BATON ROUGE — Seven players from the LSU softball team highlighted by first-team performers Kirsten Shortridge and Cody Trahan picked up All-Louisiana honors Wednesday as voted upon by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association.
Rachel Mitchell earned a spot on the All-LSWA Second Team, while Ashley Applegate, Jessica Mouse, Juliana Santos and Anissa Young were All-LSWA Honorable Mention. It’s the second yearly award for Mitchell and the first for the other six players from the LSWA.
Shortridge also was the unanimous selection as the Newcomer of the Year as she tallied an impressive .426 batting average on 80 hits to go along with 26 multi-hit efforts. Her .426 clip was second-highest, while the 80 hits were tied for eighth-most in program history over a single season. She also swiped 26 stolen bases. The Texas native also recorded a 5-4 mark in the circle, including marquee wins over Women’s College World Series participants Alabama and Arizona State.
Trahan posted a 12-7 record and ranked in the SEC’s Top 10 in ERA (2.46), strikeouts (141) and opponent batting average (.217). Eight of her 12 wins came against SEC opponents. She notched a complete game victory and scattered two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts against No. 2 Alabama on March 18. The Texas native finished the regular season on a strong note claiming back-to-back LSWA Pitcher of the Week awards after notching a pair of wins over South Carolina and Auburn.
Mitchell batted .306 with three home runs and drove home a team-best 38 RBIs. She ranked sixth and totaled 23 of her 38 RBIs in conference play. The Texas native swept the SEC, LSWA and NFCA Player of the Week awards for the week of March 23 after racking up 11 RBIs over a four game stretch highlighted by a pair of game-winning hits against No. 2 Alabama and Mississippi State.
Applegate and Mouse provided stellar sophomore campaigns for LSU. Applegate hit .281 and added 22 RBIs as she split time between right field, designated player and second base. She spent most of the season over a .300 clip and compiled 10 multi-hit games. Mouse was solid defensively and sported a sparkling .991 fielding percentage. She also anchored the bottom of the batting order where she produced 13 of her 14 RBIs.
Santos and Young made an instant impact as the freshman duo played in all 53 games. Santos batted .279 with four homers and 27 RBIs. She also scored a team-best 40 runs and tied for second on the squad with 13 multi-hit games. Young hit .243 and ranked second on the team belting eight home runs to go along with 36 RBIs. She totaled a .351 hitting clip when putting the ball in play and the duo teamed with fellow freshman Ashley Langoni to provide 43 percent of LSU’s RBIs.
LSU recently completed a 34-18-1 season and made its 11th NCAA Regional appearance in 13 seasons since softball was reinstated in 1997.
2009 ALL-LOUISIANA COLLEGIATE SOFTBALL TEAM
First Team
Position, Name, School
Pitcher, Donna Bourgeois, UL-Lafayette
Pitcher, Cody Trahan, LSU
Catcher, Lana Bowers, UL-Lafayette
First Base, Gabriele Bridges, UL-Lafayette
Second Base, Danielle Clayton, Nicholls State
Third Base, Melissa Verde, UL-Lafayette
Shortstop, Amberly Waits, Louisiana Tech
Outfield, Karli Hubbard, UL-Lafayette
Outfield, Brianna Love, Louisiana-Monroe
Outfield, Kirsten Shortridge, LSU
Utility, Christi Orgeron, UL-Lafayette
Hitter of the Year: Amberly Waits, Louisiana Tech
Pitcher of the Year: Donna Bourgeois, UL-Lafayette
Newcomer of the Year: Kirsten Shortridge, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Christi Orgeron, UL-Lafayette
Coach of the Year: Tim Whitman, Louisiana College
Second Team
Position, Name, School
Pitcher, Meghan Krieg, Louisiana Tech
Pitcher, Ren? Schwartzenburg, Louisiana College
Catcher, Aruba Nicholas, Southern
First Base, Kylie Bassett, Louisiana Tech
Second Base, Chastoni Jones, Southern
Third Base, Heather Sherrill, Southeastern Louisiana
Shortstop, Sloane Laiche, LSU-Alexandria
Outfield, Caitlin Bankston, Louisiana College
Outfield, Rachel Mitchell, LSU
Outfield, Lindsey Smith, Centenary
Utility, McCaslin Carson, Louisiana College
Honorable Mention
Pitcher: Ashley Brignac, UL-Lafayette; Lacey Gros, Nicholls State; Hillary Phillips, Centenary; Bethany Stefinsky, McNeese State.
Catcher: Haley Bassett, Centenary.
First Base: Anissa Young, LSU.
Third Base: Jessica Mouse, LSU.
Shortstop: Audrey Phillips, Southern; Codi Runyan, UL-Lafayette; Juliana Santos, LSU.
Outfield: Emma Barnes, Louisiana Tech; Vallie Gaspard, UL-Lafayette; Lindsey Langner, McNeese State; Danielle Sheridan, Louisiana Tech; Katie Smith, Louisiana Tech; Victoria Stewart, Southern.
Utility: Ashley Applegate, LSU; Audrey Wood, Nicholls State.