1/18/2012 4:29:00 PM | Softball
COMPLETE RELEASE FROM OVC
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State softball team has been picked to win the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference title by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced on Wednesday.
The defending OVC Tournament champion Gamecocks received 14 of the 22 possible first-place votes and topped the annual poll with 190 points, well ahead of defending regular-season champion Eastern Illinois. In her 19th season at the helm, head coach Jana McGinnis will attempt to guide the Gamecocks to their fifth-straight OVC trophy and the fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Regionals.
“It's always an honor to be picked to win the conference because it shows that you have earned the respect of the other teams in our league,” McGinnis said. “However, we know how tough the OVC is every season, and winning the conference championship is a difficult thing to do.”
It marks the fourth-straight season that JSU has been tabbed as the OVC's preseason favorite, but the Gamecocks will be chasing their first regular-season title since 2009. They have finished in second in each of the last two seasons before winning the conference tournament to earn bids to the NCAA Regionals. The Gamecocks have finished in the top two in the league standings in each of the past seven seasons.
UT Martin was picked third, while SIU-Edwardsville and Southeast Missouri rounded out the top five, respectively.
The Gamecocks are coming off a season that saw them post a 40-21 record that included a 17-4 mark in OVC play and advance to the NCAA Louisville Regional. They defeated Illinois-Chicago to advance to the regional semifinal before being eliminated by the host Cardinals.
JSU returns 14 letterwinners from last year's squad, including five players that earned All-OVC accolades in 2011. Sophomore Pitcher Tiffany Harbin was named the OVC's Freshman of the Year while earning First Team All-OVC honors after posting a 25-11 record and a 2.50 earned run average. She is joined on the pitching staff by seniors Kristin Graham and Sam Snow, junior Hilary Phillips and sophomore Savanna Hennings.
Graham joined Harbin on the All-OVC First Team a year ago, thanks in large part to her bat. The team's first baseman when she wasn't in the circle, Graham hit .342 with 14 home runs and 36 RBI for the Gamecocks, while drawing a team-best 35 walks.
Senior designated hitter and first baseman Abbey Stepp returns after leading the team with a .349 average in her junior season. She also belted nine home runs and drove in 43 runs to earn second-team all-conference honors and was named to the league's All-Newcomer Team with Graham.
Fellow Senior Kaycee Crow, also a second-team performer a year ago, returns for her fourth season behind the plate after a junior season that saw her commit just three errors in 479 chances for a .994 fielding percentage. The team leader on the field, Crow drove in 30 runs and hit seven homers last season.
JSU's other all-conference returnee is junior outfielder Krystal Ruth, who was third on the team with a .311 average from the leadoff spot. She hit six homers and notched 30 RBI from the top of the order.
Joining Ruth in the outfield from a year ago are junior Kelci Johnston and sophomore Hayden Crawford. Johnston was third on the team with 10 homers in 2011, while Crawford hit .274 and led the team with 10 stolen bases in as many tries.
Senior Tess Echols returns at shortstop, where she put together a .311 average in conference play and helped Crawford solidify the back end of the JSU lineup. Senior Katie Matchen returns as the Gamecocks' backup catcher and pinch hitter.
JSU has four newcomers on this year's roster with one junior college transfer and three prep signees. Outfielder Jessica guy joins the Gamecocks after playing two seasons at Mount Hood Community College in Oregon.
Catcher and designated hitter Shelby Holley joins JSU from Pisgah High School in Pisgah, Ala., where she broke the state and national records for career home runs and home runs in a single season, while infielder Sara Borders moves cross-county from Alexandria High School. Infielder Savannah Sloan wraps up that incoming class from Taylor County High School in Georgia.
The Gamecocks will open the 2012 season on Feb. 10 against Lipscomb in the South Alabama Mardis Gras Invitational in Mobile, a tournament that will also seee JSU face Mississippi State, Memphis and Alabama. JSU will open its home schedule with the Jacksonville State Invitational, a tournament that will run from Feb. 17-19 and feature the Gamecocks, Southern Illinois, South Alabama and Southeastern Louisiana.
JSU's annual Fan Day is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. at University Field. Admission is free, and there will be free snacks, t-shirts, games and other prizes.
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State softball team has been picked to win the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference title by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced on Wednesday.
The defending OVC Tournament champion Gamecocks received 14 of the 22 possible first-place votes and topped the annual poll with 190 points, well ahead of defending regular-season champion Eastern Illinois. In her 19th season at the helm, head coach Jana McGinnis will attempt to guide the Gamecocks to their fifth-straight OVC trophy and the fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Regionals.
“It's always an honor to be picked to win the conference because it shows that you have earned the respect of the other teams in our league,” McGinnis said. “However, we know how tough the OVC is every season, and winning the conference championship is a difficult thing to do.”
It marks the fourth-straight season that JSU has been tabbed as the OVC's preseason favorite, but the Gamecocks will be chasing their first regular-season title since 2009. They have finished in second in each of the last two seasons before winning the conference tournament to earn bids to the NCAA Regionals. The Gamecocks have finished in the top two in the league standings in each of the past seven seasons.
UT Martin was picked third, while SIU-Edwardsville and Southeast Missouri rounded out the top five, respectively.
The Gamecocks are coming off a season that saw them post a 40-21 record that included a 17-4 mark in OVC play and advance to the NCAA Louisville Regional. They defeated Illinois-Chicago to advance to the regional semifinal before being eliminated by the host Cardinals.
JSU returns 14 letterwinners from last year's squad, including five players that earned All-OVC accolades in 2011. Sophomore Pitcher Tiffany Harbin was named the OVC's Freshman of the Year while earning First Team All-OVC honors after posting a 25-11 record and a 2.50 earned run average. She is joined on the pitching staff by seniors Kristin Graham and Sam Snow, junior Hilary Phillips and sophomore Savanna Hennings.
Graham joined Harbin on the All-OVC First Team a year ago, thanks in large part to her bat. The team's first baseman when she wasn't in the circle, Graham hit .342 with 14 home runs and 36 RBI for the Gamecocks, while drawing a team-best 35 walks.
Senior designated hitter and first baseman Abbey Stepp returns after leading the team with a .349 average in her junior season. She also belted nine home runs and drove in 43 runs to earn second-team all-conference honors and was named to the league's All-Newcomer Team with Graham.
Fellow Senior Kaycee Crow, also a second-team performer a year ago, returns for her fourth season behind the plate after a junior season that saw her commit just three errors in 479 chances for a .994 fielding percentage. The team leader on the field, Crow drove in 30 runs and hit seven homers last season.
JSU's other all-conference returnee is junior outfielder Krystal Ruth, who was third on the team with a .311 average from the leadoff spot. She hit six homers and notched 30 RBI from the top of the order.
Joining Ruth in the outfield from a year ago are junior Kelci Johnston and sophomore Hayden Crawford. Johnston was third on the team with 10 homers in 2011, while Crawford hit .274 and led the team with 10 stolen bases in as many tries.
Senior Tess Echols returns at shortstop, where she put together a .311 average in conference play and helped Crawford solidify the back end of the JSU lineup. Senior Katie Matchen returns as the Gamecocks' backup catcher and pinch hitter.
JSU has four newcomers on this year's roster with one junior college transfer and three prep signees. Outfielder Jessica guy joins the Gamecocks after playing two seasons at Mount Hood Community College in Oregon.
Catcher and designated hitter Shelby Holley joins JSU from Pisgah High School in Pisgah, Ala., where she broke the state and national records for career home runs and home runs in a single season, while infielder Sara Borders moves cross-county from Alexandria High School. Infielder Savannah Sloan wraps up that incoming class from Taylor County High School in Georgia.
The Gamecocks will open the 2012 season on Feb. 10 against Lipscomb in the South Alabama Mardis Gras Invitational in Mobile, a tournament that will also seee JSU face Mississippi State, Memphis and Alabama. JSU will open its home schedule with the Jacksonville State Invitational, a tournament that will run from Feb. 17-19 and feature the Gamecocks, Southern Illinois, South Alabama and Southeastern Louisiana.
JSU's annual Fan Day is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. at University Field. Admission is free, and there will be free snacks, t-shirts, games and other prizes.
Saturday, March 14
Saturday, March 14
Wednesday, March 11
Thursday, February 19
