May 10, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Georgia Tech softball standout Whitney Haller was named Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Freshman of the Year, announced by the league office on Wednesday night. Joining Haller on the All-ACC first team was senior Amy Hosier, while junior Caitlin Lever earned second team all-conference honors for the Yellow Jackets.
Haller, a native of Marietta, Ga., becomes the second consecutive Jacket to earn Freshman of the Year honors (Aileen Morales-2005). She broke ACC single-season records in home runs (22), RBI (69), total bases (156) and saves (6), ranking in the top-10 in the nation in all four categories. She also led the ACC in batting average (.409) and slugging percentage (.839). For her efforts, she was named to the All-ACC first team.
Hosier, a native of Lakewood, Colo., finished third in the league with a .371 batting average and led the conference with a .524 on base percentage and 49 walks to garner first team all-conference honors for the second consecutive season. She set a new Tech single-season record in walks and set a career-high with 44 runs batted in and eight home runs.
Lever, a native of Amherst, N.Y., set a career-high with seven home runs and is batting .338 for the Jackets, earning All-ACC honors for the second straight season. She was selected to the second team, after garnering first team honors in 2005.
Virginia Tech’s Angela Tincher edged Haller out for ACC Player of the Year and was tabbed ACC Pitcher of the Year, after setting a new league record in strikeouts with 444. She went 24-6 and carried a 0.76 earned run average.
NC State’s Lisa Navas earned ACC Coach of the Year honors after leading the Wolfpack to an ACC regular-season championship in just their third year of existence. The Pack are the top seed in the tourney with a conference record of 14-6.
The ACC Tournament will get underway on Thursday, May 11, at Noon. The No. 4 seed Yellow Jackets (43-18, 12-9 ACC) will face No. 5 seed Florida State (38-25, 10-10 ACC) at 5:30 p.m. The games on Thursday can be followed via live stats at www.ramblinwreck.com, while Friday and Saturday action can be watched via live webcast at www.theacc.com.
2006 All-ACC Teams:
All-ACC First Team (alphabetical by school)
Yuruby Alicart, FSU
Natasha Jacob, FSU
Veronica Wootson, FSU
Whitney Haller, GT
Amy Hosier, GT
Breanna Brown, UNC
Crystal Cox, UNC
Shaina Ervin, ST
Abbie Sims, ST
Angela Tincher, VT
All-ACC Second Team Jenna Macchi, BC
LaShaun Davis, FSU
Caitlin Lever, GT
Lindsay Klein, UMD
Lindsey Ubrun, UMD
Cassie Palmer, UNC
Jen Chamberlin, ST
Jessica Taylor, VA
Jessica Everhart, VT
Charisse Mariconda, VT
Beth Walker, VT
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