Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference
Sports Release

Austin College ● Birmingham-Southern ● Centre ● Colorado College ● DePauw ● Hendrix
Millsaps
Oglethorpe ● Rhodes ● Sewanee ● Southwestern ● Trinity


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-