Brittany Matthews. With the bases loaded and FGCU trailing the Owls 2-1 in the fifth, Paez took Matthews deep to give the Eagles a lead they would not surrender. Paez went on to drive in the next two runs in the 8-2 victory. Paez hit .529 on the week, slugged 1.235 and coaxed eight free passes.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb 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, UPST (Fr. - P - Education - Kings Mountain, N.C.) - Childers went 2-1 on the week with a save and compiled a 0.30 ERA. She recorded complete-game shutouts against Jacksonville and UNF, struck out 30 batters and allowed her only run in a 1-0 loss against Charlotte.

Shayla Cullum, CAM (So. - 3B - Athletic Training - Vasalia, Calif.) - Cullum led the Camels to their first sweep of an A-Sun opponent. She hit .667 with a .778 on base percentage, adding four RBI.

Brittany Stanley, CAM (So. - P - Business - West Lafayette, Ind.) - Stanley had an ERA of 0.55 on her way to picking up a pair of wins against Belmont on Saturday.

Katy Jett, ETSU (So. - INF/OF - Interdisciplinary Studies - Talbott, Tenn.) - Jett helped the Bucs to a 3-1 conference record by hitting .400 and stealing six bases in as many attempts.

Marissa Hardy, ETSU (So. - P - Education - Rocklin, Calif.) - Hardy went 2-0 in conference play without allowing an earned run. She suffered both losses at No. 12 Tennessee.

Jamie Madruga, MER (Sr. - 1B - Criminal Justice - Warner Robins, Ga.) - Madruga batted .500 for the week and slugged 1.125 as Mercer gave FGCU its first loss of the conference season.

Related Links:
 • A-Sun Softball