Emory Softball Puts Six On All-UAA Honors List -- Thomas Named League Rookie of the Year

Six members of the 2009 Emory University softball squad have been selected to the All-University Athletic Association Team.  The all-league honorees were chosen by the conference coaches based on their entire play this season. 

The Eagles of Head Coach Penny Siqueiros placed four players on the All-UAA First Team and two on the second team.  Senior first baseman Kim Bandy (Duluth, GA) and junior center fielder Cassie Walsh (Palm City, FL) each landed their third consecutive first-team nods while senior outfielder Alyson Moler (Purcellville, VA) and junior Caitlin Fitzgerald (Warren, NJ) brought home first-team acclaim for the first time in their careers.

Senior pitcher Shanon Andersen (Sahuarita, AZ) and senior designated player Carey Smith-Marchi (San Francisco, CA) were second-team honorees with Andersen's selection representing her initial all-conference honor and the second for Smith-Marchi.

Heading into this weekend's NCAA Tournament play, Walsh paces the squad and stands No. 2 in the UAA in hitting with a .438 average.  She is tied for the top spot on the team with 53 hits and has totaled 15 multi-hit contests this year.  Walsh has been solid in the field as well, handling all 33 of her chances without a miscue in 2009.   She has been successful on all 15 of her stolen base attempts this year and ranks as the school's all-time leader in that category with 51 thefts.

Bandy once again has proven herself to be one of the UAA's most formidable hitters with her .398 average at the plate placing her third on the team and seventh on the conference ladder. Tied for the Eagles' top spot in both hits (53) and runs scored (31),  Bandy has pounded out a team-best seven triples,  good for a third-place tie on the school's single-season list, and driven in a league-leading 38 runs.

Moler, just one of two players to have started all 40 Emory games this season (Bandy is the other), posts a .331 average, good for 13th place among UAA players, and is tied for second on the squad with 10 doubles is fourth in runs scored with 28.   She has come through with a dozen multi-hit performances and has hit a career-high four home runs.

Fitzgerald, a starter in 32 of the 33 contests she has seen action in, is hitting at a fine .341 clip which is fifth on the team and 11th in the conference.  She has compiled eight multi-hit games, four of which came at the UAA Tournament (Mar. 10-14) where she hit .400 with 10 hits in 25 trips to the plate.  Fitzgerald has been rock-solid defensively at her second base post where she has successfully handled 101 of 103 chances (.981).

The owner of a 16-7 won-lost mark on the mound, Andersen leads the UAA with an ERA of 0.81.  She has fanned 10 or more batters on six occasions and has 184 strikeouts, second on Emory's seasonal chart, to her credit in 146 2/3 innings. She has completed 11 of her 20 starts this season.  Career-wise, she is tied for fourth at Emory with 37 career wins and her 414 strikeouts is second only to Kathy Gordon's first-place mark of 430.

Smith-Marchi, a first-team pick in 2008, continues to be a thorn in the side of opposing pitchers, claiming a .328 hitting average along with 32 runs batted in, good for third place on the team.  Tied for second among Emory players with four homers, she is second in triples.  Smith-Marchi's eight multi-RBI outings in third on the team and she has four contests of three or more RBIs. 

Thomas has given the Emory offense a huge lift her rookie campaign as she heads into the weekend hitting .416, good for the No. 4 position on the UAA ladder. She tops the squad in doubles with 13, tied for fifth on the school's seasonal listing, home runs with five and her .656 slugging percentage is the best on the team and third among UAA performers.  A starter in 37 of 38 games this year, she is tied with Kim Bandy for the team lead with 16 multi-hit games. She is the sixth Emory player to be named UAA Rookie of the Year.

Emory, 30-10 on the year, opens NCAA regional play on Thursday (May 7) against LaGrange College in Salisbury, Maryland.