May 7, 2008

FRISCO, Texas - Five UT Arlington softball players earned All-Southland Conference honors the league announced Wednesday. Senior left fielder Katie Jones and sophomore catcher Samantha Chumchal were named to the first team. Senior shortstop Amanda Swofford and sophomore pitcher Cara Hulme were selected to the second team. Freshman third baseman Whitney Simpson was named to the third team.

Texas State pitcher Ragan Blake was named the SLC Player and Pitcher of the Year, it is her second consecutive year being chosen as pitcher of the year. The Bobcats' freshman McKenzie Baack was named Freshman of the Year. In addition, Texas State Head Coach Ricci Woodard received Coach of the Year honors for the third time in her career.

McNeese State senior Jenny Clay earned her second-straight Utility Player of the Year accolade, and Freshman of the Year honors went to Stephen F. Austin's Monika Covington as she led the league with 232 strikeouts and finished No. 2 in the league in ERA at 1.39. She is the first Ladyjack to win the honor. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Kim Connelly was voted Newcomer of the Year, after hitting .357 and finishing second in the league with 38 RBI.

Jones (Cedar Hill, Texas) is a three-time all conference pick. She currently leads the team with 33 runs, 57 hits and a .365 batting average. She became the 24th player in league history to post 200 career hits on April 22 in a non-conference against Texas Tech.

Chumchal (Richwood, Texas) earns her first all conference honor. She currently ranks second on the team with a .340 average, in conference games she leads the team with eight doubles. Behind the plate she has 209 putouts and caught seven runners attempting to steal.

Hulme (Van, Texas) has posted a 16-6 record in the circle with a 1.89 ERA, six shutouts and 179 strikeouts. She also carries a .325 batting average with seven runs and three home runs.

Simpson (Arlington, Texas) is hitting .238 with 16 runs, nine home runs and 22 RBI.

Seniors April Clougherty, Brittany Stevens and Laura Jones were All-SLC Honorable Mention Selections.

The SLC Softball Tournament begins Thursday in San Marcos, as No. 7 seed Sam Houston State enters as the defending champion. This year's tournament is single elimination for the first time in league history.

UTA (27-21, 20-10 SLC) earned the No. 2 seed in the Southland Conference tournament and will have to wait to find out who it will face on Friday at 4 p.m. The Mavericks will play the winner of the game four, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The championship game is set for Saturday at 4 p.m.

2008 ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE SOFTBALL TEAMS

First Team -- School -- CL -- Hometown

1B -- Jessica Tullos -- Stephen F. Austin -- Sr. -- Lufkin, Texas
2B -- Rudi Cantu -- UTSA -- So. -- Alvin, Texas
3B -- Heather Sherrill -- Southeastern La. -- Jr. -- Alexandria, La.
SS -- Kat Harrell -- Nicholls State -- Sr. -- League City, Texas
C -- Samantha Chumchal -- UT Arlington -- So. -- Richwood, Texas
OF -- Katie Jones -- UT Arlington -- Sr. -- Cedar Hill, Texas
OF -- Hailey Wiginton -- Sam Houston State -- Fr. -- Friendswood, Texas
OF -- Kim Connelly -- A&M-Corpus Christi -- Jr. -- Beaverton, Ore.
DP -- Jenny Clay -- McNeese State -- Sr. -- Arnaudville, La.
P -- Ragan Blake -- Texas State -- Sr. -- Missouri City, Texas
P -- Monika Covington -- Stephen F. Austin -- Fr. -- Huffman, Texas

Second Team -- School -- CL -- Hometown

1B -- Leah Boatright -- Texas State -- So. -- Baytown, Texas
2B -- Danielle Clayton -- Nicholls State -- Jr. -- Patterson, La.
3B -- Ali McCormack -- Texas State -- Jr. -- Denton, Texas
SS -- Amanda Swofford -- UT Arlington -- Sr. -- Buda, Texas
C -- Ashton Peters -- Texas State -- Sr. -- LaCoste, Texas
OF -- Kendal Harper -- Stephen F. Austin -- So. -- Palmer, Texas
OF -- Jetta Weinheimer -- Texas State -- Jr. -- Stonewall, Texas
OF -- Kristina Tello -- Texas State -- So. -- Houston, Texas
DP -- McKenzie Baack -- Texas State -- Fr. -- Round Rock, Texas
P -- Cara Hulme -- UT Arlington -- So. -- Van, Texas
P -- Danye' Holmes -- UTSA -- Fr. -- Sugar Land, Texas

THIRD TEAM School CL Hometown

1B -- Amy Thibodaux -- Nicholls State -- Sr. -- Prairieville, La.
2B -- Arica Rodriguez -- Southeastern La. -- Sr. -- Natalia, Texas
3B -- Whitney Simpson -- UT Arlington -- Fr. -- Arlington, Texas
SS -- Alex Newton -- Texas State -- Jr. -- LaPorte, Texas
C -- Kim Daley -- Stephen F. Austin -- Jr. -- League City, Texas
OF -- Leanne Risberg -- UTSA -- Jr. -- New Orleans, La.
OF -- Cary Bruno -- Northwestern State -- Jr. -- Pearland, Texas
OF -- Megan Beard -- McNeese State -- Sr. -- Baton Rouge, La.
DP -- Danye' Holmes -- UTSA -- Fr. -- Sugar Land, Texas
P -- Rachel Ray -- Southeastern La. -- Sr. -- Payson, Ariz.
P -- Morgan Mikulin -- Sam Houston State -- So. -- Huntsville, Texas

Player Of The Year: Ragan Blake, Texas State
Hitter Of The Year: McKenzie Baack, Texas State
Pitcher Of The Year: Ragan Blake, Texas State
Utility Player Of The Year: Jenny Clay, McNeese State
Newcomer Of The Year: Kim Connelly, A&M-Corpus Christi
Freshman Of The Year: Monika Covington, Stephen F. Austin
Coach Of The Year: Ricci Woodard, Texas State

Honorable Mention: April Clougherty, UT Arlington, Lauren Sanders, A&M-Corpus Christi, Allyson McCubbins, Southeastern La., Rachel King, McNeese State, Krista Sitka, UTSA, Brittany Stevens, UT Arlington, Keatha Tollett, Central Arkansas, Brandi Crnkovic, Sam Houston State, Laura Jones, UT Arlington.