Scoggins eanrs MVC Pitcher of the Year honors
05/10/2006 | 12:00:00 | Softball
May 10, 2006
By Matt Crouch
www.siusalukis.com
OMAHA, Neb. - The #25 Southern Illinois University softball team continued its success Wednesday night at the 2006 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Banquet as five Salukis earned All-MVC honors with Cassidy Scoggins highlighting the night by earning MVC Pitcher of the Year honors.
Lauren Roney and Lauren Haas were selected to the All-MVC Second Team while Scoggins, Katie Louis and Krystal Stein were named to the All-MVC First Team.
Scoggins, a native of Owasso, Okla., currently has a 25-8 record and a league-best 0.97 ERA heading into this week's MVC Tournament. She has 218 strikeouts in 194.1 innings pitched and 11 shut outs.
"It's really exciting. Our team won a bunch of awards and I think it's a really good confidence booster going into this tournament," said Scoggins.
"Kerri calls the right pitches and I try to strike a lot of people out."
Her 25 wins place her third all-time at SIU in single-season wins while her 218 strikeouts rank her fifth all-time. Scoggins' 11 shut outs also rank tied for fourth all-time in single-season shut outs.
"She's a great job for us this year. She's taken the responsibility of stepping up into a lead role and has done that very, very well while maintaining a good winning percentage and ERA," said SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock.
"She is a tough pitcher and I think she deserves it - she is the best pitcher in the league."
Roney earns All-MVC Second Team honors for the second consecutive year. The Belleville, Ill. native has a .310 batting average in 2006, going 27-for-87 with four doubles and two home runs. She has also drawn 15 walks for a .435 on-base percentage.
Haas, a native of Bremerton, Wash., earns her first post-season recognition with the honor. She has a .327 (37-for-113) average in 2006, seeing action at shortstop, third base and designated player.
She is tied for the lead on the team in doubles with nine while also hitting a triple and five home runs. Haas also has 25 RBI and a stolen base.
Louis makes her second career appearance on the All-MVC First Team, also earning the recognition in 2003 as a freshman.
Louis leads the team in batting average with a .363 average, hitting 45-for-124. The O'Fallon, Ill. native leads the team in home runs with nine and is tied for the lead in doubles with nine.
She has a .669 slugging percentage and a .437 on-base percentage along with her 16 walks drawn.
Rounding out the Saluki honors is Stein, a second-time All-MVC First Team recipient from Nashville, Ill. She also earned first-team honors last season as a freshman.
Stein is second on the team in batting with a .337 (34-for-101) average. Her .411 average in MVC games ranks second in the conference. She also has five doubles, 10 RBI and six stolen bases.
The Salukis begin MVC Tournament action Thursday with a first-round match up against host Creighton. Action is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Creighton Sports Complex.
Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year
Samantha Fleeman, MSU
Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year
Cassidy Scoggins, SIU
Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year
Amber Smith, ILS
Missouri Valley Conference Coaching Staff of the Year
Illinois State
All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team
Pitchers
Stacy Birk, ILS
Darcy Wood, INS
Shannon Buslepp, MSU
Cassidy Scoggins, SIU
Catcher
Joanna Pettit, BU
First Base
Samantha Fleeman, MSU
Second Base
Lauren Cisneros, CU
Third Base
Shanna Cook, DU
Tricia Gaither, ILS
Katie Louis, SIU
Shortstop
Britnee Barnett, WSU
Outfield
Randi Patton, ILS
Jessie Smith, MSU
Krystal Stein, SIU
Katie McGeeney, WSU
Utility
Amber Smith, ILS
All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team
Pitcher
Melissa Porche, MSU
Infield
Brittany Herald, UE
TIffany Prager, ILS
Bailey Dawson, CU
Outfield
Alicia Laraway, UE
Katie Martin, MSU
Lauren Roney, SIU
Utility Lauren Haas, SIU