Six Wildcats named all-LSC South

Bryan, Wilson earn individual conference honors

ABILENE -- One of the best seasons in ACU softball history was rewarded by Lone Star Conference South Division head coaches on Monday with the most Wildcat players ever named to the LSC South Division all-conference first team.

Four players -- including senior first baseman Katie Bryan, who was named LSC South Division Player of the Year -- were named to the first team, surpassing by one the number of Wildcats named first team all-conference in 1998.  The other three Wildcats named to the first team squad were catcher Ashley Whittenberg, third baseman Valerie Malkinson and outfielder Jade Wilson.

Pitcher Jennifer Leal and second baseman Kristin Alvarado were each named second team, and second-year head coach Chantiel Wilson was named LSC South Division Coach of the Year after guiding the Wildcats to a school-record 13 conference wins.

Bryan is the fourth player in nine-year history of ACU softball to be named LSC South Division Player of the Year, joining her head coach, Wilson, who was named the MVP in 1997 while playing as Chantiel McDonnell.  Veronica Villa (2000) and Misty Pryer (2002) were also named LSC South Player of the Year.

Bryan -- a first team all-NCAA Division II South Central Region and third team all-America player as a junior in 2004 -- re-wrote the ACU record book during her career and will leave ACU as the all-time leader in games played (190), runs scored (149), hits (223), home runs (35), RBI (168) and total bases (374).  She's also the single-season leader in home runs (16 in 2005), RBI (55 in 2005), total bases (127 in 2005), walks (34 in 2005) and slugging percentage (.836 in 2005).  During her monstrous 2005 season, she also set single-game records for total bases (10 in an April 1 game against Eastern New Mexico), home runs in a game (2 in both games of an April 1 doubleheader at ENMU) and RBI (6 in both games of an April 1 doubleheader at ENMU).

Malkinson -- an all-conference and all-region player in 2004 -- hit .370 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI to go along with a .703 slugging percentage in 2005.  Whittenberg had her best season as a Wildcat, hitting .310 with four home runs and 34 RBI, while Wilson -- a junior college transfer -- hit .327 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI.

Leal finished the season 21-11 with a 4.18 ERA in 209 innings of work.  She allowed 265 hits and 119 runs (97 earned), while giving up 54 walks and struck out 84 batters.  Alvarado -- an all-LSC South Division player in 2004 -- hit .315 with three home runs and 20 RBI while scoring 42 runs.

ACU finished the season at 30-20 after going 0-2 last weekend at the LSC Post-Season Tournament.  The Wildcats were ranked No. 6 in the regional poll going into the tournament with the top six teams in the region at the end of the regular season earning invitations to the regional tournament.  ACU, though, will now have to wait until the middle of this week to find out if it is still clinging to the No. 6 spot in the regional poll.