| Leanne Risberg | Jessica Rogers |
FRISCO ? Led by first-team honorees senior Jessica Rogers and sophomore Leanne Risberg, five Roadrunners were named to the 2007 All-Southland Conference Softball teams voted upon by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, the league office announced Tuesday.
Rogers was named to the first team at third base for the fourth time in her career, while Risberg earned her first all-conference nod in the outfield. Freshman Rudi Cantu was named to the third team in the outfield, while senior shortstop Aimee Murray and junior designated player Kourtney Jones picked up honorable mention accolades.
Rogers led the SLC in four categories ? hits (69), runs batted in (49), home runs (17) and total bases (128) ? and was even better in league play, topping seven different statistical categories: batting average (.454), slugging percentage (.876), runs (28), hits (44), RBIs (28), home runs (12) and total bases (85). The two-time SLC Student-Athlete of the Year broke three conference career records this season ? home runs (68), RBIs (188) and total bases (516) ? and snagged four additional school career marks: runs (157), hits (276), extra-base hits (102) and at-bats (721). She registered a base hit in 41 of 54 games this season, including a 10-game hitting streak from March 28-April 15, and had 21 multiple-hit and 13 multiple-RBI games. Rogers, who posted a team-best .441 on-base percentage, two sacrifice flies and struck out only five times in 172 at-bats, also set UTSA single-game records for home runs (three) and total bases (13) against Nicholls on March 24.
Risberg enjoyed a career season at the plate, batting .310 with eight doubles, 15 home runs, 40 RBIs, a .646 slugging percentage and a .407 on-base percentage and was hit by a pitch 16 times. She posted two or more hits in 14 games, drove in two or more runs 10 times and recorded a seven-game hitting streak during the year. In conference play, Risberg hit .330 with a pair of doubles, 11 round-trippers and 26 RBIs and made just one error in the field.
Cantu proved to be one of the league’s most consistent freshmen this season, hitting .338 with six doubles, a triple and 10 RBIs and was a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen bases. She made just two errors playing mostly in the outfield, had 13 multiple-hit outings, and in 18 road games batted a team-best .393. Cantu stepped up over the final two months of the season, hitting .411 with four doubles, a triple and five steals since March 10.
Murray, a two-time first-team All-SLC performer, earned honorable mention accolades at a deep position after hitting .317 with five doubles, a triple, 15 home runs, 45 RBIs, a .634 slugging percentage and a .405 on-base percentage. She had multiple RBIs in 12 games, including two with four or more, 10 multiple-hit contests and a nine-game hitting streak during the year. Murray ranks high on several of UTSA’s career charts, including second with 156 RBIs and 145 runs, third with 50 home runs, fourth with 304 assists and fifth with 217 hits.
Jones, a transfer from Texas-Tyler, also received an honorable mention nod after hitting .224 with a double, a triple, two home runs, eight RBIs and a team-best nine sacrifices. She had six two-hit games and batted .270 with a .423 on-base percentage in league play.
Katie Jones of UTA was named SLC Player and Hitter of the Year after hitting .442 with 13 home runs, 65 hits and 34 RBIs, while Texas State’s Ragan Blake won Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year honors after posting a 23-13 record, 1.64 earned run average, 213 strikeouts and a league-best 10 shutouts. Utility Player of the Year went to McNeese State’s Jenny Clay, who hit .332 with 33 RBIs, while UTA’s Heather Fortenberry claimed Freshman of the Year accolades with a .303 batting average and a 13-3 record and 2.31 ERA in the circle. Debbie Hedrick of UTA was voted Coach of the Year after leading the Mavericks to the regular season title with a 19-5 mark.
Overall, Sam Houston State placed a league-high seven players on the first, second and third teams, while UTA and Nicholls State each placed six.
The SLC Tournament begins Thursday, May 10, in Huntsville. No. 4-seed UTSA faces No. 3 Texas State at 4 p.m. Thursday in the opening round.
2007 All-Southland Conference Teams
First team
1B - Dee Jay Nelson, Texas-Arlington, Sr.
2B - Brooke Brodhead, McNeese State, Jr.
3B - Jessica Rogers, UTSA, Sr.
SS - Kat Harrell, Nicholls State, Jr.
C - Casie Everitt, Sam Houston State, So.
OF - Katie Jones, Texas-Arlington, Jr.
OF - Kodi Butler, Nicholls State, So.
OF - Leanne Risberg, UTSA, So.
DP - Mandy Collier, Sam Houston State, Jr.
P - Ragan Blake, Texas State, Jr.
P - Rachel Ray, Southeastern Louisiana, Jr.
Second team
1B - Amy Thibodeaux, Nicholls State, Jr.
2B - Arica Rodriguez, Southeastern Louisiana, Jr.
3B - Leah Peterson, Nicholls State, Sr.
SS - Tanya Hooser, Sam Houston State, Jr.
C - Jenny Clay, McNeese State, Jr.
OF - Stephanie Mosley, Sam Houston State, Sr.
OF - Kristin Moore, Texas-Arlington, Jr.
OF - Lauren Burns, Sam Houston State, Fr.
DP - Rachel King, McNeese State, So.
P - Brandi Crnkovic, Sam Houston State, So.
P - Morgan Mikulin, Sam Houston State, Fr.
Third team
1B - Amanda Jameson, Northwestern State, Fr.
2B - Danielle Clayton, Nicholls State, So.
3B - Heather Sherrill, Southeastern Louisiana So.
SS - Amanda Swofford, Texas-Arlington, Jr.
C - Jacqueline Pacheco, Nicholls State, Sr.
OF - Rudi Cantu, UTSA, Fr.
OF - Megan Beard, McNeese State, Jr.
OF - April Clougherty, Texas-Arlington, Jr.
DP - Amanda Glenn, Northwestern State, Sr.
P - Laura Jones, Texas-Arlington, Jr.
P - Jana Jones, McNeese State, Sr.
Honorable Mention: Sarah Parich, Sam Houston State; Janae Owens,Central Arkansas; Liz Morvant, McNeese State; Stephanie Estrada, TexasA&M-Corpus Christi; Aimee Murray, UTSA; CourtniAnderson, Texas-Arlington; Amber Robinson, Texas A&M-CorpusChristi; Rachael Phillips, McNeese State; Amy Krueger, Texas State;Amber Gentry, Southeastern Louisiana; Benet Higgs, Stephen F. Austin;Kendal Harper, Stephen F. Austin; Jetta Weinheimer, Texas State; Kourtney Jones, UTSA; Jessica Barksdale, Nicholls; Heather Fortenberry, Texas-Arlington.
Player of the Year ? Katie Jones, Texas-Arlington
Hitter of the Year ? Katie Jones, Texas-Arlington
Pitcher of the Year ? Ragan Blake, Texas State
Utility Player of the Year ? Jenny Clay, McNeese State
Newcomer of the Year ? Ragan Blake, Texas State
Freshman of the Year ? Heather Fortenberry, Texas-Arlington
Coach of the Year ? Debbie Hedrick, Texas-Arlington