May 20, 2010
ATLANTA – Four members of the Georgia Tech Softball team were named to the All-Southeast Region teams it was announced today by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Redshirt senior Jen Yee earned first-team honors, while junior Kristine Priebe, freshman Hope Rush and sophomore Kelsi Weseman were all second-team picks.
All first-team members are now eligible for All-American honors which will be announced in early June at the Women’s College World Series.
Yee, who was named one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year award as well as ACC Player of the Year, earns all-region honors at second base. She has reached base safely at least once in all 58 games this season and heads into the NCAA Tournament leading the nation in batting average (.572), slugging percentage (1.261), on-base percentage (.738), runs scored (87) and walks (84). She is also third in the country in home runs. Yee has struck out just six times all season and is 21-for-22 in stolen base attempts, good for fourth in the ACC. Her 79 hits and 59 RBI lead the league while her 15 doubles rank third. She is a two-time Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week and five-time ACC Player of the Week.
The North Delta, British Columbia native has had 23 multi-hit and 16 multi-RBI games in the regular season and began the year hitting safely in 19 straight games. Yee has been intentionally walked 31 times this year which is an NCAA single-season record.
Yee has already broken seven school records this season and is on pace to shatter several others. She surpassed Tara Knudsen’s career walks (119) record as well as Amy Hosier’s single-season walks mark (52). In addition, Yee took down current assistant coach Aileen Morales’ single-season runs record (73). Yee did it, however, in 24 less games than Morales. Yee also topped Morales’ career runs scored record (216), Knudsen’s career doubles record (45) and Whitney Haller’s single-season home runs (24) and total bases mark (171).
Rush, who was a semi-finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year Award and the ACC Freshman of the Year and Tournament MVP, has done it both offensively and defensively for the Yellow Jackets. In the circle, she is 28-6 with a 1.71 ERA. Her wins are first in the ACC, while the ERA is sixth lowest. Rush has made 30 starts and has 26 complete games and eight shutouts. She also has a save and a .211 opponent’s batting average, which is good for eighth in the league. Of Rush’s eight shutouts, three have come over ranked teams in No. 3 Florida, No. 16 North Carolina and No. 17 Texas A&M. The Stockbridge, Ga., native has three no-hitters to her credit and is 9-3 with a 2.24 ERA in 12 starts against top 25 teams. She is a two-time ACC Pitcher of the Week. In league play, Rush was a perfect 12-0 with a 1.47 ERA and .183 opponent’s batting average.
At the plate, Rush is batting .308 with a .686 slugging percentage and a .420 on-base percentage. She is second in the ACC and eighth in the nation with 20 home runs, while her 58 RBI are second and 34th, respectively. Rush is tied for fourth in the league in slugging percentage, third in total bases (116) and fifth in walks (33). Rush 16 multi-hit and 17 multi-RBI games as well as a team-high 11 game-winning RBI. Her 20 round-trippers are tied for third on the all-time Georgia Tech single-season charts.
Priebe made an immediate impact upon transferring from the University of Florida and earns all-conference honors at first base. After driving in just nine runs in her first 25 games as a Yellow Jacket, the Moorpark, Calif., native has 48 RBI in her last 33 games and ranks third on the team and 39th in the nation with 57. Priebe is batting .340 (eighth in the ACC) with a .686 slugging percentage (tied for fourth), .498 on-base percentage (fourth), 36 runs scored (seventh), 53 hits (tied for eighth), 15 home runs (third), 107 total bases (fifth), 32 walks (sixth) and 18 hit by pitches (tied for second). She also ranks 34th in the nation in home runs, 71st in slugging percentage, 55th in on-base percentage and 18th in hit by pitches. Priebe had 11 multi-hit and 14 multi-RBI games this season while also delivering five-game winning RBI. She hit three grand slams and two of her game-winning RBI were walk-off home runs.
Weseman is batting .333 (ninth in the ACC) with a .649 slugging percentage (eighth), .451 on-base percentage (seventh), 57 runs scored (second), 58 hits (fifth), 51 RBI (fourth), 17 doubles (second), 12 home runs (tied for fifth), 113 total bases (fourth) and 13 hit by pitches (fifth). The Hutto, Texas native is 27th in the nation in runs scored and registered 19 multi-hit and 16 multi-RBI games during the season, while finishing second on the team with eight game-winning RBI.
The Yellow Jackets are the No. 8 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosting the Atlanta Regional this weekend at Mewborn Field. Oregon and Auburn will play the first game of the day at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN 2 HD, while the Yellow Jackets and Jacksonville State play at 8 p.m. on ESPN HD. Games continue at Mewborn Field on Saturday at Noon, 2:30 and 5 p.m. as well as Sunday at 1 and 3:30 p.m. All of Saturday and Sunday’s games will be shown live on ESPN HD. For complete information on the Atlanta Regional, please log onto the tournament central page at RamblinWreck.com.
