May 25, 2005
ATLANTA – Jessica Sallinger, Amy Hosier, Christine Sheridan, Katie Donovan, Kristina Hull and Aileen Morales were all recipients of Georgia Tech softball team awards, as selected by the team, announced by head coach Ehren Earleywine on Tuesday.
Sallinger, a senior from Kennesaw, Ga., was named Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season. She became the Atlantic Coast Conference’s strikeout record holder and career victories leader with 1,398 and 109, respectively. Sallinger ender her playing career fourth in the NCAA in career strikeouts, 10th in career K’s per game (9.8) and tied for 19th in career wins. She was tabbed ACC Pitcher of the Year and Tournament MVP, along with All-ACC first team for the third consecutive season. Sallinger broke her own single-season school records in shutouts (16) and strikeouts (373) and finished the year 28-9, with a 1.19 earned run average.
Hosier, a junior from Lakewood, Colo., was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. She hit .356 for the Yellow Jackets, with a team leading 39 runs batted in and carried a .467 on base percentage. Hosier earned All-ACC first team honors after leading the ACC during conference action with a .405 average and earned ACC All-Tournament honors after helping Tech to its second tournament crown.
Sheridan, a junior from Pasadena, Md., was named as the team’s Best Defensive Player. She led the Jackets with a .380 batting average and .485 on base percentage, and carried a fielding percentage of .928. She played her best defense down the stretch when the Yellow Jackets were making their run to the regular season and tournament titles, committing just three errors over her last 16 games at shortstop, and ended the season errorless over the last seven contests (ACC and NCAA Tournaments). Sheridan garnered All-ACC first team honors for the Jackets.
Donovan, a senior from Marietta, Ga., earned the team’s Character Award. Donovan moved over to third base this season, from second, and carried a .355 on base percentage for the Jackets. She walked 32 times, drove in 25 runs and hit four home runs.
Hull earned the team’s Hardest Worker Award for the second straight season. A sophomore from Colorado Springs, Colo., Hull hit her first career grand slam in Tech’s season opener versus Chattanooga on Feb. 5 and finished the season with a .225 batting average and a .326 on base percentage. She drove in a career-high 10 runs and started in nine games for the Yellow Jackets.
Morales, a freshman from Columbus, Ga., was tabbed Freshman of the Year after leading Tech and the ACC with a school record 44 stolen bases. She suffered a season-ending injury against No. 8 Georgia in the NCAA Regional on May 21, finishing the season with a .297 batting average and .346 on base percentage. She currently stands third in the nation in stolen bases per game (0.71) and was named ACC Co-Freshman of the Year and second team all-conference.
The Yellow Jackets finished the season 51-14, for a program-best .780 winning percentage. Tech’s 159 stolen bases leads the nation and set a new school mark, along with seven swipes in a single game, 268 runs batted in and a team .371 on base percentage. The 51 victories was just one shy of the school record of 52 set in 2002.
-GT SOFTBALL-
