5/15/2009 - SOFTBALL Seven A-Sun Softball Named to NFCA All-Region Team

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STARKVILLE, Miss. - National Fastpitch Coaches Association has announced the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-Region teams, honoring student-athletes from 10 NFCA regions. A total of 264 players from 121 different institutions comprise the regional teams. A change this year is the announcement of just one team per region (First Team), although the team has the same number of members of the previous year's first and second teams combined. The change gives the regional representatives more leeway in presenting candidates for All-America selection.

Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year Cheyenne Jenks of FGCU earned first team honors along with fellow seniors Jessica Carter and Jessica Paez, junior Catherine McDaniel, and sophomore Courtney Platt.

Jenks, a two-sport star from Naples, Fla. and the reigning A-Sun Player of the Year, hit 23 home runs to sit second in NCAA rankings while her .473 average ranks fourth. The senior also knocked in 73 runs to lead the A-Sun and tie her own A-Sun single-season record. Jenks has been a part of three Atlantic Sun Regular Season Champions during FGCU's two seasons in the A-Sun as she was also a member of the FGCU volleyball squad.

Carter, a senior from Ocala, Fla., had a solid season for the Eagles. She finished the season with a .456 batting average with four homers, 49 RBI and 17 doubles. She finished the season top-5 in the A-Sun in batting average, on-base pct., hits, RBI, and doubles.

Jessica Paez, a senior from Belle Glade, Fla., had a tremendous season in her second as an Eagle. She hit .328 on the season with a .639 slugging percentage. She also hit 14 homers and drove in 2 runs while scoring 58 times. She finished top-3 in the conference in SAC flies, total bases, homeruns, triples, RBI, and runs scored. She is also finished top-10 in the nation in homeruns and RBI.

Platt (Naples, Fla.) had a breakout season on the field for the Eagles. She hit .437 on the season and finished with 10 homers, 50 RBI, a .770 slugging percentage, 11 doubles, 41 runs scored, 37 walks, 104 total bases, 59 hits, and a .563 on-base percentage, which all are top-10 in the conference.

McDaniel had a great season in the circle for the Eagles. She finished the season with a 22-1 record and a 1.85 ERA in 25 appearances. McDaniel also pitched 16 complete games, including six shutouts and one no-hitter. Her 22 wins rank third in the A-Sun and her .957 winning percentage is the best in the nation for pitchers.

Sophomore Katie Kelly became the first JU softball player in school history to earn Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region first team honors on Thursday afternoon.

A first team all-conference selection, Kelly led the Dolphins offensively for the second consecutive year after tallying a .327 average (56-171), a .404 on-base percentage and scoring a team-best 30 times. She recorded 43 of her 56 hits at the leadoff spot in the lineup and tallied a team-high 17 multi-hit games.

This is the fourth end of the year award that Campbell pitcher Brittany Stanley has garnered. Stanley was named the Atlantic Sun's Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference prior to the A-Sun's Conference Tournament. The senior then followed it up with her second consecutive conference tournament MVP award after she went 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in Campbell's run through the Atlantic Sun Tournament.

On the season the junior is 19-4 with a 1.65 ERA, 12 complete games, eight shutouts in 152.1 innings from the circle. Stanley has won 17 of her last 20 decisions. During the course of the season she moved into second all-time at Campbell in career victories and has now totaled 56 career victories. As a hitter she has also stood out with a .284 batting average, six home runs, 25 RBIs and two-game winning hits.