Pirate Softball Picked Fifth In C-USA Preseason Poll
February 06, 2007 | Softball
Feb. 6, 2007
IRVING, Texas - Houston has been selected the preseason favorite to win the 2007 Conference USA regular season softball title for the second consecutive year in voting conducted by the league's head coaches. The Cougars earned 76 points and five first place votes to claim the honor. Tulsa, the 2006 regular season and tournament champion, garnered two first-place votes and 68 points to grab the second place spot, followed by Marshall in third which also picked up two first-place votes and 62 points.
Houston junior RHP Angel Shamblin was tabbed as the C-USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, while Marshall preseason All- America candidate at catcher Rachel Folden was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year. Shamblin tallied a 16-10 record with a staff-low 1.71 ERA en route to Conference USA Pitcher of the Year honors and an NFCA All-South Region Second-Team selection in 2006. Her 1.71 ERA was third-lowest in C-USA and the third-lowest single-season mark in program history.
Folden helped guide the Herd to its second straight conference championship game in 2006 and won the elusive C-USA "Triple Crown", leading the conference in batting average (.386), home runs (18) and RBI (56). For her efforts she was named All- Conference USA first team and NFCA All-Mideast Region first team, while also earning All-America honors for the second straight season.
UAB was picked to finish fourth after coming off its most successful season in four years at 31-22 (15-9 C-USA) and a second place conference finish in 2006. The Blazers are guided by 2006 C-USA Coach of the Year Marla Townsend and her 2007 team features four seniors, including preseason all-conference pick Lindsay Stanley. Stanley led the Blazers in batting average (.344) last season while her 32 stolen bases topped the conference and ranked fifth in the nation.
East Carolina and Memphis each tallied 40 points to tie for the fifth place spot. The Pirates finished 40-24 (13-11 C-US) in 2006 and are led by preseason all-conference pick at pitcher Keli Harrell. Harrell was named First-Team All-Conference USA last season and has broken the majority of the ECU career pitching records and is now chasing the C-USA career strikeout record of Depaul University's Lindsay Chouinard, who ended her career with 858 strikeouts. The senior enters 2007 with 754 career strikeouts.
Memphis returns 12 letterwinners for the 2007 season and has eight of nine starters returning. Bridgette McNulty was voted to an infield spot on the preseason all-conference team. The senior earned All-Conference USA Second Team last season after hitting .354 with a team leading 12 home runs and 42 RBI.
Orlando will serve as the host city for the 2007 Conference USA Championship, May 10-12 at the state-of-the-art UCF Softball
Complex on the campus of UCF. The championship game is slated for Saturday, May 12, and will be televised LIVE by CSTV for
the second consecutive year.
2007 Preseason Softball Poll
1. Houston (5) 40-23, 15-9 C-USA
2. Tulsa (2) 34-24, 15-8 C-USA
3. Marshall (2) 33-23, 15-9 C-USA
4. UAB 31-22, 15-9 C-USA
5. ECU 40-24, 13-11 C-USA
Memphis 28-26, 10-13 C-USA
7. Southern Miss 29-38, 11-13 C-USA
8. UTEP 23-32, 8-14 C-USA
9. UCF 19-37, 4-20 C-USA
Player of the Year
Rachel Folden Jr. MAR
Pitcher of the Year
Angel Shamblin Jr. HOU
All-Conference Team
Pos Name Yr. School
C Rachel Folden Jr. MAR
IF Jessica Valis So. HOU
IF Kelly Lombard Sr. UTEP
IF Holly Krzan Jr. UAB
IF Bridgette McNulty Sr. MEM
IF Erin St. Ledger Jr. ECU
OF Brooke Smart So. TLS
OF Lindsay Stanley Sr. UAB
OF Jennifer Fox Jr. USM
OF Beth Nolan Jr. ECU
P Angel Shamblin Jr. HOU
P Keli Harrell Sr. ECU
UT Leila Dolfo So. MEM
UT Sara Dyer Jr. TLS
DP Samantha Rodriquez Jr. MAR
DP Elaina Nordstrom So. HOU
