Six Jackets Named to SB All-Conference Team (5/2/07)

BILLINGS, MT – Six softball players from Montana State-Billings have been selected to the All-Heartland Conference Softball Teams.  The Yellowjackets, who were 26-24 overall and finished third in the league with a 10-5 mark, had four first team and two second team selections.

Named to the All-Heartland First Team were first baseman Jenna McCartney (Hamilton, MT), third baseman Leslie Davis (Federal Way, WA), shortstop Jessica Frank (Great Falls, MT), and utility player Terina Stacks (Washougal, WA).  Outfielder Lorel Palmer (Ogden, UT) and designated player Jenna Haacke (Billings, MT) were named to the All-Heartland Second Team.

McCartney	Davis	Frank	Stacks	Palmer	Haacke

Rebecca Ray from St. Edward’s and Malissa Magee from St. Mary’s were the top players in the league.  Ray was voted the Heartland’s Player of the Year for leading the Hilltoppers to the regular season conference crown.  Magee earned her third-straight conference Pitcher of the Year award after carrying the Rattlers to their seventh-consecutive Heartland Conference Tournament title.  Cristan Hogan of Texas-Permian Basin was the Newcomer of the Year, Roxie Palacios from Oklahoma Panhandle State was the Freshman of the Year, and Amy Coulter of St. Edward’s received her second Coach of the Year award.

McCartney had a strong second half of the season, finishing fifth in the conference for batting average at .353 and ninth in the league for on base percentage at .405.  As late as March 9, McCartney’s batting average was below .300, but nine multiple-hit games after that point made her one of the Jackets’ most valuable hitters in the lineup.

Davis had a breakout season after seeing action in just 13 games last year as a freshman.  She batted .288 with 27 runs scored and 26 RBIs.  Davis ranked seventh in the conference with five home runs and ninth for RBIs.  She was also one of five Yellowjackets with a slugging percentage over .430.

Frank also had an offensive surge late in the season.  She used a 4-for-4 performance against Oklahoma Panhandle State on March 18 to boost her batting average over .300 for the first time this season.  The four hits tied a single game school record.  From that point, Frank went on to finish ranked seventh in the Heartland with a .346 batting average, second with 13 doubles, fifth with a school-record 14 stolen bases, fourth with a .438 on base percentage, and ninth with a .478 slugging percentage.

Stacks was the Jackets’ most valuable hitter all season.  She finished the season with a 15-game hitting streak, the second longest in school history, to win the Heartland Conference batting title with a .410 average.  Stacks started 26 games at first base, four games in left field, one game in right field, 18 games as a designated player, and 11 games as a pitcher.  Along with her league-leading batting average, she ranked first in the conference with a school-record 71 hits, fourth with 42 runs, fifth with six home runs, first with 19 doubles, fourth with 35 RBIs, sixth with 11 stolen bases, third with a school-record 110 total bases, third with a .452 on base percentage, fourth with a .636 slugging percentage, seventh with six pitching victories, and tenth with a .295 opponent batting average.

Palmer batted .298 in the leadoff spot.  She ranked eighth in the league with 50 hits, eighth with 10 stolen bases, and tenth with 30 runs scored.  Haacke batted .265 with 21 RBIs and 18 runs.  She hit two home runs in four games at the Heartland Conference Tournament.