Kee Named C-USA Coach of the Year
May 11, 2005 | Softball
Junior Krista Jessup was voted second team all-conference for a second consecutive year, while senior Mandi Nichols and sophomore Keli Harrell were named to the squad for the first time in their careers.
Newcomers Paige Baggett, Laurel Carlson and Erin St. Ledger were named to the all-freshman team becoming the fourth, fifth and sixth players in school history to receive All-Conference USA Freshman team honors. Baggett and Carlson each finished the regular season batting over .300, while St. Ledger led the trio with a .448 slugging percentage in conference games.
Kee guided the Pirates to a third place finish in the C-USA regular season standings, which is the best finish in the school's four-year membership. The Pirates' 17 wins in league play is also a single-season record and the team's 55 victories ranks second in the nation, trailing only No. 13 Tennessee. The C-USA Coach of the Year honor is the first for Kee.
Manuse, a 2004 second team selection, led the conference in doubles (21), RBI (59), one-base percentage (.512), walks (52), and ranked among the top three in batting average, hits, and home runs.
Jessup ranked third in the league in hits and fifth in runs scored with Nichols ranking among the top 10 in batting average, RBI, home runs and walks. Harrell led the league in wins (29), strikeouts (321), saves (7) and innings pitched (269.0), while ranking among the conference's top three in eight additional pitching categories.
ECU begins its pursuit of its first C-USA Tournament title Thursday as its takes on Southern Miss in the first round. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT in Tampa, Fla.
