GWU's Fullwood, Morenus, Ward and Boomhower All Receive Big South All-Conference Recognition
May 12, 2010 | Softball
Charlotte, N.C. - For the second straight season, the Lady Bulldogs had four individuals receive Big South All-Conference recognition at the Awards Banquet on the eve of the Big South Softball Championship Tournament.
For the second straight season, Christa Fullwood was named to the First-Team All-Conference Team at first-base and was also named to the Big South All-Academic Team.
Sophomore McKenzie Morenus joined Fullwood on the First-Team as the utility player, while senior catcher Mandy Ward and junior pitcher Cindy Boomhower were both named to the Second-Team All-Conference.
Fullwood started all 51 games for GWU at first-base this season and posted a .377 in Big South play, which ranked in the top-10 overall at the season's end. On the year, Fullwood hit .399, which ranks No. 1 in the conference for the entire regular season of play, while the senior is also first overall in the League with a .477 on-base percentage and a .682 slugging percentage on the season. Fullwood is second overall in the Big South with 59 hits and 43 RBIs on the year, third in walks with 24 and fourth in total bases with 101. In conference play, Fullwood scored 14 runs, which ranks fourth overall in the Big South. This season, she leads the team with 59 hits, 32 runs scored, 11 doubles, 43 RBIs, 101 total bases, 24 walks, three sacrifice hits, a .682 slugging percentage and a .477 on-base percentage. Fullwood is also second on the team with two triples and nine home runs on the year.
The Lowes Senior Class Award Finalist was also named to the Big South All-Academic Team for the second consecutive year, as she has posted a 3.64 cumulative grade point average toward completing her degree in both psychology and sociology.
Morenus has started 48 games for GWU on the year, seeing most of those starts at designated player or catcher. Morenus was second on the team with a .293 average in conference play, which ranks in the top-20 overall, in the Big South statistics, and is also second on the team with an overall season average of .261. The sophomore is tied for second on the team with seven doubles, is third on the team with 37 hits, third in slugging percentage at .451, third in home runs with sixth and in RBIs with 23. The versatile player has tallied three sacrifice hits and has posted a .960 fielding percentage on the year behind the plate for Coach Cole's squad. In conference play, Morenus was third on the team with 10 RBIs. On the season, Morenus posted 12 multi hit games and recorded six multiple RBI games, including driving in three RBIs in four different games.
Ward, who was named the catcher for the Second-Team All-Conference Team for the second consecutive season, started in all 51 games for GWU this season. Ward leads the team with 10 home runs on the year and finished the regular season tied for second in the Big South with five home runs in conference play. The senior is second on the team with 40 hits, seven doubles, 30 RBIs, 77 total bases, and a.500 slugging percentage on the season and is third on the team with 21 runs scored and with a .260 average. The Charlotte, N.C. native made history this season, as she became GWU's Division I leader in career home runs, blasting 26 for her career. Ward posted four multi-hit games and three multiple RBI games in Big South Conference games and went on to record seven total multiple RBI games and 10 multi-hit games on the year. The sure-handed catcher has thrown out eight would be stealers on the season and 36 in her four-year career at Gardner-Webb.
Boomhower has started 18 games this season and made 30 total appearances on the year. The junior posted a 1.58 ERA in 66.2 innings in conference action, which ranked second in the League in conference play. The righty, who missed most of last year due to an injury, had eight wins on the year, four of which came in conference play, and also had two saves both of which came in conference action. Boomhower surrendered only 15 earned runs in conference play and tallied 57 strikeouts in Big South action, which was third in the Big South statistics. Boomhower, a two-time Big South Pitcher of the Week recipient this season, tied for first on the team with three complete game shutouts and led the team with 12 complete games. For the season, she has recorded a 2.43 ERA over 141.1 innings of work, striking out 128 batters while holding her opponents to a .254 batting average on the season and .212 in conference play.
Gardner-Webb, who is the No. 4 seed in the Big South Softball Championship Tournament this week, will open up the conference tournament against No. 5 Charleston Southern at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, May 13, in Conway, S.C.
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2010 SOFTBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
First-Team All-Conference
OF: Hope Creasy, Radford
OF: Shannon Keefe, Radford
OF: Jana Matthews, Charleston Southern
1B: Christa Fullwood, Gardner-Webb
2B: Nichole Beall, Radford
SS: Kristen Shifflett, Radford
3B: J'nae Jefferson, Liberty
C: Sarah Himan, Radford
P: Tiffani Smith, Liberty
P: Chelsea Kelley, Radford
DP: Cacia Pierre, Coastal Carolina
UT: McKenzie Morenus, Gardner-Webb
Second-Team All-Conference
OF: Tera Powell, Presbyterian College
OF: Meredith Baisden, Liberty
OF: Lauren Williams, Radford
1B: Megan Hall, Charleston Southern
2B: Cassie Hendrix, Liberty
SS: Jazmin Daigle, Coastal Carolina
3B: Shayla Cullum, Charleston Southern
C: Mandy Ward, Gardner-Webb
P: Kat Johnson, Liberty
P: Cari Wooldridge, Winthrop (tie)
P: Cindy Boomhower, Gardner-Webb (tie)
DP: Kristin Kelleher, Charleston Southern
UT: Danielle Howard, Liberty
All-Academic Team
Caitlin Allen, Charleston Southern
Ashley Frederick, Coastal Carolina
Christa Fullwood, Gardner-Webb
Chelsea Kelley, Radford
Brittany Howell, Presbyterian College
J'nae Jefferson, Liberty
Lauren Levin, Winthrop
Player of the Year
Kristen Shifflett, Radford
Pitcher of the Year
Tiffani Smith, Liberty
Coach of the Year
Mickey Dean, Radford
Co-Freshman of the Year
Jazmin Daigle, Coastal Carolina
Kat Johnson, Liberty
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Caitlin Allen, Charleston Southern
