COUGARS SOFTBALL

JACKSON, SAUNDERS, BIRMINGHAM CHOSEN ALL-REGION

5-16-06

CALDWELL, N.J. - Caldwell College seniors Katie Jackson (Pennsville, NJ/Pennsville), Jessica Saunders (Glen Burnie, MD/Archbishop Spaulding) and Kim Birmingham (Pine Hill, NJ/Overbrook) were named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association all-Northeast Region squads, the NFCA announced. Jackson and Saunders were selected to the all-region first team, while Birmingham was chosen to the second team. The Northeast Region consists of schools from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference and the Northeast 10 Conference.

The 2006 CACC Player of the Year, Jackson made the all-Northeast Region first team in each of her four seasons at Caldwell. As a senior right-fielder, Jackson led the Cougars in batting (.386), hits (54), doubles (17), home runs (nine) and runs batted in (28) to help Caldwell win its third consecutive CACC regular-season and tournament titles. Also a four-time all-CACC first team choice, Jackson finished her career with 189 hits, 19 homers and 108 RBIs while posting a career batting average of .377. Jackson, who will graduate this Sunday with a degree in accounting, recently was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District third team.

Saunders makes her second straight appearance on the all-Northeast Region first team as one of three pitchers honored. This past season, Saunders was 15-7 with an earned run average of 1.49. She struck out a career-high 205 batters in 164 1/3 innings, and capped her career with a 16-strikeout performance in a 1-0 victory over Bloomfield College in the CACC Tournament on May 4. For her career, Saunders fanned 533 batters while going 51-21 with an ERA of 1.28 in 502 innings. A two-time all-CACC first team selection, she was named to the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic all-District second team. Saunders will graduate on Sunday with a degree in computer science.

Birmingham, who also made the all-CACC second team this past season, batted .270 with 16 RBIs while playing first base and catcher for the Cougars. She also ranked fourth on the team with 40 hits. An elementary education major who also graduates on Sunday, Birmingham compiled 117 hits in 191 career games.

Birmingham, Jackson and Saunders are a part of a senior class that captured three CACC crowns, won a Northeast Region championship in 2004 and compiled a record of 151-54 over four seasons. In 2006, the Cougars, coached by Dean Johnson, advanced to the Northeast Region Tournament for the third straight season and finished the year with a record of 36-17.

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