University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Land 10 On All-Sun Belt Team
5/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Cajuns
Land 10 On All-Sun Belt Team
Wednesday, May 8, 2002
MIAMI - The Sun Belt Conference handed out its postseason awards at the league's softball tournament banquet here Wednesday, and it definitely had a “Louisiana” flavor to it.
Louisiana-Lafayette's Lady Cajuns placed eight on the SBC's first team All-Conference and the Lady Cajuns swept through the specialty awards.
Junior transfer and All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry took home the league's top honor with Player of the Year and was also named the Newcomer of the Year. McMurtry leads the Lady Cajuns with a .420 batting average and features a .451 clip in conference play. She is among the nation's best in batting average, home runs (14) and RBI (52).
Senior Melissa Coronado was named Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season. The Pearland, Texas, native is 13-2 this season with a 1.71 ERA. In SBC play Coronado is 6-0 with a 1.17 ERA. She is currently riding a season-high personal nine game winning streak.
Freshman pitcher Brooke Mitchell was named the league's Freshman of the Year after a stellar campagin which saw her post an 18-5 record with a team-best 1.70 ERA. Mitchell was 8-0 in SBC play and has fanned 150 batters in 140.0 innings of work this season and led all league pitchers in wins. She is also tied for third in the league in ERA (1.70) and is second in strikeouts (150).
Head coach Stefni Lotief was named the Coach of the Year for the second straight season after guiding the SBC regular season champions to a 46-11 record this season (15-1 SBC) and 97-21 over the past two seasons. She needs just three more wins to reach 100 in her career.
Shortstop Alana Addison, center fielder Jerie Alexander, Coronado, first baseman Summar Lapeyrouse, McMurtry, right fielder Missy Martin, Mitchell, second baseman Jill Robertson and catcher Joy Webre were all first-team members. Eight of the ten members of the first-team were from UL Lafayette. Both Webre and Mitchell were the only two freshmen named to the first team.
Left fielder Crystal George was named to the second-team, giving the Lady Cajuns nine players named to the All-Conference team.
Louisiana-Lafayette was also presented with the regular season championship trophy, their second straight in as many years.
The Lady Cajuns begin defense of their conference tournament championship Thursday with a 3 p.m. (CST) matchup against the winner of Middle Tennessee-New Mexico State.
2002 All-Sun Belt Conference
Softball Teams:
(as selected by the league's head coaches)
*=unanimous selection
FIRST TEAM
Pitcher *Melissa Coronado, Sr., UL Lafayette
Brooke Mitchell, Fr., Louisiana-Lafayette
Catcher Joy Webre, Fr., Louisiana-Lafayette
First Base *Summar Lapeyrouse, Jr., UL Lafayette
Second Base *Jill Robertson, So., Louisiana-Lafayette
Shortstop *Alana Addison, Sr., Louisiana-Lafayette
Third Base *Becky McMurtry, Jr., UL Lafayette
Outfield *Jerie Alexander, Sr.,
Louisiana-Lafayette
*Leslie Gillen, Sr., Florida International
Missy Martin, Sr., Louisiana-Lafayette
Designated Kristalyn Smith, Jr., Western Kentucky
Player
SECOND TEAM
Pitcher Amanda Nealer,
Fr., Florida International
Jennifer Martinez, Sr., Middle Tennessee
Catcher Christine Stephens, Jr., New Mexico
State
First Base Jennifer Owens, So., Florida
International
Second Base Sara Alanis, Jr., Western Kentucky
Shortstop Heather Noble, So., New Mexico State
Third Base Mel Briggs, Sr., New Mexico State
Outfield Crystal George, Fr.,
Louisiana-Lafayette
Riley Garcia, So., Western Kentucky
Jessie Richardson, Jr., Western Kentucky
Designated Kristen Perry, So., Florida
International
Player
Player
of the Year - Becky McMurtry, Jr., 3B, Louisiana-Lafayette
Pitcher of the Year - Melissa Coronado, Sr.,
Louisiana-Lafayette
Freshman of the Year - Brooke Mitchell, P,
Louisiana-Lafayette
Newcomer of the Year - Becky McMurtry, Jr., 3B,
Louisiana-Lafayette
Coach of the Year - Stefni Lotief, Louisiana-Lafayette
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
