Sells, Richardson Earn NFCA DII All-America Softball Honors, 5-16-02

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5-16-02

Sells, Richardson Earn NFCA DII All-America Softball Honors

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Senior pitcher Annie Sells and sophomore outfielder Stacey Richardson were named to the NFCA Division II All-America second team, announced Wednesday evening by the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association (NFCA) at the 2002 NCAA DII Softball National Championships award banquet.

For Sells it is her second All-America award as the Chattanooga, Tenn., native also earned second-team All-America honors in 2000. The holder of 13 Peach Belt Conference pitching records, Sells finished the 2002 season with a 22-6 record and an 0.72 ERA with 267 strikeouts in 183.2 innings pitched. Sells 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 8.8. The honor caps an impressive resume for Sells in her four-year career at AASU - the PBC's Freshman of the Year in 1999 and a two-time PBC Player of the Year in 2000 and 2002, Sells earned All-Conference and All-Region honors all four years and collected 86 wins and 875 strikeouts in 113 games pitched.

Also earning second team All-America honors was Richardson, a transfer from the University of Georgia who completed her first season with the Pirates in 2002. The Dalton, Ga., native .394 while setting AASU single-season records with 16 home runs and 56 RBI and currently ranks third NCAA Division II in home runs with 0.34 per game.

AASU, ranked No. 12 in the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 poll, finished the 2002 season with a 40-7 record and advanced to the third day of the South Atlantic Regional. The Lady Pirates graduate six seniors from this season's squad and return eight players for next season, including Richardson and All-PBC and All-South Atlantic Region second baseman Stacy Oliver.

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