Peach Belt Releases Softball All-Conference Team

FLORENCE, S.C. -- The Peach Belt Conference announced the 2009 All-Conference team at a banquet in Florence, S.C., site of the Friday’s PBC Tournament. Georgia College & State University’s Sherquita Bostick was named the conference Player of the Year for the second straight season. North Georgia’s Sarah Phillips was selected as the Pitcher of the Year and Augusta State’s Kacee Camp the Freshman of the Year. North Georiga coach Mike Davenport was named the Coach of the Year.

The 2009 All-Conference team was expanded this year with nearly double the number of award winners split into a first and second team. The 2009 first team has 18 members thanks to ties at the DP/UT and outfield positions, leaving 14 members on the second team.

Bostick becomes only the second PBC player ever to win the Player of the Year award for a second time and the first to do so in consecutive seasons. Armstrong Atlantic State’s Annie Sells received the award in 2000 and 2002. Bostick hit .370 for the Lady Bobcats this season with 10 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .756 slugging percentage. The senior from Florence, S.C., led the league in total bases and triples, was second in home runs, was second in slugging percentage, third in RBIs and 10th in batting average. She was named an NFCA second-team All-American last year and the 2008 PBC Tournament MVP. Bostick’s honor brings the Player of the Year award to GCSU for the third time in the last four years; Keidra Baitey won it in 2006.

Sarah Phillips finished the season with a 28-1 record, having won 25 straight decisions entering the PBC Tournament. A sophomore from Powell, Ohio, Phillips has a 1.17 ERA in her 185 innings pitched, allowing hitters a .167 batting average for the season while striking out 184. She is currently second in the PBC in ERA, strikeouts and innings while leading the PBC in opponent batting average and wins. She has 10 shutouts on the year and has allowed two or fewer hits in a game 13 times. She becomes the first North Georgia softball player to be named the Pitcher of the Year.

Kacee Camp completed a remarkable regular season by leading the PBC in hitting with a .421 batting average. The freshman from Harlem, Ga., started in 43 games her first year with four home runs and 27 RBIs with a .935 fielding percentage at shortstop. Camp is ranked in the PBC top 10 in slugging, on-base and sacrifice hits. She was a perfect 13 for 13 in stolen base attempts and struck out only eight times in 133 at-bats. Camp becomes the first Augusta State player to be named the PBC Freshman of the Year.

Mike Davenport earns his first PBC Coach of the Year honor after guiding North Georgia through the process of becoming an NCAA Division II school from the NAIA to the 2009 PBC regular season championship. In his ninth season at NGCSU, Davenport guided the Lady Saints to a 39-3 overall record, 17-1 in conference play, the #1 seed for the tournament and a program-best #2 national ranking.

The 2009 All-Conference team is listed on the following page as selected by the league’s head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

2009 Peach Belt Conference
Softball All-Conference Team

First Team

1b - Nicole Huddleston, Armstrong Atlantic State
2b - Christie Thompson, Columbus State
3b - Jelena Shaw, UNC Pembroke
SS - Kacee Camp, Augusta State
C - Jessica Strickland, USC Aiken
C - Sara Moore, Columbus State
OF - Sherquita Bostick, GCSU
OF - Courtney McGuire, NGCSU
OF - Pilar Harden, NGCSU
OF - April Jowers, Columbus State
OF - Sam Floyd, Armstrong Atlantic State
P - Sarah Phillips, North Georgia
P - Mandy Chandler, GCSU
P - Toni Flessate, USC Aiken
P - Emily Headrick, Armstrong Atlantic State
DP/UT - Leslee Smith, North Georgia
DP/UT - Jessica Thornton, Augusta State
DP/UT - Laura Hauff, Francis Marion

Second Team

1b - Tonya Medders, GCSU
2b - Gabby Buck, Georgia Southwestern
3b - Megan Lakes, USC Aiken
SS - Lauren Locklear, USC Aiken
C - Alysha Krier, Augusta State
C - Anna Parker, GCSU
OF - Morgan Patrick, UNC Pembroke
OF - Jessica Birchmeier, Francis Marion
OF - Jessica Strong, Armstrong Atlantic State
P - Sara DeMuth, Augusta State
P - Michaela Wolf, Francis Marion
P - Lauren Bubeck, Francis Marion
P - Hayley Leissner, Lander
DP/UT - Ginny Walsh, Columbus State

Player of the Year
Sherquita Bostick, GCSU

Pitcher of the Year
Sarah Phillips, North Georgia

Freshman of the Year
Kacee Camp, Augusta State

Coach of the Year
Mike Davenport, North Georgia