Two Ladyjacks Named Academic All-SLC
6/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
June 4, 2008
FRISCO, Texas - Two Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks were named to the 2008 Academic All-Southland Conference Softball Teams, announced Wednesday be league officials. Junior Kari Hugie and sophomore Briana Bishop each made the 22-player list -- Hugie as a first-team selection and Bishop on the second team.
Hugie is making her second appearance on the Academic All-SLC team, having earned the honor last season in her first year of eligibility. After playing primarily as a pitcher in her first two seasons, Hugie became the Ladyjacks' designated player in 2008. She batted .261 with 42 hits and 26 runs batted in. Hugie's six home runs tied for fourth on the team. Hugie also gave SFA a solid third pitcher, when needed. She went 4-5 in 16 appearances with a 2.96 earned run average.
Hugie continued to excel in the classroom in 2008. The biology major from Greenville, Miss., carries a 3.9 GPA into her senior year. Earlier this spring, Hugie was given the Kathy McGough Academic Athlete of the Year Award, which annually honors the SFA student-athlete who has achieved the highest level of academic achievement in the department's 16 sports.
Bishop's academic all-conference honor is the first of her career and comes in her first season of eligibility for the award. The third baseman batted .270 on the season and finished second on the team with 34 RBI. Her six home runs tied Hugie for fourth place on the squad.
Both players were part of one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in the country this season, as they helped lead the Ladyjacks to a fourth-place finish in the Southland Conference and the program's first berth in the NCAA Division I Championships. SFA went 36-25 on the season and earned a bid to the SLC Tournament for the first time in 18 years. The Ladyjacks reeled off three straight wins at the league tournament to reach the NCAA Championships.
-- SFA --
