NCCSIA Announces 2008 North Carolina All-State University Division Softball Team

DURHAM, N.C. – Eleven student-athletes, representing six different schools, comprise the 2008 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) University Division All-State Softball Team released Monday.

The fifth-annual team consists of NCAA Division I student-athletes from North Carolina colleges and universities. North Carolina sports information professionals submitted the nominees and NCCSIA members voted for the all-state team, which consists of two pitchers, one catcher, four infielders, three outfielders and one designated player.

Atlantic Sun Conference champion and NCAA regional playoff participant Campbell University led the way with four students on the team. North Carolina A&T State University placed three students on the team, while individuals from East Carolina University, Elon University, North Carolina Central University and Western Carolina University filled out the 2008 all-state squad.

Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from North Carolina’s NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions for the purpose of promoting college athletics in the state. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina whose responsibilities include sports information.

NCCSIA selects all-state teams in the university (NCAA Division I) and college (Division II, III, NAIA) divisions for women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and baseball. More than 500 student-athletes have been recognized on all-state teams since 2003.

The 2008 NCCSIA College Division All-State Softball and Baseball team were announced last week. The University Division All-State Baseball Team will be released later this month.

2008 NCCSIA All-State Softball Team (University Division)
Pos. Name School Class Hometown
P Jennifer Luper North Carolina A&T Freshman Fort Mills, S.C.
P Brittany Stanley Campbell Sophomore West Lafayette, Ind.
C Amanda Littlejohn Campbell Sophomore Lake Elsinore, Calif.
IF Sophia Blue North Carolina Central Junior Hope Mills, N.C.
IF Lillian Bullock North Carolina A&T Sophomore Anchorage, Alaska
IF Tracey Dahlen Elon Senior Pasadena, Md.
IF Yahamma White* North Carolina A&T Sophomore Lancaster, S.C.
OF Stacey Andrews East Carolina Senior Greenville, N.C.
OF Katie Hinton Campbell Freshman College Station, Texas
OF Courtney Quinn Campbell Senior Glencoe, Ala.
DP Mollie Fowler Western Carolina Sophomore King, N.C.

* – 2007 NCCSIA All-State pick

Pitcher Brittany Stanley, catcher Amanda Littlejohn, and outfielders Katie Hinton and Courtney Quinn helped Campbell to a 42-25 overall record, the Atlantic Sun Tournament Championship and an upset of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the NCAA regional playoffs.

Stanley, who tossed every inning of the Camels’ run through the Atlantic Sun postseason to earn tournament Most Valuable Player honors, posted a school-record 26 victories (26-10) with a 2.23 earned run average. The sophomore pitched seven shutouts and 31 complete games, while striking out 174 batters in 257.0 innings of work. On April 25 against conference foe Gardner-Webb University, Stanley threw the third perfect game in school history.

Littlejohn, who started every game behind the plate for Campbell for a second consecutive year (137 straight starts), boasted a .367 batting average with 84 hits, 44 runs scored, 19 doubles, 15 home runs and a school-record 72 runs batted in during her sophomore campaign. A Second Team All-Atlantic Sun honoree, Littlejohn was also recognized as a member of the A-Sun All-Tournament Team after hitting 8-for-17 with five RBIs and two homers during the championship sweep. She also belted a three-run home run in Campbell’s 7-6 upset of North Carolina in NCAA regional action.

Hinton, a Second Team All-Atlantic Sun selection who started every game as a rookie, averaged .366 at the plate with 75 hits, 55 runs scored, 20 RBIs, 10 doubles and a conference-high six triples. Her .366 batting average topped all league freshmen and was good for seventh overall in the A-Sun.

Quinn earned Second Team Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Southeast Region recognition as well as First Team All-Atlantic Sun and A-Sun All-Tournament honors after shattering the school record with 20 home runs. The senior hit .322 with 68 hits, 47 runs scored, 45 RBI, 19 doubles and two triples with a .716 slugging percentage. Quinn blasted a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to win the Atlantic Sun Tournament.

Freshman pitcher Jennifer Luper and sophomore infielders Lillian Bullock and Yahamma White sparked North Carolina A&T to a 31-17-1 overall record and a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular-season divisional crown.

Luper, the MEAC Rookie of the Year and a First Team All-MEAC pick, became the first Aggies’ pitcher to win 20 games in a season, posting a 20-5 mark. She tossed 20 complete games with three shutouts, 102 strikeouts and a 2.41 ERA.

Bullock, a repeat All-MEAC First Team selection, ranks as one of the nation’s leaders with eight triples. She finished with a .368 batting average, 42 runs scored, 38 RBI and a .714 slugging percentage. During her sophomore season, Bullock belted seven round-trippers to become A&T’s all-time home run leader (24).

The lone repeat all-state honoree, White also earned First Team All-MEAC recognition for the second straight season. She led the league with 49 runs scored and 22 stolen bases, while recording a .404 batting average and 22 multiple-hit games this season.

Senior outfielder Stacey Andrews helped East Carolina to a 37-30 record and a spot in the NCAA regional playoffs, where the Pirates captured their first NCAA postseason victory. Andrews played in 65 of ECU’s 67 games, including 63 starts in left field. A Conference USA All-Tournament Team selection, she batted .330 with 58 hits, 33 runs scored, 39 RBI, 11 home runs, nine doubles and three triples with a .602 slugging percentage. Andrews topped the Pirates in batting average, triples, home runs, RBI, total bases and slugging percentage.

Elon senior shortstop Tracey Dahlen was chosen to the All-Southern Conference Team for the second consecutive season after becoming the school’s career leader in assists. Dahlen posted a .352 batting average with 57 hits, 22 runs scored, 22 RBI, three home runs, eight doubles, a triple and 21 stolen bases.

Junior third baseman Sophia Blue boasts the nation’s top batting average (.482) for North Carolina Central, which competed in its first season of NCAA Division I competition in 2008. She hit safely in 41 of 49 games, including 21 multi-hit outings, and boated a .503 on-base percentage as the team’s lead-off batter. A two-time college division all-state honoree (2006, 2007), Blue topped the Eagles with 67 hits, 34 runs scored, four triples, 26 stolen bases and 85 assists.

Sophomore designated player Mollie Fowler topped Western Carolina with seven home runs and 30 RBI. She also recorded a .290 batting average with 42 hits, 22 runs scored and five doubles.