Softball Southern Conference

2002 Softball All-League Honors and Individual Awards

Furman's Bonnie Flynn
and Georgia Southern's
Natalie Poole named
Softball Coaches
of the Year by
their peers
Softball First Team
All-Conference
SoCon Softball
Second Team All-Conference
Freshman of the Year
Crystal Crews of Georgia Southern
Pitcher of the Year
Chattanooga's Beth Alexander
Player of the Year
Penny Thompson of UNCG
Asheville, NC -- The Southern Conference announced today the 2002 Softball All-Conference teams and indivudal awards as voted on by the league's head coaches.

Highlighting the 2002 squads is Player of the Year, UNC Greensboro's Penny Thompson. A junior from Franklin, NC, she batted .349 during the season and .386 in league games. Thompson hit a conference-leading 12 homeruns and is just two shy of tying the conference record, racking up 45 RBI, 12 doubles and one triple. She was named Player of the Week on three occasions this season.

Georgia Southern freshman Crystal Crews took home multiple honors. The Freshman of the Year was also named a first-team selection as a designated player and a second-team pitching selection. Crews, from Safety Harbor, FL, set a school record for homeruns with 10, including eight in conference, while batting .324 with 20 RBI. She also pitched 120 innings, tossing 95 strikeouts while starting 14 games and picking up nine wins and three shutouts. She was also selected as a Pitcher of the Week this season

Chattanooga's Beth Alexander took home the Pitcher of the Year honor for the second straight year. The senior from East Ridge, TN, threw 20 complete games, 175 innings and 177 strikeouts with a 1.12 ERA and 22-6 record. She was 10-1 in conference with a 0.80 ERA and 88 K's. She holds the conference record for strikeouts in a season and career wins. She also threw a perfect game on April 7 and was named Pitcher of the Week twice this season.

The league coaches selected Furman's Bonnie Flynn and Georgia Southern's Natalie Poole as Coaches of the Year. Flynn, one of the Southern Conference veteran coaches, led her team to another 20-win season with 11 conference wins, including two series sweeps. She has led her team to two championship games and has been named Coach of the Year on one other occasion. In her first year in the Southern Conference, Poole led her team to 15 league wins, the most in Georgia Southern history, and a second place finish in the conference. Her team set a school record with 26 homeruns, 21 in conference games.

First Team
P-Beth Alexander, Chattanooga
P-Awbrey Winckler, Chattanooga
1B-Jada Pescatore, Chattanooga
2B-Brooke Flowers, College of Charleston
3B-Penny Thompson, UNC Greensboro
SS-Jill Crawford, Chattanooga
C-Lauren Mattox, UNC Wilmington
OF-Amanda Cone, College of Charleston
OF-Paige Cochrane, Chattanooga
OF-Jessica Matthews, Furman
DP-Crystal Crews, Georgia Southern

Second Team
P-Aimee Littlejohn, Georgia Southern
P-Crystal Crews, Georgia Southern
1B-Lael Rorie, Appalachian State
2B-Stacie Cooper, Georgia Southern
3B-Melissa Ramirez, Chattanooga
SS-Kelly Blazi, Georgia Southern
C-Christine Sweeney, UNC Greensboro
OF-Danielle Spetar, East Tennessee State
OF-Amber Handy, Appalachian State
OF-LeKerah Barr, Furman
DP-Melissa Creager, College of Charleston

Freshman of the Year
Crystal Crews, Georgia Southern

Pitcher of the Year
Beth Alexander, Chattanooga

Player of the Year
Penny Thompson, UNC Greensboro

Coaches of the Year
Bonnie Flynn, Furman and Natalie Poole, Georgia Southern