Five Bulls Receive All-Conference USA Honors

[Bullsfan]

http://gobulls.usf.edu/Sports/News.asp?i=746&s=Softball

Five Bulls Receive All-Conference USA Honors

CHICAGO, Ill. (May 12, 2004)-Five members of the University of South Florida softball team received all-conference honors on Wednesday afternoon, announced by the league office. Leigh Ann Ellis, Carmela Liwag and Holly Groves were named to the First Team All-Conference USA, while Shelly Riker was selected to the second team and Danielle Urbanik was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team. Ellis was also selected as the league's Pitcher of the Year.

Ellis leads the league with a 39-4 (.907) record that currently ranks second in the nation. Her 0.73 ERA ranks 11th in the nation while she is tied for 19th with four saves. The senior has struck out 258 batters in 248.2 innings pitched. Ellis has thrown 13 complete-game shutouts this season, including one against then-No. 7 Stanford. She has struck out eight or more batters in 13 games and leads the league with a total of 258 Ks. In 49 appearances, she has allowed just 26 earned runs and has yet to allow a triple or home run during her time in the circle. Ellis has kept her opponents to a .155 batting average this year. She is also a five-time C-USA Pitcher of the Week honoree and was named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Player of the Week for the period ending March 7.

Groves currently leads the Bulls in six offensive categories including batting average (.434), hits (86), home runs (17) and RBI (80). Her 80 RBI is leading the nation and she currently holds the conference record for home runs and RBI in a season.

Liwag is batting .377 on the year with 75 hits and is tied with Groves for the team high in doubles with 18. Liwag became the only Bull to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game. She has 476 putouts to go along with her 20 assists.

Riker is USF’s all-time stolen base leader with 104. She is second on the team with a .398 batting average and runs scored with 57. Riker has an on-base percentage of just under .500 and is 19-21 in stolen bases this year.

As a freshman Urbanik has a 12-4 record on the year with a 2.53 ERA. Not only a threat from in the circle but also from the plate, Urbanik is batting .261 on the year with four doubles and 19 RBI. She connected on her first collegiate home run on April 18th in game one against UAB and then followed it up with a her first no-hitter in game two.

Ellis, Groves, Liwag and Riker were all selected to the 2004 Conference USA Softball Preseason All-League team, voted on by the league’s coaches

The Bulls will play ECU tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. in the first game of the C-USA Tournament in Louisville, Ky.

First-Team All-Conference USA

C: Lacy Wood, Louisville

IF: Kristen Glowacz, Houston

IF: Carmela Liwag, USF

IF: Audrey Rendon, Louisville

IF: Saskia Roberson, DePaul

OF: Holly Groves, USF

OF: Auriel Jenkins, Southern Miss

OF: Shannon Nord, Louisville

P: Leigh Ann Ellis, USF

P: Aja Sherman, Louisville

UT: Sarah Martz, DePaul

Second-Team All-Conference USA

C: Krista Jessup, East Carolina

IF: Ashley Davis, Southern Miss

IF: Christina Douglas, DePaul

IF: Jessica Huerta, Southern Miss

IF: Kate Manuse, East Carolina

IF: Beth Mullins, UAB

IF: Christine Sheridan, East Carolina

OF: Sara Bausher, Louisville

OF: Shelly Riker, USF

OF: Linda Secka, DePaul

P: Jessica Holaway, Southern Miss

P: Jenny Johnson, Houston

UT: Jenilee Skender, Houston

Conference USA All-Freshmen Team

Jamie Adams, Houston

Catherine Bishop, Louisville

Jessica Evans, DePaul

Kady Garrick, Louisville

Holly Krzan, UAB

Sue Logan, Southern Miss

Courtney Moore, Louisville

Jessica Moore, Charlotte

Audrey Rendon, Louisville

Linda Secka, DePaul

Danielle Urbanik, USF

Most Valuable Player: Auriel Jenkins, Southern Miss

Pitcher of the Year: Leigh Ann Ellis, USF

Freshman of the Year: Audrey Rendon, Louisville

Coach of the Year: Gay McNutt, Southern Miss

[FLIPSTYLE]

i'm glad to see some recog. for their hard work. hopefully they can go further. Go bulls

[bulls96go]

go girls

go bulls

win it all, please