Childers, Brasil Named All-Conference In The A-Sun
5/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 6, 2009
2009 A-Sun All-Conference Release
2009 A-Sun A-Conference List
Spartanburg, S.C. - After finishing the season with 29 wins, a pair of sophomore standouts from the USC Upstate softball team were named to the all-conference team as the Atlantic Sun Conference released its postseason awards Wednesday prior to the start of the A-Sun Tournament Thursday in DeLand, Fla. Morgan Childers and Kim Brasil were each selected second team all-conference after leading Upstate to 29 wins on the year.
"I am proud of both Morgan and Kim for leading our team to a successful year," said Upstate head coach Chris Hawkins. "They are both very deserving of awards. They are catalysts for our team and their leadership and performance on the field are keys to our success. Morgan was pressed into pitching a lot more than we had wanted or expected and I think some of her numbers suffered because of that. But, every time we put her out there, I always thought we had a very good chance to win. She is that dominant of a pitcher. She has won 50 games for us the last two seasons and is our career strikeouts leader in just two years. That is all you really have to say. Kim is so determined to win and wills herself to play well. I have a ton of confidence in her ability to direct our team behind the plate and she is one of the strongest offensive players we have had in our program through the years. I can't say enough good things about them both and am happy for them that they are being acknowledged for the high level at which they play the game."
Childers, from Kings Mountain, N.C., earned her second all-conference nod after going 23-9 with a 1.64 ERA. She led the A-Sun in wins, strikeouts, opponent batting average, appearances and starts. She set two milestones on the year, finishing the season with 277 strikeouts to break her own school record of 258 set last year during her freshman season. Just 17 games into the season, she broke the Upstate career strikeouts record and now has 535 Ks in two seasons with the Spartans. She now owns all three key strikeout records in program history - 535 in a career, 277 in a season and 18 in a game. She also tossed her second career no-hitter. She was named the A-Sun Pitcher of the Week three times on the season, garnering weekly league honors for the fourth time in her career.
Childers is the only Upstate softball player to earn more than one all-conference honor from the A-Sun in the Spartans' two years in the conference. She was a first team all-conference selection a year ago while earning league pitcher of the year and freshman of the year honors. It marked the only time in conference history that a player had earned both awards in the same year. She went on to earn second team all-region honors by the NFCA.
Brasil, from Mississauga, Ontario, turned in quite a season despite getting off to a rough start with a knee injury in the season-opening doubleheader. After exiting the second game of the sweep of Montreat on Feb. 8, Brasil missed the next 10 games with a minor knee injury suffered after diving in head first to first base on a bang-bang play against the Cavaliers. She returned to the lineup and led the Spartans at the plate. She finished the year with a team-best .342 batting average and 12 doubles as the Spartans' everyday catcher. She led the team with a .500 slugging percentage and collected a .984 fielding percentage behind the plate. She was an A-Sun Player of the Week selection during the year. An all-freshman pick as a freshman, this is her first all-conference nod in her career.
Cheyenne Jenks, from Florida Gulf Coast, was named the A-Sun Player of the Year, marking the second straight year the Eagles has taken player of the year honors. Campbell's Brittany Stanley was named the A-Sun Pitcher of the Year, while fellow league hurler Whitney Kiihnl, from Lipscomb, took home league Freshman of the Year honors. Campbell's Drew Peterson was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year after leading the Camels to the regular season championship and No. 1 seed in the upcoming league tournament. Campbell and FGCU led all teams with five all-conference selections each, with FGCU taking four first-team selections.
The selection of Childers and Brasil to the A-Sun All-Conference team marks the second straight year Upstate has had multiple selections to the all-conference team. Last year, Childers was joined on the team by second team selections Heidi Gibbs and Lauren Quevedo.
2009 A-Sun Player of the Year: Cheyenne Jenks, Florida Gulf Coast
2009 A-Sun Pitcher of the Year: Brittany Stanley, Campbell
2009 A-Sun Freshman of the Year: Whitney Kiihnl, Lipscomb
2009 A-Sun Coach of the Year: Drew Peterson, Campbell
2009 A-Sun All-Conference Team
First Team: Brittany Stanley (P, Campbell), Jenni Holtz (P, Mercer), Ashley Battaglia (C, North Florida, unanimous selection), Karlie Love (INF, Campbell), Jessica Carter (INF, Florida Gulf Coast), Cheyenne Jenks (INF, Florida Gulf Coast), Kellie Sirus (INF, Lipscomb), Courtney Platt (OF, Florida Gulf Coast), Lauran Ziegler (OF, Florida Gulf Coast), Holly Oglesbee (OF, Mercer), Katie Kelly (DP, Jacksonville);
Second Team: Whitney Kiihnl (P, Lipscomb), Morgan Childers (P, USC Upstate), Kim Brasil (C, USC Upstate), Mollie Mitchell (C, Lipscomb), Robin Leathers (INF, Campbell), Amanda Miller (INF, Campbell), Jessica Paez (INF, Florida Gulf Coast), Abby Keese (INF, Lipscomb), Hillary Wheatley (OF, Campbell), Lauren Dortwegt (OF, Lipscomb), Amy Joyce (OF, Stetson), Christen Campbell (DP, Lipscomb).
2009 A-Sun All-Freshman Team
Courtney Billington (INF/OF, Lipscomb), Amy Campbell (C, ETSU), Shaina Dent (North Florida), April Harper (P, Kennesaw State), Whitney Kiihnl (P, Lipscomb, unanimous selection), Caroline Mason (OF, Lipscomb), Taylor McGee (C, Campbell), Christina Melton (P, Campbell), Mollie Mitchell (C, Lipscomb, unanimous selection), Sarah Sigrest (P, Jacksonville), Catherine Tarvin (P/OF, Kennesaw State).
