SUWANEE, Ga. – The Millsaps College softball team had nine different players earn All-SCAC honors for the 2010 season as announced by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference office on Friday.
In exclusive voting by the SCAC’s head coaches,
Jennifer McKinley was selected the conference’s Offensive Player-of-the-Year and
Emily Spicer was voted the league’s Newcomer-of-the-Year.
Roland Rodriguez of Millsaps and Angela Froboese of Southwestern University were selected as SCAC Co-Coaches-of-the-Year while Megan Soultz of DePauw University was tabbed as Pitcher-of-the-Year for the third straight year.
Led by Rodriguez, Millsaps tied for the second-most wins (24) in a single season in program history. Rodriguez guided the Majors to a 12-4 record in conference play and a first place finish in the Western Division. This marks the second Coach-of-the-Year award Rodriguez has won at Millsaps and the sixth (four previous at Trinity) in his career – the most by any coach in SCAC softball history.
McKinley, a senior third baseman from Frisco, Texas, is a three time All-SCAC First Team selection and a two-time SCAC All-Tournament team performer. Statistically, McKinley dominated the conference leading the SCAC in runs scored (43), homeruns (13), on-base percentage (.497) and total bases (100).
Her 127 RBIs (third), 121 runs scored (fifth) and 186 hits (fourth) all rank in the top five career statistically for the SCAC and she ends her career as the league’s all-time leader in doubles (44) and tied for the all-time mark in homeruns with 28.
Spicer was named the inaugural winner of the SCAC Softball Newcomer-of-the-Year award. A first-year outfielder from Mansfield, Texas, Spicer hit .401 in her first season in Jackson (sixth in the SCAC) with a league-high 59 hits – the sixth-most in a SCAC single season.
Spicer finished in the top five in the league in runs (41 – third), doubles (12 – fourth) and total bases (87 – fourth) while also being named to the 2010 SCAC All-Tournament team.
Joining McKinley and Spicer on the First Team are senior pitcher
Kasey Thibodeaux and junior designated player
Josie Matthews.
A native of Youngsville, La., Thibodeaux capped off a brilliant career in the circle for the Majors finishing with a team-best 1.89 ERA, which ranked sixth in the SCAC while earning the second most wins in the conference with 17. Thibodeaux was also named to the 2010 SCAC All-Tournament team.
Matthews, a junior transfer from Meridian, Miss., earned First Team honors after recording 35 RBIs, ranking sixth in the SCAC while leading the conference with seven HBP.
Millsaps also picked up a pair of Second Team selections in sophomore outfielder
Allison Tarbox and first-year first baseman
Megan Yglesias.
Tarbox, a native of Katy, Texas, and 2010 SCAC All-Tournament team honoree, posted a .348 batting average and had a .463 on-base percentage that ranked ninth in the SCAC while also finishing second on the team with five home runs.
Hailing from Southlake, Texas, Yglesias led the Majors with an impressive .996 fielding percentage committing only one error in 244 chances while leading the SCAC in fielding double plays at 13.
Sophomore
Jade Hewitt, first-year
LeAnn Williams and junior transfer
Brooke Lee all received All-SCAC Honorable Mention honors for the 2010 season.
Hewitt, from Mandeville, La., backstopped Millsaps from the catcher position and ranked second on the team with 116 putouts while committing only four errors on the year for a .970 fielding percentage and earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.
A native of Bay St. Louis, Miss., Williams finished the season tied with Spicer for the team lead with 14 doubles and scored 38 runs, both of which ranked fourth in the SCAC.
Lee, from Little Rock, Miss., led the Majors with three triples while starting 41 of the team’s 42 games this season.
To view the entire 2010 All-Conference softball team, click
HERE.