Photo by: Lora Gordon (Radford University)
Kelley, Godfrey, Dean Take Home Top Big South Softball Honors
5/6/2009 9:00:53 PM | Softball
Eight Highlanders Earn Conference Accolades
RADFORD, Va. – Coming off its first regular season championship, Radford softball was recognized in a big way at the annual Big South softball awards banquet held at the Dedmon Center on the campus of Radford University Wednesday evening. Sophomore Chelsea Kelley (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring), freshman Leigh Godfrey (Perth, Australia/Seton Catholic College) and head coach Mickey Dean were named Big South Pitcher, Freshman and Coach of the Year respectively.
Joining Kelley and Godfrey on the league's first team were junior catcher Sarah Himan (Woodbridge, Va./Hylton), sophomore shortstop Kristen Shifflett (Charlottesville, Va./Monticello) and freshman third baseman Nichole Beall (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County). Senior second baseman Jenn Everhart (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) and sophomore outfielder Shannon Keefe (Lemont Township, Ill./Lemont), garnered second team honors. Sophomore pitcher Kellie Snooks (Alsip, Ill./Marist) rounded out the accolades as she was selected the conference's all-academic squad.
Kelley continues the Radford tradition of pitcher of the year accolades. It marks the fourth consecutive season a Highlander earned this award (Ashley Taylor 2006-08). Kelly is having a breakout season in the circle for the Highlanders with a 21-6 overall and 13-1 Big South record. The lefty has recorded a 2.51 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 173 innings of work and was recently tabbed Big South Pitcher of the Week.
Godfrey is the second straight Highlander to receive rookie honors as Keefe took home the award in 2008. Godfrey, who has reached base safely in 41 of 44 games and recorded at least one hit in 38 contests, is batting .458 (9th NCAA) with 71 hits, 15 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 23 RBI and 51 runs scored (5th NCAA). She leads Radford in on-base (.497) and slugging (.723) percentages to go along with a league-leading 24 stolen bases.
Dean, in his third season at the helm of the Highlanders, led Radford to a league-record 16-2 conference mark and 37-12 overall record and become the third Highlander coach to receive this honor. Under his direction this season, the Highlanders recorded their first victories over a top-25 opponent (Mississippi State) and a Pac 10 school (Oregon State), while earning the Big South Tournamenet's top seed for the first time in program history.
Shifflett and Himan garnered first-team accolades for the second straight season. Shifflett is the first Highlander shortstop to earn more than one first-team honor. She tied a school record and leads the conference with 12 home runs, while batting .366 with 12 doubles, 34 RBI, 45 runs scored (39th NCAA) and a .677 slugging percentage.
Himan is second on the team with a .372 average and 12 doubles. The catcher also registered three triples, six home runs and 31 RBI. Himan, who ranks in the top six in those respective categories, joins Amanda Walling (2005 & 2006) as the only other Highlander catcher to garner back-to-back first-team plaudits.
Beall has knocked in a league-high 42 runs with 10 home runs, 11 doubles and conference-best five triples (15th NCAA). She has also recorded a .364 batting average and .720 slugging percentage (49th NCAA). Beall is the second consecutive Radford rookie (Vicki Madden) to be named to the first team at third.
Everhart and Keefe also earned all-conference accolades for the second straight year. Everhart ranks second in the Big South with 14 stolen bases and is tied for fourth with 12 doubles. She is batting .255 with four home runs, 20 RBI and 24 runs scored, while recording a .968 field percentage at second.
Keefe has come on strong over the last month of the season, registering a hit in 12 of the last 14 contests. She is batting .314 with five doubles, eight home runs (T-5th in league) and 22 RBI, while recording a .521 slugging percentage.
Snooks, a pre-med biology major with minors in chemistry and Spanish currently sports a 3.71 GPA and is a member of Radford's Honors Academy. A 2008 NFCA Scholar-Athlete, she has been on the Dean's List every semester and the Big South Presidential Honor Roll. In the circle, Snooks is 11-5 with a 2.97 ERA and has garnered Big South Pitcher of the Week and Pepsi Malahini Kipa Aloha Tournament Most Outstanding Pitcher honors.
The Highlanders are hosting the 2009 Big South Softball Championship presented by Texas Roadhouse May 7-9 at RU Softball Field. Radford gets under way tomorrow, May 7 at 3 p.m. taking on the winner of the game between No. 4 Charleston Southern and No. 5 Gardner-Webb. The Big South's Tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Softball Tournament.
Joining Kelley and Godfrey on the league's first team were junior catcher Sarah Himan (Woodbridge, Va./Hylton), sophomore shortstop Kristen Shifflett (Charlottesville, Va./Monticello) and freshman third baseman Nichole Beall (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County). Senior second baseman Jenn Everhart (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) and sophomore outfielder Shannon Keefe (Lemont Township, Ill./Lemont), garnered second team honors. Sophomore pitcher Kellie Snooks (Alsip, Ill./Marist) rounded out the accolades as she was selected the conference's all-academic squad.
Kelley continues the Radford tradition of pitcher of the year accolades. It marks the fourth consecutive season a Highlander earned this award (Ashley Taylor 2006-08). Kelly is having a breakout season in the circle for the Highlanders with a 21-6 overall and 13-1 Big South record. The lefty has recorded a 2.51 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 173 innings of work and was recently tabbed Big South Pitcher of the Week.
Godfrey is the second straight Highlander to receive rookie honors as Keefe took home the award in 2008. Godfrey, who has reached base safely in 41 of 44 games and recorded at least one hit in 38 contests, is batting .458 (9th NCAA) with 71 hits, 15 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 23 RBI and 51 runs scored (5th NCAA). She leads Radford in on-base (.497) and slugging (.723) percentages to go along with a league-leading 24 stolen bases.
Dean, in his third season at the helm of the Highlanders, led Radford to a league-record 16-2 conference mark and 37-12 overall record and become the third Highlander coach to receive this honor. Under his direction this season, the Highlanders recorded their first victories over a top-25 opponent (Mississippi State) and a Pac 10 school (Oregon State), while earning the Big South Tournamenet's top seed for the first time in program history.
Shifflett and Himan garnered first-team accolades for the second straight season. Shifflett is the first Highlander shortstop to earn more than one first-team honor. She tied a school record and leads the conference with 12 home runs, while batting .366 with 12 doubles, 34 RBI, 45 runs scored (39th NCAA) and a .677 slugging percentage.
Himan is second on the team with a .372 average and 12 doubles. The catcher also registered three triples, six home runs and 31 RBI. Himan, who ranks in the top six in those respective categories, joins Amanda Walling (2005 & 2006) as the only other Highlander catcher to garner back-to-back first-team plaudits.
Beall has knocked in a league-high 42 runs with 10 home runs, 11 doubles and conference-best five triples (15th NCAA). She has also recorded a .364 batting average and .720 slugging percentage (49th NCAA). Beall is the second consecutive Radford rookie (Vicki Madden) to be named to the first team at third.
Everhart and Keefe also earned all-conference accolades for the second straight year. Everhart ranks second in the Big South with 14 stolen bases and is tied for fourth with 12 doubles. She is batting .255 with four home runs, 20 RBI and 24 runs scored, while recording a .968 field percentage at second.
Keefe has come on strong over the last month of the season, registering a hit in 12 of the last 14 contests. She is batting .314 with five doubles, eight home runs (T-5th in league) and 22 RBI, while recording a .521 slugging percentage.
Snooks, a pre-med biology major with minors in chemistry and Spanish currently sports a 3.71 GPA and is a member of Radford's Honors Academy. A 2008 NFCA Scholar-Athlete, she has been on the Dean's List every semester and the Big South Presidential Honor Roll. In the circle, Snooks is 11-5 with a 2.97 ERA and has garnered Big South Pitcher of the Week and Pepsi Malahini Kipa Aloha Tournament Most Outstanding Pitcher honors.
The Highlanders are hosting the 2009 Big South Softball Championship presented by Texas Roadhouse May 7-9 at RU Softball Field. Radford gets under way tomorrow, May 7 at 3 p.m. taking on the winner of the game between No. 4 Charleston Southern and No. 5 Gardner-Webb. The Big South's Tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Softball Tournament.
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