FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2008
Contact: Dwayne Hanberry, SCAC Interim
Commissioner
CENTRE'S WILLETT;
DEPAUW'S SOULTZ HEADLINE
2008 ALL-SCAC SOFTBALL TEAM
SUWANEE,
Ga. – In exclusive 2008
all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) voting by the league’s
head coaches, Lindsey Willett of Centre College was selected the
conference’s Offensive Player-of-the-Year and Megan Soultz of DePauw
University was tabbed as Pitcher-of-the-Year. In that same balloting,
Millsaps College head coach Roland Rodriguez was voted SCAC
Coach-of-the-Year for a record fifth time. The first four awards came when
he was the head coach at Trinity University.
Willett, a senior second baseman from Louisivlle, Ky., is the first Centre
College player to ever earn a SCAC softball POTY award. Willett finished
the season with a .408 batting average (sixth in the SCAC) and also
slugged .528 (ninth in the SCAC) with an on-base percentage of .447
(seventh in the SCAC). Willett led the league and became the first player
in conference history to score 50 runs in a single season. She also led
the conference in hits (58) and stolen bases (26) and finished among the
league leaders in doubles (nine – tied for 10th) and total bases (75 –
fourth). A member of the 2008 SCAC all-tournament team, Willett hit a
walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to give the Colonels a 1-0
victory over Trinity. Willett was also recently named to the Louisville
Slugger/NFCA Division III All-Central Region Second Team.
In terms of sheer statistical dominance, Soultz produced the most prolific
single-season performance by any pitcher in SCAC softball history. A
sophomore right-hander from Carmel, Ind., Soultz led the league in innings
pitched (265.1), appearances (44), opponent’s batting average (.180),
strikeouts (260), earned run average (0.98) and wins (36 – which also led
all of Division III). Her strikeout total and win total are both new SCAC
single-season records by a wide margin – breaking the respective marks of
162 and 20. In her first two seasons in the league, Soultz has
already set the SCAC career wins mark at 55 and is second
all-time in strikeouts with
418. In addition, she has
produced two of the three sub 1.00 ERA single-season marks in conference
history. A third team all-America selection in 2007, Soultz was recently
named to the 2008 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III All-America First
Team – one of just two pitchers to earn the honor.
Millsaps
head coach Roland Rodriguez led the Majors to the SCAC championship game
for the first time since 2004. Millsaps finished with an overall record of
20-14 – the program’s first winning season since 2005 and a 10-game
turnaround from last year – the biggest improvement in the standings this
year. It is the seventh time in eight seasons in the SCAC that a
Rodriguez-led team has won 20+ games and he is the league’s all-time
winningest coach with 188 victories. He is also the first coach in SCAC
history in any sport to be named Coach-of-the-Year at two different
conference schools.
|
2008 SCAC Player-of-the-Year |
|
Lindsey Willett |
Centre College |
Senior |
Louisville, Ky. |
|
2008 SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year |
|
Megan Soultz |
DePauw University |
Sophomore |
Carmel, Ind. |
|
2008 SCAC Coach-of-the-Year |
|
Roland Rodriguez |
Millsaps College |
20-14 Overall / 4-4 SCAC East |
2nd place SCAC tournament finish |
| |
|
2008 All-SCAC Softball First Team |
|
Catcher |
| Rachel Gill |
DePauw
University |
Junior |
St. Louis,
Mo. |
|
First Baseman |
| Stefanie
Faith |
Austin
College |
First-Year |
Rowlett,
Texas |
|
Second Baseman |
| Lindsey
Willett |
Centre
College |
Senior |
Louisville,
Ky. |
|
Shortstop |
| *Sam Hill |
Millsaps
College |
Sophomore |
Birmingham,
Ala. |
| *Jamie
Williams |
Trinity
University |
Junior |
Humble,
Texas |
|
*Hill and Williams tied for the First
Team shortstop position. |
|
Third Baseman |
| Sara Hunter |
Hendrix
College |
Junior |
Corona,
Calif. |
|
Outfielders |
| Tiffany
Ladnier |
Millsaps
College |
Junior |
Hernando,
Miss. |
| Monica
Vonderbrink |
Centre
College |
Senior |
Danville,
Ky. |
| *Carolyn
Bartlett |
DePauw
University |
Junior |
Glen Ellyn,
Ill. |
| *Ellen Burr |
Hendrix
College |
First-Year |
Jacksonville, Ark. |
| *Laci Hart |
Austin
College |
Senior |
Pottsboro,
Texas |
| *Amber Mills |
Centre
College |
Sophomore |
Danville,
Ky. |
|
*Bartlett, Burr, Hart and Mills tied for the
final First Team outfielder position. |
|
Utility |
| Kate Wright |
Trinity
University |
Junior |
San Antonio,
Texas |
|
Designated Player |
| Emma Minx |
DePauw
University |
First-Year |
Northbrook,
Ill. |
|
Pitchers |
| Megan Soultz |
DePauw
University |
Sophomore |
Carmel, Ind. |
| Kasey
Thibodeaux |
Millsaps
College |
Sophomore |
Youngsville,
La. |
|
2008 All-SCAC Softball Second Team |
|
Catcher |
| *McKinzie
Fruchtl |
Hendrix
College |
Senior |
Fayetteville, Ark. |
| *Rebekah
Moore |
Rhodes
College |
Sophomore |
Munford,
Tenn. |
|
*Fruchtl and Moore tied for the Second
Team catcher position. |
|
First Baseman |
| Ashlee Anton |
DePauw
University |
First-Year |
Worth, Ill. |
|
Second Baseman |
| Amanda Lutzy |
Rhodes
College |
Senior |
Saranac,
N.Y. |
|
Shortstop |
| Hanna Braden |
Hendrix
College |
First-Year |
D'Hanis,
Texas |
|
Third Baseman |
| Jennifer
McKinley |
Millsaps
College |
Sophomore |
Frisco,
Texas |
|
Outfielders |
| Chelsy
Patterson |
DePauw
University |
Junior |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Kaitlyn
Davitt |
DePauw
University |
Sophomore |
Carmel, Ind. |
|
Utility |
| Dana
Bartolomei |
Rhodes
College |
Senior |
Des Moines,
Iowa |
|
Pitchers |
| Sara Bowen |
Rhodes
College |
First-Year |
Nolensville,
Tenn. |
| Brittney
McAllister |
Millsaps
College |
Sophomore |
Mobile, Ala. |
|
Honorable Mention |
|
Austin College
– Samantha Smith (3B); Centre – Rebecca Rhule (C); Colorado
College – Paige Honsbruch (3B); DePauw – Kelly Schwerzler
(3B); Hendrix – Jaclyn Herrera (UT); Millsaps –
Karoline Kremers (1B); Rhodes – Jennifer Whatley (3B);
Trinity – Christina Carni (1B), Michelle Gossein (3B), Lee Smith
(2B) |
-SCAC-
|