Techsters’ infielder is candidate for state’s top hitter
, buddy@rustonleader.com
05-29-2009
Amberly Waits might have to be making room on her shelf for another trophy.Louisiana Tech University’s record-wrecking shortstop, who was recently named as the Player of the Year in the Western Athletic Conference, is one of five candidates in the running for the Hitter of the Year on the All-Louisiana softball team to be announced by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association next week.
The junior from Cleburne, Texas, ranked No. 1 in batting average (.488), hits (81), runs batted in (62), doubles (17) and total bases (151) and shared the lead in home runs (17) among conference players this season.
Waits was the first Tech player ever to be named as the Player of the Year in the WAC since the university joined the league in 2001.
Her average is the best of any of the candidates for the Hitter of the Year award, the next highest being the .429 mark compiled by outfielder Kirsten Shortridge of LSU and outfielder Karli Hubbard of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
“Her numbers speak for themselves,” said Tech coach Sarah Dawson.
“She had a great sophomore season and we were curious to see how she would respond this year.”
Waits is one of five players off of the Techsters’ squad who are candidates for All-Louisiana honors.
Others include pitcher Meghan Krieg, outfielders Danielle Sheridan and Emma Barnes and first baseman Kylie Bassett.
Krieg is also a candidate for Pitcher of the Year.
Former Ruston High School star Katie Smith, a sophomore at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, is among the outfield candidates.
Dawson is one of three nominees for Coach of the Year honors. The former All-American pitcher at then named Northeast Louisiana University guided Tech to its second consecutive winning season with a 34-23 mark and its best finish (fourth) and mark (12-8) in the WAC since becoming a member.
Krieg, a sophomore from Sonora, Texas, went 20-7 to become the first hurler for the program to register at least 20 wins in a season since 1999.
Sheridan finished out her Tech career with a .306 average, four home runs, 25 runs batted in and 35 runs scored. The Sonora, Texas, product had career-best totals for average, home runs, total bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
Barnes, also a senior, had a .249 average that included four homers and 16 runs batted in. The Sacramento, Calif., native scored 40 runs, had two doubles and swiped seven bases in eight attempts.
Bassett, a junior from Vista, Calif., had a career-high performance for home runs (13), runs scored (23) and runs batted in (37) to go with a .283 average.
For former Lady Bearcats’ star Smith, there was no sophomore jinx. Despite missing part of the season with an injury, she earned candidancy for All-Louisiana honors for the second straight year by compiling a .402 average and stealing 25 bases in 27 tries.
She ranked No. 2 in the Sun Belt Conference for batting average, runs scored (38) and stolen bases.
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