A record four Conference USA players earned Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-America honors as it was announced Wednesday night at the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Women’s College World Series. USF’s Holly Groves and Leigh Ann Ellis along with DePaul’s Sarah Martz and Saskia Roberson all received nods. The league marked a previous high of three players named All-Americans in 2000 and 2003. The three All-America squads were selected by NFCA-member NCAA Division I coaching representatives, based on nominations from the 2004 season.

Groves and Ellis earned All-America nods for the first time in their careers. Groves is a second team designated player selection, while Ellis earned a third-team at-large nod. The seniors are the sixth and seventh Bulls to garner All-America honors.

Groves helped the Bulls (60-14) to their best record in program history and paced C-USA in hitting all year with a .422 average, a mark that ranks 16th nationally. She set league records in several offensive categories including home runs (18) and RBI (82). Her 1.14 RBIs per game ranks second in the country, while her average of 0.25 homers per game is slotted at No. 24.

Ellis posted an impressive 43-8 record from the circle and ranks 20th nationally with a 0.93 ERA on the season. Her victory total ranks with the nation’s elite at No. 3. The lefty held her opponents’ to a meager .171 batting average in 58 appearances. In 294.1 innings pitched, Ellis struck out 313 batters.

Martz and Roberson both earned a spot on the All-America third team in the utility and first base positions, respectively. This marked the third time for Martz and the second time for Roberson that each has earned the All-American title. Martz was named to the second team in 2001 and both were selected to the third team last season.

Martz batted .385 on the year while also acting as DePaul’s pitching ace. She notched a 24-16 record and a 2.18 ERA and is tied for 30th in the nation for her victory mark. Her prowess on the mound helped DePaul to its third consecutive C-USA Championship title.

Roberson ranks 47th nationally in batting with a .393 average. She is also among the nation’s best for RBI per game as she rates 19th among Division I players. Roberson has cranked out 18 doubles and 13 home runs, while collecting 55 RBI on the year.

USF and DePaul finished their seasons at the NCAA Tournament regional level. The Bulls were one game shy of advancing to the regional championship game in Tallahassee, Fla. after posting a 3-2 record. The Blue Demons returned to Ann Arbor, Mich. for the second consecutive year where they posted a 1-2 mark. Over the 2004 season, USF tallied the second-highest win total in C-USA history behind Southern Miss’ mark of 63 in 2000.


Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-America Teams

First Team
P Monica Abbott Tennessee
P Alicia Hollowell Arizona
P Dana Sorensen Stanford
C Kristen Rivera Washington
1B Kim Wendland Georgia
2B Caitlin Benyi UCLA
3B Vicky Galindo California
SS Christina Clark Fresno State
OF Nicole Barber Georgia
OF Caitlin Lowe Arizona
OF Iyhia McMichael Mississippi State
DP Wendy Allen Arizona
Utl. Jessica van der Linden Florida State
At-Large Gina Carbonatto Pacific
At-Large Autumn Champion Arizona
At-Large Brooke Mitchell Louisiana-Lafayette
At-Large Heather Scaglione Oklahoma
At-Large Jamie Southern Fresno State

Second Team
P Keira Goerl UCLA
P Casey Hunter Florida State
P Kristina Thorson California
C Jessica Allister Stanford
1B Vanessa Iapala Oregon State
2B Veronica Wootson Florida State
3B Phelan Wright Arizona State
SS Jessica Merchant Michigan
OF Kaleo Eldredge California
OF LaDonia Hughes LSU
OF Kristen Zaleski Texas State
DP HOLLY GROVES USF
Utl. Jessica Beech Michigan
At-Large Peaches James Nebraska
At-Large Lauren Lappin Stanford
At-Large Nicole Motycka Michigan
At-Large Kristin Schmidt LSU
At-Large Julie Watson Cal State Fullerton


Third Team
P Jessica Kapchinski Texas A&M
P Kristen Keyes Auburn
P Jessica Sallinger Georgia Tech
C Sara Dean Auburn
1B SASKIA ROBERSON DePaul
2B Tiffany Haas Michigan
3B Sara Larquier Virginia
SS Lauren May Cornell
OF Christen Bedwell Cal State Northridge
OF Megan Ciolli Notre Dame
OF Leslie Klein LSU
DP Amanda Rivera Illinois-Chicago
Utl. SARAH MARTZ DePaul
At-Large LEIGH ANN ELLIS USF
At-Large Dominique Lastrapes Washington
At-Large Jackie McClain Alabama
At-Large Megan Meyer Seton Hall
At-Large Chelsea Spencer California


-ConferenceUSA.com-