Date Posted: 5/7/2008

MACON, Ga. - Carmen Paez of Florida Gulf Coast led a strong contingent of Eagles claiming postseason honors, earning the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year Award. USC Upstate freshman Morgan Childers earned a pair of awards, Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year. The Coach of the Year award went to Lipscomb third-year skipper Kristin Peck, the conference announced on Wednesday.

In Florida Gulf Coast's first year of NCAA Division I competition, Carmen Paez helped the Eagles make a smooth transition by blasting a league-high 22 home runs, just four shy of an A-Sun single-season record. Her 22 home runs ranked third in the NCAA this season, which resulted in several teams pitching around her; she coaxed 84 walks, the fifth most in NCAA history.

Childers became the first player in conference history to earn both the A-Sun Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors. She led the conference in wins, posting a 27-5 record, to go along with 258 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA, which tied for the league low. She earned a unanimous spot on the All-Freshman Team.

In her third season with the program, Kristin Peck led Lipscomb to its first-ever No. 1 seed in an A-Sun tournament after finishing the regular season tied with Florida Gulf Coast and USC Upstate atop the standings. Peck guided three Lady Bisons on the All-Atlantic Sun Second Team, as pitcher Alaina Jacobson, infielder Abby Keese and designated player Kellie Sirus earned spots on the team. Jacobson led the Bisons inside the circle, posting a record of 11-5. Sirus and Keese, members of the All-Freshman Team a year ago, led the Bisons at the plate by hitting .393 and .341, respectively.

Paez had some help establishing the conference's most potent offense at Florida Gulf Coast. Cheyenne Jenks drove in an NCAA-high 73 runs this season, helping the Eagles become the highest scoring team in A-Sun history at 6.5 runs per game. Jenks, an infielder, received the only unanimous selection to the first team. Jessica Paez, Carmen’s sister, also filled an All-Atlantic Sun First Team slot as an infielder, giving the Eagles three players with that distinction. Pitcher Morgan Campen and outfielder Courtney Platt landed spots on the All-Freshmen team to round out the Eagles’ representation.

The A-Sun Pitcher of the Year in 2007, Kennesaw State's Brittany Matthews earned her second-straight first-team selection after leading the conference in strikeouts for the second year in a row (281). She became just the third pitcher in league history to lead the league in strikeouts in back-to-back seasons.

Senior Jamie Madruga of Mercer landed her second-career selection to the First Team, leading the conference by hitting at a .434 clip. Madruga a career .381 hitter, earned an All-Atlantic Sun selection in each of her four years. She made the All-Freshman team in 2005, the First Team in 2006 and Second Team last year.

Campbell senior outfielder Courtney Quinn, UNF catcher Ashley Battaglia, Stetson infielder Andrea Migliori, Mercer outfielder Holly Oglesbee, and Kennesaw State designated player Jessica Cross all found themselves on the First Team for the first time. Migliori earned Second Team honors a year ago.

USC Upstate dominated the All-Freshman honors, placing four Spartans on the team. Lauren Quevedo, Courtney Feldon and Kim Brasil joined Childers with the designation.

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:
 •  Postseason Honors and Awards
 • Championship Coverage