University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball Eagles Land Two on the All-Conference Teams
5/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 11, 2011
 Brittany Lilly  | |
IRVING, Texas - Conference USA announced its 2011 All-Conference first and second teams as well as the all-freshman teams and individual postseason award winners for softball on Wednesday, as selected by the league's head coaches.
Southern Miss had two players earn all-conference honors. Junior outfielder Leslie LeJune earned Second Team All-Conference for her first post-season honor in her career. She leads the team as well as ranks first in the league with 13 doubles. She is batting .268 on the year with four home runs and 21 RBI. LeJune is one of nine players in the league to record a multiple home run performance in a game.
Brittany Lilly was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. Southern Miss has now had someone name All-Freshman nine out of the last 11 years. Lilly is ninth in the conference in batting average at .327 and on base percentage at .398. She has played in 50 games with 46 starts at third base. She is one of three players on the Golden Eagle team with a grand slam.
Co-champions Houston and Tulsa claimed four of the five individual awards. East Carolina's Toni Paisley collected her third consecutive C-USA Pitcher of the Year honor, which ties the league record set by Houston's Angel Shamblin from 2006 to 2008. Houston's Melissa Gregson was named the league's Player of the Year.
Paisley, a senior from Lakewood, Calif., lived up to her Preseason Pitcher of the Year honor as she set conference career records for strikeouts (1,238), innings pitched (1,038.3) and appearances (176). The three-time All-C-USA first teamer also holds the league record for career wins (113). Paisley currently ranks 23rd in NCAA Division I history in career strikeouts and 27th in victories. The 2010 Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America selection posted a 27-11 record and 1.11 ERA this year. Through NCAA games as of May 8, Paisley was is third in Division I shutouts (14) and ranked among the top 16 in strikeouts (.344/5th), victories (27/7th), ERA (1.11/8th), hits allowed per seven innings (4.11/14th) and walks allowed per seven innings (1.22/17th).
Gregson, a 5-6 junior leftfielder, is the third individual in Houston history to win the league's Player of the Year honor. The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native led C-USA in home runs (16), RBIs (43) and ranked third in slugging percentage (.678). Against conference opponents, Gregson was even more dangerous. She hit a league-high .418 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs. The 2011 All-C-USA first team selection also ranked third in hits (28) and runs scored (20). Not just a power hitter, Gregson was dangerous squared at the plate, too. She ranked second in sacrifice bunts (15) while playing left field, catcher and first base for the Cougars.
Houston pitcher Donna Bourgeois also fulfilled her preseason expectations and was named Newcomer of the Year and earned All-C-USA second team accolades. The 5-7 senior was the two-time Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) Pitcher of the Year before transferring to Houston. That landed the Lafayette, La., native a spot on the C-USA preseason all-conference squad. Bourgeois went 15-6 overall and 8-1 in league play, while posting a 1.63 ERA, a key reason why the Cougars led the league in team ERA (1.28) this season. Conference opponents managed a paltry .154 batting average as Bourgeois posted a 0.50 ERA in league action. She has not surrendered a home run to a league opponent and has allowed only five all season.
Pitcher Aimee Creger emerged as a potential star in the making at Tulsa. The 5-10 native of Yukon, Okla., was named the league's Freshman of the Year and was a member of the All-C-USA first team and All-Freshman team after capturing 22 victories and posting the nation's third-best ERA (0.83). She also ranked second nationally in hits allowed per seven innings (2.73) and 17th in strikeouts per seven innings (9.4). Opponents struggled all season and hit a dismal .120. Creger also had four saves on the year and became the first player in Tulsa history to record 200 strikeouts in a single season (228). If that wasn't enough, Creger hit .272 and drove in 16 runs. She was named the C-USA Pitcher of the Week three times and was one of seven TU players to earn all-conference honors.
Tulsa's John Bargfeldt led the Golden Hurricane to a share of the conference championship. For his efforts, Bargfeldt was voted the league's Coach of the Year. This was Tulsa's third regular-season title and second in the last three years. Tulsa finished the regular season with a 41-12 record and a 19-5 mark in league play. The 19 league victories set a school record, while the 41 overall wins rank as the third-most in program history.
Tulsa tallied a league-best 12 all-conference honors, followed by East Carolina's 10 and Houston's nine. UAB finished with three award winners while Memphis, Southern Miss and UCF all had two each.
2011 ALL-CONFERENCE USA SOFTBALL TEAMSFirst TeamC - Rebecca Gamby, MarshallIF - Holly Anderson, HoustonIF - Heather Mott, MemphisIF - Samantha Cobb, TulsaIF - Natalie Land, UCFOF - Melissa Gregson, HoustonOF - Caitlin Everett, TulsaOF - Caley Walden, UABU - Lacey Middlebrooks, TulsaP - Toni Paisley, East CarolinaP - Aimee Creger, Tulsa
Second TeamC - Mandy Lowman, UABIF - Sissy Jimenez, East CarolinaIF - Brooke Lathan, HoustonIF - Jill Barrett, TulsaIF - Kelly Chapman, TulsaIF - Tiffany Lane, UCFOF - Suzanne Riggs, East CarolinaOF - Leslie LeJune, Southern MissOF - Shelby Blanton, TulsaU - Jill Jelnick, East CarolinaP - Donna Bourgeois, HoustonP - Amanda Crabtree, Houston
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAMJill Jelnick, East CarolinaKristi Oshiro, East CarolinaJasmine Robbins, East CarolinaJordan Lewis, East CarolinaHaley Outon, HoustonDiedre Outon, HoustonAshleigh King, MemphisBrittany Lilly, Southern MissJill Barrett, TulsaAimee Creger, TulsaShelby Blanton, TulsaLeigh Streetman, UAB
2011 ALL-CONFERENCE USA SOFTBALL INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERSCoach of the YearJohn Bargfeldt, Tulsa
Player of the YearMelissa Gregson, Houston
Pitcher of the YearToni Paisley, East Carolina
Freshman of the YearAimee Creger, Tulsa
Newcomer of the YearDonna Bourgeois, Houston
