The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Land Six On C-USA All-Conference Teams
5/9/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 9, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The UAB softball team landed six players on the All-Conference USA Teams announced by the league office on Wednesday, highlighted by junior Whitney Fletcher’s Co-Newcomer of the Year award and senior Mandy Lowman All-C-USA first team selection.
Fletcher and three additional players in senior outfielder Catherine Crawford, sophomore pitcher Lannah Campbell and sophomore utility Kristen McGrath were named to the All-C-USA Second Team, along with freshman shortstop Heather Pearson who was selected to the All-Freshman Team.
Fletcher shares the C-USA Co-Newcomer of the Year award with UCF’s Ali Schmidt. A junior transfer from North Florida State CC, Fletcher tops team in runs (39) and is third on team with a .326 average and seven homeruns. She has started all 55 games in centerfield and has been named C-USA player of the week twice (3/19, 4/23).
Lowman receives all-conference recognition for the third straight year after earning second-team honors last season and first-team honors the year before. A native of Huntsville, Ala., Lowman ranks first on team with a .359 average, 98 total bases, a .641 slugging percentage and a .456 on-base percentage. Earlier this season, she broke the UAB career home run record (32) and career RBI record (126). The senior catcher leads C-USA in overall chances (434) and putouts (389), and is tied first in runner thrown out by catchers (20).
Crawford leads squad with a .329 average in C-USA games and in overall doubles (13), triples (4) and sacrifice bunts (11). Earlier this season, she broke UAB’s career triple record (12). A native of Hueytown, Ala., she is second on team with 34 runs scored and is a perfect nine-for-nine in stolen bases.
Campbell has a team-best and career-high 138 strikeouts. She has allowed only 22 walks in 122.2 innings and has given up just 12 earned runs and 11 walks in 67.0 innings against league competition. The Satsuma, Ala. native struck out a career-best 15 batters against Southern Miss (4.28) and was named C-USA Pitcher of Week twice (3/12, 4/30).
McGrath has started 54 games as the designated hitter and leads team with 39 RBI and 14 home runs. She broke the UAB single-season home run record this season, and is batting .303 and slugging .587. She is tied fifth in league with five homers in C-USA games.
Pearson tallied her first collegiate hit against Marshall, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run and hit a three-run homer, her first as a Blazer, against Chattanooga. The Kennesaw, Ga. native is sixth on the squad with 17 runs, and is slugging .293 with 17 total bases in 58 at bats. On defense, she has made just two errors in C-USA play in 76 chances and is third on the team with 58 assists.
The Blazers kick off postseason action Thursday when they host the 2012 C-USA Championship. No. 2 UAB will take on No. 7 Memphis in the opening round at 7 p.m. at the UAB Softball Field.
