Six Bulldogs Earn All-SEC Softball Honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Six Georgia Bulldogs earned recognition from the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday as the league announced its All-SEC softball honors.

Sophomores Alisa Goler and Taylor Schlopy were named to the All-SEC First Team, senior Christie Hamilton and sophomore Brianna Hesson were named the All-SEC Second Team, Kristyn Sandberg was selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team and senior Kristin Schnake was picked as the SEC All-Defensive Team shortstop.

The SEC softball honors are based on performance in conference games only and voted on by the league's coaches, and no ties were broken. Georgia's six selections this year ties the school record for number of players honored by the league for a season as the Bulldogs also had six recognized in 2006. Schlopy is the only Bulldog in this year's group of honorees to have earned All-SEC recognition last year having been named to the All-SEC Freshman Team.

Goler, a third baseman and native of Frankfort, Ill., batted .400 with eight home runs and 29 RBI in SEC games this season. In league games, Goler ranked second in slugging percentage (.829), tied second in home runs, third in RBI, third in total bases (58), tied fourth in doubles (6), ninth in batting average, tied ninth in hits (28) and 11th in on-base percentage (.476). She was named SEC Player of the Week on Feb. 23. Overall, Goler has also climbed in the SEC record books for single-season home runs and RBI. Her 20 home runs rank third and is just five shy of the league record while her 75 RBI also ranks third and is just four away from the conference's top mark. Goler also stands poised to break into the SEC single-season top 10 for batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Her current 1.029 slugging percentage would establish a new league record.

Schlopy, an outfielder and native of West Hills, Calif., led the Bulldogs with a .422 batting average, 27 runs and a .891 slugging percentage in SEC games this season. She also tallied 19 RBI and went a perfect 9-for-9 in steal bases. In league games, Schlopy ranked first in slugging percentage, first in on-base percentage (.558), first in runs scored, tied second in home runs (8), fourth in total bases (57), sixth in batting average and eighth in stolen bases. As a leadoff batter in SEC games, Schlopy reached base over 60-percent of the time. She also fielded at a perfect 1.000 and was named the SEC Player of the Week on May 4.

Hamilton, a pitcher and native of Acworth, Ga., posted a 10-6 record and a 1.99 earned-run average in 95.0 innings pitched in SEC games. In league games, Hamilton ranked third in wins, fourth in opponent batting average (.196), fifth in earned run average and seventh in innings pitched. She was twice named SEC Pitcher of the Week. She earned the first weekly honors following a 3-0 week with two victories over Kentucky. She earned the second weekly honors after another 3-0 week that featured a pair of wins over Arkansas including a combined no-hitter with sophomore Sarah McCloud. In addition to Kentucky and Arkansas, Hamilton also posted two wins in Georgia's winning series against Ole Miss and Auburn.

Hesson, a first baseman and native of Sugar Hills, Ga., batted .338 with four home runs and 14 RBI in SEC games this season. Among the league's players that fielding a perfect 1.000 in conference play, Hesson had the most chances of a non-catcher recording 136 putouts and 11 assists. She also ranked among the league's leaders in double plays turned with five while at the plate, Hesson ranked tied fourth in doubles (6) and 14th in batting average. Hesson's conference highlights including hitting .308 with three runs at Auburn, going 4-for-7 with two runs against Mississippi State and hitting .375 with five RBI against Ole Miss. She provided the Bulldogs with a team-best 10-game hitting streak in SEC contests this season while setting career game-highs for runs scored (2), hits (3) and RBI (3) multiple times in conference games.

Sandberg, a catcher and native of Island Park, N.Y., batted .329 with six home runs and 13 RBI in SEC games this season. In league games, she ranked tied seventh in home runs and 10th in slugging percentage (.643). Sandberg also ranked among the league leaders who fielded a perfect 1.000 doing so with 97 putouts and nine assists. On the year, she has thrown out 13 of 28 base runners including five in SEC action. Sandberg's SEC series highlights include hitting .538 with a home run in all three games at Auburn and hitting .444 with a home run and three RBI versus Kentucky. She had a stretch of eight SEC games with a hit, which ranked second best on the team this season.

Schnake, a shortstop and native of Richview, Ill., becomes the first Bulldog to be selected to an All-SEC Defensive Team. Schnake ranked among the league leaders in total chances making 45 putouts and 55 assists. She committed just three errors in SEC games for a conference fielding percentage of .971. On the year, she is fielding .972 and has helped the Bulldogs to national ranking of third in fielding percentage at .978, which would establish a new single-season school record. In the Georgia record books, Schnake ranks fourth all-time with 331 career assists.

First Team All-SEC
P - Stacey Nelson, Florida
P - Kelsi Dunne, Alabama
IF - Molly Johnson, Kentucky
IF - Aja Paculba, Florida
IF - Alisa Goler, Georgia
IF - Kelley Montalvo, Alabama
OF - Brittany Rogers, Alabama
OF - Taylor Schlopy, Georgia
OF - Kelsey Bruder, Florida
OF - Kirsten Shortridge, LSU
C - Chelsea Bramlett, Mississippi State
DP/U - Charlotte Morgan, Alabama

Second Team All-SEC
P - Stephanie Brombacher, Florida
P - Christie Hamilton, Georgia
IF - Ali Gardiner, Florida
IF - Tiffany Huff, Tennessee
IF - Megan Bush, Florida
IF - Brianna Hesson, Georgia
OF - Francesca Enea, Florida
OF - Ka’ili Smith, Mississippi State
OF - Jazz Jackson, LSU
OF - Myesha Finney, Auburn
C - Megan Yocke, Kentucky
DP/U - Lauren Grill, Ole Miss

Freshman All-SEC
P - Chanda Bell, Kentucky
P - Cat Hosfield, Tennessee
IF - Brittany Cervantes, Kentucky
IF - Jessica Spigner, Tennessee
IF - Juliana Santos, LSU
IF - Brittany Griffiths, Arkansas
OF - Cassandra Reilly-Boccia, Alabama
OF - Ka’ili Smith, Mississippi State
OF - Alicia Sisco, Florida
OF - Corrine Doornberg, Ole Miss
OF - Michelle Moultrie, Florida
C - Kristyn Sandberg, Georiga
DP/U - Amanda Locke, Alabama

SEC All-Defensive
P - Stacey Nelson, Florida
C - Ashley Holcombe, Alabama
1B - Ali Gardiner, Florida
2B - Aja Paculba, Florida
SS - Kristin Schnake, Georgia
3B - Kelley Montalvo, Alabama
LF - Myesha Finney, Auburn; Adele Voigt, South Carolina
CF - Brittany Rogers, Alabama
RF - Kelsey Bruder, Florida
 
Player of the Year
Charlotte Morgan, Alabama

Pitcher of the Year
Stacey Nelson, Florida

Coach of the Year
Tim Walton, Florida

Freshman of the Year
Amanda Locke, Alabama

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Lillian Hammond, Tennessee

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