FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5-12-02

Three AASU Softball Players Earn All-Region Honors

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Senior Annie Sells, sophomore Stacey Richardson and freshman Stacy Oliver each earned All-South Atlantic Region first-team honors as the All-Region teams were announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association (NFCA) at the 2002 NCAA DII South Atlantic Softball regional this weekend.

Senior pitcher Annie Sells, who surpassed her single-season school and PBC record for strikeouts during the regional, finished the season with a 22-6 record and an 0.72 ERA with 267 strikeouts in 183.2 innings pitched. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native also hit .418 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI during the year and ranks 16^th all-time in home runs hit with 41 and 11^th all-time in career strikeouts per seven innings with 8.9. Sells, who also earned All-South Atlantic Region tournament honors, will have a chance to earn All-America honors for the second time when the NFCA All-America teams are released at the DII College World Series this upcoming week.

Also earning All-Region and All-Region Tournament honors was sophomore outfielder Stacey Richardson. The Dalton, Ga., native .394 while setting AASU single-season records with 16 home runs and 56 RBI, including two home runs in the South Atlantic Regional this weekend. Richardson currently leads NCAA Division II in home runs with 0.34 per game.

Freshman second baseman Stacy Oliver earned All-South Atlantic Region honors in her first season with the Pirates, hitting .308 with 23 RBI in 2002. Both Oliver and Richardson, also first-team All-Region honorees, will also advance to national balloting for All-America honors.

AASU finished the 2002 season with a 40-7 record and advanced to the third day of the South Atlantic Regional. Kennesaw State captured the region championship on Sunday with a 5-3 win over North Florida.

- Pirates -