May 19, 2008

SUWANEE, Ga. – In exclusive 2008 all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) voting by the league’s head coaches, Lindsey Willett of Centre was selected the conference’s Offensive Player-of-the-Year and Megan Soultz of DePauw University was tabbed as Pitcher-of-the-Year. In that same balloting, Millsaps head coach Roland Rodriguez was voted SCAC Coach-of-the-Year for a record fifth time, claiming the previous four awards at league-rival Trinity University.

Earning first team All-SCAC honors for Millsaps were SS Sam Hill, OF Tiffany Ladnier and RHP Kasey Thibodeaux, while 3B Jen McKinley and RHP Brittney McAllister were named second team and 1B Karoline Kremers gained honorable mention.

Hill, a sophomore from Birmingham, Ala., had a breakout season in her second year with the Majors, leading the team in batting average (.426), hits (49), runs (36), doubles (17) and total bases (69) while tallying 13 multi-hit and six multi-RBI games. An NFCA All-Atlantic Region Third Team, SCAC All-Tournament Team and SCAC Co-Player of the Week selection, Hill struck out just nine times in 115 at-bats to lead the league.

A junior from Hernando, Miss., who has played and started in all 107 games in a Millsaps uniform thus far, Ladnier batted a career-best .342 on the year with 32 runs, seven RBIs, two doubles and two triples in addition to a .935 fielding percentage from the outfield. The SCAC's career-leader in stolen bases, Ladnier swiped 12 bases in 13 attempts to give her 57 on her career and was also a 2008 SCAC All-Tournament Team nod.

Thibodeaux, a native of Youngsville, La., rounded out the first team selections, leading the pitching staff with 70 strikeouts (sixth in SCAC), 13 CG, eight wins (fourth in SCAC) and a 2.58 ERA (fourth in SCAC) in addition to a .282 batting average, 14 RBIs, 12 runs and five doubles from the plate. The sophomore became just the second player to earn recognition for both her offensive and pitching exploits in the Majors' run through the SCAC Tournament, landing on the All-Tourney team as a pitcher and position player.

McKinley, an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI First Team selection and SCAC All-Tournament Team nod, followed up a strong freshman campaign with a .369 batting average, 41 hits, 30 runs, 26 RBIs, eight doubles, six home runs and a triple. The sophomore from Frisco, Texas, batted .471 over her final 22 games with an .843 slugging percentage after starting the first 12 games under the Mendoza Line. She led the team in homers for a second-straight season, ranked third in hits and fourth in batting average.

Another talented sophomore on the Majors' pitching staff, McAllister posted a 6-5 record on the year with a 3.39 ERA, 30 strikeouts, eight complete games and a SCAC-best three saves, while holding opponents to a .281 batting average in 74.1 innings pitched. The Mobile, Ala., product won her final four starts to tie for second on the team in wins.

In her first season with Millsaps, Kremers started in 29 of 30 games played, tied for second on the team in RBIs (25) and carried a .231 average with 21 hits, three doubles and two homers. The highlight of her freshman campaign was a March 18 doubleheader against Centre at home when the Beeville, Texas, native went a combined 5-for-8 with 10 RBIs, four runs scored, a grand slam (first career home run) and a 3-run shot.

In his second year on the Majors' staff, Rodriguez led Millsaps to the SCAC championship game for the first time since 2004 where they dropped a 1-0 decision to No. 1 DePauw. Millsaps finished with an overall record of 20-14 – the program’s first winning season since 2005 and a 10-game turnaround from last year – the biggest improvement in the standings this year.

It is the seventh time in eight seasons in the SCAC that a Rodriguez-led team has won 20+ games as he is the league’s all-time winningest coach with 188 victories. He is also the first coach in SCAC history in any sport to be named Coach-of-the-Year at two different conference schools.