| May 3, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4551 Ten Roadrunners named to All-Southland Conference Softball team
PLANO, Texas – The first postseason awards have rolled in for the UTSA softball team as 10 Roadrunners were named to the All-Southland Conference teams, including three superlatives, released by the league office Wednesday.
In her first season as head coach, Lori Cook was named Coach of the Year after guiding UTSA to a 33-12 overall record and a third straight regular season championship with a 22-5 mark. It marked the second Coach of the Year award for UTSA in the last three seasons (Corrie Hill, 2004).
Senior outfielder/designated player Amanda Horton was named Utility Player of the Year and first team outfielder, while Brittany Cantu was selected as the SLC Freshman of the Year and honorable mention at third base.
Horton joined senior catcher Jessica Els, junior first baseman Stevi Simpson and sophomore pitcher Amanda Nikolenko on the first team.
Horton led the league in home runs (16) and runs batted in (47) in earning her first first-team nod after two consecutive third-team selections at designated player. She batted .337 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI in conference play this season. Horton ranks in the top 15 in the NCAA in home runs per game and is tied for fourth on UTSA’s career home run chart with 37.
Els garnered her second straight first-team honor behind the plate. She is hitting .373 with 13 doubles, 12 home runs and 30 RBI this season and batted .404 with eight doubles, eight home runs, 18 RBI and zero errors in 27 league games.
Simpson held perhaps the hottest bat on the team for the month of April as she picked up her first career all-conference accolade. She hit .473 with seven home runs, 16 RBI and a .927 slugging percentage and was error-free in the field at first base in league play. Batting .562 over her last 16 games, Simpson is hitting .380 on the season.
With 11 straight victories, Nikolenko, an honorable mention pick last season, pitched her way to first team honors with a 21-5 record, 2.17 earned run average, 140 strikeouts and only 37 walks in 155 innings pitched this year. In SLC action, she led the league with 14 victories in posting a 14-2 record, 1.49 ERA, 99 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 98.2 innings of work.
Senior second baseman Mel Torres and junior shortstop Aimee Murray picked up second team honors. Torres, the 2005 Newcomer of the Year, is hitting .355 with a team-high 36 runs, 25 RBI, 11 doubles, nine home runs and a .431 on-base percentage. Murray, the 2004 Freshman of the Year, leads the squad with a .382 batting average, nine doubles, 11 home runs, 29 RBI and a .706 slugging percentage. Torres and Murray hit .337 and .412, respectively, in league play.
Sophomore outfielder Kim Chavez and junior pitcher Ursula Mares both made the third team. Chavez was batting .324 with three doubles and a homer before injuring her leg in the Texas State series the first weekend of April. Mares, a second-team pick last year, owns a 10-7 record, 2.52 ERA and 119 strikeouts.
Cantu and freshman designated player Rachel Rackley received honorable mention honors. Cantu is hitting .264 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI, while Rackley is batting .264 with eight long balls and 19 RBI.
Texas State’s Katie Ann Trahan was named Player and Pitcher of the Year, while Kat Harrell of Nicholls State was selected as the Hitter of the Year. Newcomer of the Year honors went to Christina Allen of McNeese State.
2006 All-Southland Conference Softball Teams
First Team
1B – Stevi Simpson, UTSA
2B – Brandi Hahn, Nicholls State
3B – Lee Lara, Stephen F. Austin
SS – Kat Harrell, Nicholls State
C – Jessica Els, UTSA
OF – Sarina Noack, Northwestern State
OF – Amy Hromadka, Texas State
OF – Amanda Horton, UTSA
DP – Courtni Anderson, Texas-Arlington
P – Katie Ann Trahan, Texas State
P – Amanda Nikolenko, UTSA
Second Team
1B – Kristin Gunter, Texas State
2B – Mel Torres, UTSA
3B – Leah Peterson, Nicholls State
SS – Aimee Murray, UTSA
C – Jenny Clay, McNeese State
OF – Katie Jones, Texas-Arlington
OF – Autumn Petrino, Texas-Arlington
OF – Christina Allen, McNeese State
DP – Meghan Mulcahy, Nicholls State
P – Jessica Denham, McNeese State
P – Jill Garro, Texas-Arlington
Third Team
1B – Dee Jay Nelson, Texas-Arlington
2B – Lauren Boone, Sam Houston State
3B – Margaret Patterson, Northwestern State
SS – Tanya Hooser, Sam Houston State
C – Heather Williams, Louisiana-Monroe
OF – Carrie Woydziak, Stephen F. Austin
OF – Rachael Phillips, McNeese State
OF – Kim Chavez, UTSA
DP – Amanda Glenn, Northwestern State
P – Laura Jones, Texas-Arlington
P – Ursula Mares, UTSA
Honorable Mention: 1B – Tara Hersey, SFA. 2B – Heather Hanson, ULM; Jenna Fortune, UTA; Lyndsey Gorski, NWLA; Brooke Brodhead, McN. 3B – Lindsay Schafer, ULM; Brittany Cantu, UTSA. SS – none. C – Courtni Anderson, UTA; Karen Taylor, TXST. OF – Stephanie Mosley, SHSU; Amy Krueger, TXST; Katie Szmergalski, SLU; Amber Gentry, SLU; Michelle Castellano, NWLA; Teri Clouatre, NICH; Danielle Clayton, NICH. DP – Rachel Rackley, UTSA. P – Shalayne Blythe, SHSU; Sarah Lancour, TXST; Sammie Dillard, ULM.
Player of the Year – Katie Ann Trahan, Texas State
Hitter of the Year – Kat Harrell, Nicholls State
Pitcher of the Year – Katie Ann Trahan, Texas State
Utility Player of the Year – Amanda Horton, UTSA
Freshman of the Year – Brittany Cantu, UTSA
Newcomer of the Year – Christina Allen, McNeese State
Coach of the Year – Lori Cook, UTSA
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