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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
– The University of West Alabama softball team was
well represented on the 2008 All-Gulf South Conference
Softball East Division Team, placing three on the All-GSC
First Team and four on the Second Team.
Juniors Emily
White, Courtney Gordon and Ashley Edgar were voted to
the GSC East First Team. Junior Laura Bagwell joined a
trio of Tiger freshmen on the Second Team – Kelli
Hartley, Valisha Fincher and Angela Smith. The four
selections to the first team are the most since 1997,
when UWA had four selected to the conference first
team.
White, who was also
tabbed as this week’s GSC East Pitcher of the Week, was
voted the top utility player in the GSC East. The
Ragland, Ala.-native played in 56 games this season at
first base or in the circle. She led the Tiger pitching
staff with 12 wins under her belt, turning in a
staff-best 63 strike outs. At the plate, White
registered 45 hits and drove in 27 on the season.
Gordon, a transfer from Meridian Community College, was
a mainstay at shortstop and UWA’s top hitter in 2008.
The Columbus, Miss-product tallied a team-best 65 hits
and produced a .385 batting average. Gordon carded 16
extra base hits. Edgar was the top vote-getter for the
catcher’s spot on the squad. The Roseville, Calif.
transfer from Sierra College ranks in the top five on
the team in nine offensive categories. She led the Red
and White in doubles with 13 and drove in 29 runs in her
first season as a Tiger. Defensively, behind the plate,
Edgar threw out 14 runners and was credited with a .974
fielding percentage.
Bagwell was also a
fixture in the infield this season along with some time
in right field late in the season. She sported a .296
batting clip with 53 hits on the season. She set a new
career standard with eight home runs this season.
Bagwell reached base a team-leading 31 times via a
walk. She also swiped ten bases on the season.
Hartley, a rookie from Northport, Ala. connected on a
team-best 13 home runs, shattering UWA’s freshman record
for round-trippers in a season. Fincher and Smith were
tabbed to the outfield corps of the second team.
Fincher compiled a .341 batting average, reaching base
60 times on the season. The Tarrant, Ala. native led
UWA in the stolen base department with 13. Smith caught
fire at the plate during conference action, posting a
team-best .355 batting average. The Wetumpka,
Ala-product led UWA in RBIs in conference games only
with 13.
UWA finished the season with a 29-29
overall mark, including an upset win over 2nd-ranked
Alabama in Huntsville on Sunday. The 29 wins is the
most since the 1997 campaign. |
