Date Posted: 5/6/2008

DeLand, Fla. - For the second straight year , Stetson's Patricia Wilson Field in DeLand, Fla. serves as the site for the Atlantic Sun Conference Softball Championship, held May 8 through May 10. Stetson served as the host school on three other occasions, from 1986 to 1988.

Of the six teams participating in the 2008 Championship, only two have won a Championship title: Campbell and Stetson. Lipscomb, Mercer, ETSU and Gardner-Webb have never won an A-Sun Championship, and only this year's Bisons have come away with a regular-season championship. Stetson is a four-time Champion (1986-1988, 2007) and Campbell won once (1995). T

he Lipscomb Bisons (29-24, 16-6 A-Sun), who were picked seventh in the pre-season polls, used a torrid pace down the stretch to capture their first No. 1 seed in an A-Sun Softball Championship. The highest seed the Bisons held prior to this year was No. 3 in 2005. Lipscomb failed to qualify for the tournament in 2006 and was the No. 4 seed in last year’s Championship. The Bisons finished the regular season as part of a three-team tie for first along with Florida Gulf Coast and USC Upstate. A-Sun All-Freshman selections in 2007, Kellie Sirus and Abby Keese led the way at the plate for Lipscomb as the only players on the squad to hit over .300, batting .393 and .341, respectively. Alaina Jacobson threw her way to a team-best 11-5 record and Kim Jacobson took home Lipscomb’s only A-Sun Pitcher of the Week award on April 16.

The host and defending champion Stetson Hatters (41-22, 13-8 A-Sun) took the No. 2 seed in the tournament after finishing the regular season in fifth place. The Hatters are the lone representative from the state of Florida, which has dominated the A-Sun Championship since 1996 by winning the last 12 Championships. Stetson enters the 2008 Championship boasting the best team-ERA in the conference (1.54). In Amanda Lindsey (22-13) and two-time All-Atlantic Sun pitcher Erica Demers (19-9), the Hatters are the only team that can claim two 19-game winners on their staff. Andrea Migliori, a second-team All-Conference selection in 2007, carries the big bat for the Hatters, hitting .354 with 20 home runs (second in the A-Sun) during the regular season.

A year after posting a 14-46 record, Mercer (31-25, 10-11) more than doubled its win total and claimed the No. 3 seed in the Championship. Two-time All-Atlantic Sun performer Jamie Madruga posted solid numbers for the Bears again, as the senior led the league in batting at a .434 clip. She enters her final A-Sun Championship with a career batting average of .381 and 41 career home runs, ranking eighth and fifth, respectively, in A-Sun history.

Mercer faces fourth-seeded ETSU (26-31, 10-12 A-Sun) in the first round. With a .352 batting average, Katy Jett paces the Lady Bucs, who make their third appearance in the A-Sun Softball Championship. T

he No. 5 seed Campbell Camels (37-23, 9-13 A-Sun) bear the task of knocking off the defending champions in the opening round. The Camels touted the second-best team batting average in the conference (.294) and hit the second-most home runs (58), trailing only Florida Gulf Coast in both categories. Brittany Stanley won 21 games inside the circle for the Camels and Amanda Littlejohn led the A-Sun in doubles with 18.

Gardner-Webb secured the final spot in the Championship with the No. 6 seed, drawing top-seeded Lipscomb in the first round. Two Runnin' Bulldogs topped the .300 mark this season, as Melody Harrell hit .309 and Christa Fullwood came in at .308.

The double-elimination Championship begins Thursday with a 9:00 a.m. ET start between Mercer and ETSU. Lipscomb and Gardner-Webb follow at 11:00 a.m. ET and host Stetson entertains Stetson at 1:00 p.m. ET.

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.

Related Links:
 • Championship Coverage