Prier, Pittman Headline OVC Awards,
10 Gamecocks Receive Honors

From JSU Sports Information

5/6/2009 7:00:00 PM JACKSONVILLE - Ten members of the Jacksonville State softball program received honors at the Ohio Valley Conference's Pre-Tournament Banquet on Wednesday night, including Nikki Prier and Karla Pittman, who earned the league’s Player and Pitcher of the Year awards, respectively.

Prier and Pittman were joined by head coach Jana McGinnis, who was named the conference's Co-Coach of the Year to allow the regular-season champion Gamecocks to become the first school to win all three since JSU achieved the feat in 2005. Jax State (38-11, 19-2 OVC) will host the 2009 OVC Softball Championship at University Field, beginning on Thursday.

Senior catcher Allie Barker and junior outfielder Chrissy O'Neal were named First Team All-OVC along with Prier and Pittman, while senior Jackie Jarman, junior Hillary Downs and sophomore Ashley Eliasson earned second team honors. Downs and freshmen Meredith Sellers and Allison Svoboda were selected to the league's All-Newcomer squad.

Prier, a junior first baseman from Raleigh, N.C., became the third Gamecock in the last five seasons to be named the league's top player after falling one home run short of the OVC Triple Crown. She led the league with a .434 batting average and 49 RBI, while also finishing first in five other offensive categories. Her 0.41 doubles per game not only leads the OVC but ranks first nationally.

Pittman, a senior from North Canton, Ohio, rolled through OVC play with a 10-0 record and a 0.47 ERA to become the second JSU player in the last five seasons to earn OVC Pitcher of the Year accolades. She led the league with a 1.21 earned run average, while tossing six shutouts and holding opposing batters to a .190 average.

McGinnis, in her 16th season with the Gamecocks, earned her third OVC Coach of the Year trophy in the past five years. She split the votes with Southeast Missouri coach Lana Richmond, whose Redhawks finished second in the league race. McGinnis is taking the Gamecocks to the postseason for the 14th-straight season and claimed her third OVC regular season crown in five years.

Barker, a native of Gadsden, Ala., and one of just two-fourth-year players on the JSU roster, earned first team honors for the second-straight season after batting .381 with nine home runs and 37 RBI. She started all 49 games for the Gamecocks and committed just six errors in 296 chances. In league play, Barker posted a .339 average and belted five homers.

O'Neal earned All-OVC honors for the third-straight season and first team accolades for the second time in as many years after finishing third on the team with a .364 average. The Dallas, Ga., native hit eight home runs for JSU in 2009, and really turned it on in league play. Against OVC foes, she hit .382 with five home runs and a .481 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot.

Eliasson, a sophomore from Vallejo, Calif., and first-team selection in 2008, was a second team selection this year after posting a 15-6 record and a 1.47 ERA. She led the team with 114 strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .167 average but shined brightest in league games. Against the OVC, she went 9-2 in the circle and held a 0.82 ERA, while holding her foes to a .139 average.

Jarman, the team's only other fourth-year player, earned her first All-OVC honors after batting .333 with three homers and 13 RBI in league games alone. On the year, the outfielder from Edmond, Okla., hit .275 with 23 RBI while swiping six bases in seven tries.

Downs also made her first appearance on the All-OVC team, but the Childersburg, Ala., native did so in her first season with the Gamecocks. She finished fourth on the team with a .343 batting average and led the Gamecocks with 13 stolen bases. The JSU centerfielder tied O'Neal for third on the team with eight home runs, while driving in 21 runs.

Sellers, a Columbiana, Ala., native and Svoboda, a native of Gardendale, Ala., joined Downs on the league's All-Newcomer Team after impressive debuts to collegiate softball. Sellers hit .297 as the team's designated hitter with six homers and 28 RBI, while posting a .320 average with four homers and 20 RBI in league games. Svoboda started 43 games at third base for JSU and was stellar at the plate and in the field. She hit .311 and drove in 20 runs on four homers in OVC play, while committing no errors in league play.

The top-seeded Gamecocks will get the quest for their second-straight OVC Tournament title underway on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., when they take on the winner of the 12:30 p.m. game between No. 4 UT Martin and No. 5 Tennessee Tech. Tickets are $10 per day and can be purchased at the gate at University Field. Live Stats for all games will be available at www.jsugamecocksports.com.

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