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 Western Carolina won the 2006 Southern Conference regular season championship with a seasonal record of 16-4 in the league. |
May 9, 2006
LISTEN LIVE HERE - WWCU-FM in CULLOWHEE
Chattanooga, Tenn. - Seeded first after winning its first Southern Conference Regular Season Championship, the Western Carolina Catamount softball team opens play in the 2006 SoCon Softball Championship on Wednesday at Noon at Jim Frost Field in Chattanooga, Tenn. The game will be carried live on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee and on-line at www.WWCUFM.com with an 11:45 am air time.
The top-seeded Catamounts will face number eight UNC Greensboro in the second of four games scheduled for Wednesday. Western (41-18, 16-4 SoCon) swept the Spartans, winning three-straight over UNCG on the road April 22-23, winning by a combined count of 18-5.
In its inaugural season, Western Carolina became the first-ever, first-year program to capture the league's crown. The Catamounts are the fifth different team to win the SoCon regular season joining Chattanooga (8), College of Charleston (2), Furman (2), and Georgia Southern.
Also, on Tuesday night, Western head coach Megan Smith announced her 2006 player awards as a part of the team banquet in Chattanooga. Freshman Mendy McKenzie, who earned a SoCon-record five league pitcher of the week awards and led the conference in wins and strikeouts, was named the team Pitcher of the Year; junior Ashley Adams, who has hit a SoCon-record 21 home runs to date, was dubbed the Hitter of the Year; and freshman utility player Jenny Jackson, who ranks third in the SoCon in ERA and tallied 15 wins, was named the WCU Player of the Year.
Smith gave out two additional awards which encompassed more than just on the field performance; freshman Stephanie Beatty earned the Coaches' Award from the Western staff and freshman Heather Pritchard received the Catamount Award for hard work and exuding what it means to be a Catamount softball player.
The Southern Conference will announce its 2006 first and second teams and yearly award winners on Wednesday night at the annual softball banquet to be held in Chattanooga. Fans can check back to CatamountSports.com at around 8:30 pm for a full listing of the award winners.
First pitch for Western's first round match-up with UNCG is set for Noon and again can be heard on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee or on-line at www.WWCUFM.com. Daniel Hooker and Josh Thompson will have the call with an 11:45 am air time LIVE from Frost Field. Fans can also access live game stats by visiting www.SoConSports.com.
