JACKSON NAMED CACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
5-2-06
Jackson |
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Saunders |
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Birmingham |
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Bodrog |
CALDWELL, N.J. - Caldwell College senior outfielder Katie Jackson
(Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville) was selected the Central Atlantic Collegiate
Conference Softball Player of the Year by the league's 12 head coaches, the
conference announced. Jackson is the first Cougar to win the Player of the
Year award in the 17-year history of the softball program. She was one of
four Cougars honored by the CACC, with senior pitcher Jessica Saunders
(Glen Burnie, MD/Archbishop Spaulding) joining Jackson on the first team,
and senior infielder Kim Birmingham (Pine Hill, NJ/Overbrook) and
sophomore infielder Nicole Bodrog (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) making the
second team. The Cougars captured their third straight CACC regular-season
crown with a 19-3 mark in the conference (33-15 overall).
Jackson, who has been chosen to the CACC first team all four of her years at
Caldwell, is batting .395 with 51 hits, 15 doubles, nine home runs and 26
runs batted in, all team highs. She also leads the conference in slugging
percentage (.736) and on-base percentage (.527). A three-time NFCA
all-Northeast Region selection, Jackson has 186 hits and a career batting
average of .380 in 184 games as a Cougar. Her 19 home runs and 106 RBIs also
rank among Caldwell's all-time leaders.
Saunders earns a spot on the all-CACC first team for the second consecutive
year after going 14-7 with an earned run average of 1.50, the lowest in the
conference. She also led the league in strikeouts with 179 in 149 innings
pitched. Saunders, who was named to the NFCA all-Northeast Region first team
in 2005, tossed 13 complete games with two shutouts this season. In her
career, Saunders has a record of 50-21 with an ERA of 1.27 and 507
strikeouts.
This is the first time either Birmingham or Bodrog received all-conference
accolades. Birmingham is batting .280 with 37 hits and 15 RBIs while playing
in all 48 games at first base and catcher for the Cougars. Bodrog leads the
team in runs scored with 27 and ranks second in batting (.323) and hits
(40). The Cougars' third baseman for most of the year, Bodrog also has 10
doubles this season.
The Cougars, coached by Dean Johnson, are the top seed in this week's
CACC Tournament, which will be held on the campus of Caldwell College. The
tournament begins Thursday, May 4 and runs through Saturday, May 6 at
Caldwell Field.
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