General Southern Conference

Southern Conference Announces May Athletes of the Month

The Southern Conference announced today the Athletes of the Month for May. One athlete is chosen from each in-season sport: baseball (pitcher and player) and softball (pitcher and player).

Baseball

Player of the Month

UNC Greensboro centerfielder Jermaine Mitchell hit for an average of .529 during the month of May. The All-SoCon selection tallied 27 hits and 17 RBIs in 51 at-bats. Mitchell concluded the Spartans’ 2006 campaign first in the league in batting average (.397) overall and in conference play (.458). His exploits for UNCG during the season helped to garner the Daingerfield, TX product a fifth round selection in the June 6 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The Oakland Athletics tabbed Mitchell with the 158th choice overall, making Mitchell the second-highest pick in school history behind Chris Mason, who went in the second round in the 2005 draft to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Pitcher of the Month

Elon senior right-handed pitcher Chad Tilley finished the month of May with three saves and a 1-0 record. The Charlotte, NC native pitched in 9.1 innings, allowing 12 hits, with only two of the hits of the extra-base variety. The senior accumulated seven strikeouts and owned an ERA of just 0.96.

Softball

Player of the Month

Georgia Southern’s Shanita Black acquired a batting average of .468 in May to win the league’s Player of the Month award for the second consecutive month. In helping to lead the Eagles to their second SoCon tournament crown and their first NCAA tournament appearance, Black ended the 2006 SoCon Softball Championship with the Most Outstanding Player plaudits after hitting .520 in GSU’s seven contests. The SoCon Player of the Year also scored six runs in the event and swiped seven of the eight bases that she attempted to steal.

Pitcher of the Month

Melissa Laliberte of Georgia Southern commandeered a 6-2 record with a 1.31 ERA in nine appearances over the course of the month of May. A sophomore from Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, Laliberte totaled four shutouts in May, which was good for half of her school-record total of eight. Laliberte allowed an earned run in only three of her nine outings and struck out six batters four times in the month.