Johnson, Paisley Named All-Region
May 14, 2009 | Softball
May 14, 2009
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Senior first baseman Jessica Johnson and redshirt sophomore pitcher Toni Paisley have been named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-Region Team, according to an announcement by The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) on Thursday. This year, the All-Region format changed as there is only a first team per region instead of a first and second team.
The selection is the first for Johnson and Paisley and both are now eligible to make the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America First, Second or Third Team. The duo also earned the first All-Region honors for the Pirates since Keli Harrell (Second Team), Kate Manuse (Second Team) and Mandi Nichols (First Team) were named in 2005.
Johnson, a First Team All-Conference USA selection this season, led East Carolina with a .346 batting average, 54 hits, 11 doubles, eight home runs, 37 runs batted in and a .583 slugging percentage. She was also among the C-USA leaders in walks (29/5th), RBI (t-5th), slugging percentage (6th), on base percentage (.461/t-6th), total bases (91/7th), home runs (t-7th) and doubles (9th).
The March 30 C-USA Hitter-of-the-Week ranks second in ECU history in home runs (33), third in walks (104), fifth in RBI (151) and eighth in hits (191). In the all-time Conference USA ranks, Johnson is tied for seventh in career home runs and eighth in RBI.
Paisley was named the Conference USA Pitcher-of-the-Year and was a First Team All-C-USA selection this season. She was the league’s Pitcher-of-the-Week seven times in 2009, tying Southern Miss’ Courtney Blades (2000) for the most single-season weekly awards in league history.
The redshirt sophomore led C-USA in wins (30), innings pitched (270.2), earned run average (1.22), opponents’ batting average (.177), batters struck out (297) and batters struck out looking (92). Paisley also tied for the lead in saves with three. Nationally, she is ranked sixth in wins, 13th in strikeouts, 16th in ERA, 24th in shutouts (9) and 54th in saves.
In the ECU career ranks, Paisley is second in strikeouts with 538, tied for fifth in wins with 54 and alone in fifth in shutouts with 22.
The Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America team selections will be announced on May 27.
