DELAND, Fla. (May 10, 2008) - The ETSU softball team did not have anyone named to the 2008 Atlantic Sun All-Conference Team on Wednesday, but three talented Lady Buccaneer players stepped their game up this weekend in the conference tournament and walked away with All-Tournament Team accolades Saturday evening from Patricia Wilson Field.
Following the conclusion of Campbell's 6-3 championship win over Stetson, junior Jessie Hackworth (Clinton, Tenn.), and sophomores Marissa Hardy (Rocklin, Calif.) and Katy Jett (Talbott, Tenn.) were honored for the stellar play and received the honor for the first time in their collegiate career during the post-game ceremonies.
Hackworth entered the tournament on a six-game hitting streak and extended it to a season-best 10-game stretch after batting a team-high .500 (6-for-12) over the two-day, four-game run. The Clinton, Tenn. native finished the tournament with a home run, four RBIs, two runs scored and mounted an impressive .750 slugging percentage. The third baseman star was also perfect in the field as she did not commit an error in 13 chances - posting six putouts and seven assists. Hackworth's RBI single in the fourth inning versus Mercer proved to be the game-winner as it broke a scoreless battle, and her clutch two-run single against Gardner-Webb gave the Lady Bucs a 3-2 lead and she went on to score what would be the game-winner later in the inning as ETSU hung on for a 4-3 victory.
Jett had a productive weekend as two of her four hits went for extra bases (both doubles) and she also drove in three runs. The Talbott, Tenn. native drove in all three runs in ETSU's 6-3 loss to Campbell on Thursday night and recorded a three-hit game versus Gardner-Webb on Friday afternoon. The outfielder/second baseman finished the season with a team-high .347 batting average and also led the club in hits (68), runs scored (31), RBI (35), at-bats (196), total bases (91), slugging percentage (.464) and on-base percentage (.376). Jett was three hits shy of breaking the single-season hits mark and her batting average ranks third in school history.
Hardy was ETSU's leader during the regular season and guided the Lady Bucs to a pair of wins in the conference tournament. The reliable right-hander tossed 24 of ETSU's 27 total innings and posted her fifth shutout of the campaign with a 2-0 blanking over Mercer in game one on Thursday. The shutout tied a single-season record, but her 38th appearance set a new mark when she took the circle. The Rocklin, Calif. native fanned 23 batters in the four games, and finished the season with a program-record 261 strikeouts. Hardy also set new records in wins (19) and IP (229.1). She went the distance versus Gardner-Webb and earned the win after allowing three runs on five hits, while striking four Runnin' Bulldog hitters.
ETSU and Campbell were the only two schools to have three members named to the All-Tournament Team.
The good news for ETSU is these are three of the 12 Lady Buccaneer players returning from a club that set a new school record in wins (30) and stolen bases (95). Along with the returnees, head coach Andrea Mangrum and her staff is bringing in eight new faces in 2009.
For a complete listing of the 2008 All-Tournament Team, click on the link above.
For more information on Lady Buccaneer softball, visit www.ETSUBucs.com.
