May 9, 2007

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Samford softball players Stephanie Royall, Liz Pearse and Amanda Barrs were all honored Wednesday at the Ohio Valley Conference's annual Awards Banquet. Royall was named First-Team All-OVC, while Pearse earned Second-Team honors and Barrs received All-Newcomer accolades.

"Obviously, it's nice for our players to be recognized," said Samford head coach Beanie Ketcham. "We've had a record-breaking season this year, so it's good to get that recognition for them and for all of the hard work that they've put in."

Royall, Samford's sophomore pitcher from Mill Valley, Calif., earned the second All-OVC honor of her career Wednesday. Last season, she was a member of the conference's second team as a true freshman.

This year, Royall has already tied the school record with 18 wins and has compiled an 18-11 overall mark this season. She is ranked second in the OVC in shutouts (7) and leads the Bulldogs in both strikeouts (180) and complete games (23). Royall also owns a miniscule 1.53 earned run average.

"Stephanie's numbers speak for themselves," Ketcham said. "She's had a great year and she's very dominant. We would have a hard time winning without her. She's a hard-worker, a great kid and she has an outstanding mental game. She just brings all that and puts it together on game day."

Pearse, a four-year starter at shortstop for the Bulldogs, was named to the OVC's Second Team on Wednesday after putting together the best season of her career in 2007.

A native of Cary, N.C., Pearse leads the team in both runs (29) and doubles (10), and is tied for the team-lead in triples (2). This season, she set a career-high with six home runs and moved into fourth place on Samford's all-time list with 12. Pearse is also batting .292 and has tallied 42 hits and 20 RBIs.

"Liz is definitely one of the best shortstops in the league," said Ketcham. "Obviously, she's had a tough season being injured, but she's gutted it out and played well. She's really put up some good numbers this year and she's been making things happen for us offensively."

Barrs is leading the team in hitting with a .305 average and was named to the 2007 OVC All-Newcomer Team. She finished second on the team with six home runs and paced the Bulldogs in hits with 46.

A true freshman from Harrisburg, N.C., Barrs has started in all 51 games this season and has compiled a team-high 13 multiple-hit outings. She has scored 26 runs this year and finished the regular season with 29 RBIs.

"Amanda is a great competitor and she goes out to win every day," Ketcham said. "She does whatever it takes both offensively and defensively and is always focused. She pushes everybody around her to be better and with her in the lineup we are definitely a better team."

Tennessee Tech's Beth Boden was named the OVC Player of the Year, while her teammate Bonnie Bynum garnered Pitcher of the Year honors. Tennessee-Martin's Ashley Benbow received the Freshman of the Year award and Tennessee State's Joyce Maudie was named the OVC Coach of the Year.

The Samford University softball team will begin play in the 2007 OVC Tournament on Thursday as the third-seeded Bulldogs face off against the sixth-seeded Austin Peay Lady Govs at 12:30 p.m., in Cookeville, Tenn.

Fans not able to attend Thursday's games in person can listen to Justin Firesheets call the action live on 91.1 FM and via the internet at www.al.com/wvsu. Live stats will also be available for all of Samford's OVC Tournament games at www.SamfordSports.com.

With a win against Austin Peay on Thursday, Samford would advance to the winner's bracket and would face second-seeded Jacksonville State at 5:30 p.m. With a loss to Austin Peay, the Bulldogs would play the loser between Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee-Martin at 10 a.m., Friday.

2007 ALL-OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE SOFTBALL TEAMS

OVC Player of the Year: Beth Boden, Tennessee Tech
OVC Pitcher of the Year: Bonnie Bynum, Tennessee Tech
OVC Freshman of the Year: Ashley Benbow, Tennessee-Martin
OVC Coach of the Year: Joyce Maudie, Tennessee State

FIRST TEAM
P - Bonnie Bynum (Tennessee Tech) - Sr.., Fayetteville, Ga.*
P - Stephanie Royall (Samford) - So., Mill Valley, Calif.
P - Karla Pittman (Jacksonville State) - Jr., North Canton, Ohio
C - Daniella Hooper (Austin Peay) - Fr., Chapel Hill, Tenn.
IF - Beth Boden (Tennessee Tech) - Jr., Plover, Wis.*
IF - Michelle Summers (Southeast Missouri) - Jr., Glendale, Calif.%
IF - Krystina Dobbs (Tennessee Tech) - Sr., Marietta, Ga.*
IF - Chanze Patterson (Eastern Kentucky) - Jr., Kent, Wash.
OF - Daniela Pappano (Jacksonville State) - Sr., Bolton, Ontario *
OF - Ashley Benbow (UT Martin) - Fr., Millington, Tenn.
OF - Ashley Potts (Tennessee Tech) - Sr., Columbus, Ga.*
UTIL/DP - Stephanie Fischer (Tennessee Tech) - Jr., Stevens Point, Wis.

SECOND TEAM
P - Amanda Vaught (Tennessee State) - Jr., Murfreesboro, Tenn.
P - Natasha Anderson (Austin Peay) - Sr., Clarkrange, Tenn.
C - Savannah Roberts (UT Martin) - So., Nashville, Tenn.*
IF - Shyenne Hussey (Eastern Kentucky) - Fr., Waimanalo, Hawaii
IF - Liz Pearse (Samford), Sr., Cary, N.C.
IF - Megan McDonald (Southeast Missouri) - Jr., Cape Girardeau, Mo.*
IF - Niki Prier (Jacksonville State) - Fr., Raleigh, N.C.
IF - Katie Speiser (Tennessee Tech) - Jr., Ringgold, Ga.
OF - Rachel Fleming (Jacksonville State) - Jr., Gadsden, Ala.
OF - Chrissy O'Neal (Jacksonville State) - Fr., Dallas, Ga.
OF - Lindsay Pickering (Southeast Missouri) - Sr., St. Charles, Mo.%
UTIL/DP - Alana Hicks (Jacksonville State) - Jr., Murfreesboro, Tenn.

* - 1st Team All-OVC in 2006
% - 2nd Team All-OVC in 2006

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
Amanda Vaught (Tennessee State) - Jr., P, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Ashely Benbow (UT Martin) - Fr., OF, Millington, Tenn.
Chrissy O'Neal (Jacksonville State) - Fr., OF, Dallas, Ga.
Shyenne Hussey (Eastern Kentucky) - Fr., IF, Waimanalo, Hawaii
Karla Pittman (Jacksonville State) - Jr., P, North Canton, Ohio
Rachel Fleming (Jacksonville State) - Jr., OF, Gadsden, Ala.
Laura Roberts (UT Martin) - Fr., UTIL/DP, Johnston City, Ill.
Daniella Hooper (Austin Peay) - Fr., C, Chapel Hill, Tenn.
Stacia Dopudja (Southeast Missouri) - Fr., IF, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Amanda Barrs (Samford) - Fr., UTIL/DP, Harrisburg, N.C.
Tamara Perkins (Tennessee State) - Fr., IF, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Paij Lintz (UT Martin) - Fr., P, Lewisburg, Tenn.