BATON ROUGE — Killian Roessner and Leslie Klein earned 2007 Easton All-America honors; it was announced by the Easton Sports organization.
Roessner garnered first-team honors, while Klein was named to the second team. It marked the third Easton All-America award for Klein, who also earned second-team honors in 2004 and 2006. This is the first Easton All-America honor for Roessner.
A first-team NFCA All-American and All-South Region selection, while earning second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors, Roessner was named the SEC Player of the Week once and Louisiana Hitter of the Week twice this season. The junior catcher broke the LSU single-season record and leads the SEC with 19 runners caught stealing, while allowing just 28 stolen bases on the year. She also tied for the league lead and the school single-season record with four runners picked off. In addition, she allowed just two passed balls and eight wild pitches on the season.
At the plate, she recorded the third most hits in consecutive at-bats in NCAA history, posting 10 straight hits in 10 consecutive at-bats. The Manasquan, N.J., native ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in doubles with a career-best 15, while also posting career highs with six home runs, 36 RBIs and 23 runs scored this season. With 17 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI games, she knocked in the game-winning run in six games this year, including a win over nationally ranked Florida.
A third-team All-American and second-team All-SEC and All-South Region selection, Klein is just the second Tiger in school history to earn three Easton All-America honors and remains the only freshman to earn Easton All-American honors in LSU history.
A USA Softball National Player of the Year Top 25 finalist, Klein led the SEC with a school-record 22 doubles, the second most single-season doubles in conference history. She also broke the LSU single-season record with 17 multiple-RBI games and ranked second on the team with 22 multiple-hit games. In addition, she ranks in the top 10 in the SEC in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, hits, RBIs, triples, total bases and walks this season.
The senior center fielder recorded the second most RBIs with 60 and third most total bases with 132 in a single-season in LSU history. The Tiger softball career record holder for slugging percentage, doubles, home runs, RBIs, total bases and multiple-RBI games finished her career ranked second in career doubles and third in career RBIs in SEC history. The Sunrise, Fla., native recorded separate 10-game, nine-game and eight-game hitting streaks this season and led the team with 15 game-winning RBIs, including six over nationally ranked teams.
In all, 45 players were named to the 2007 Easton All-America first, second and third teams from NCAA Division I, II and III schools and NAIA schools. The awards are given to players whose schools are sponsored by Easton. Players from 303 schools are represented on the Easton All-America teams, with LSU one of 10 schools with multiple selections.
Easton 2007 First-Team All-Americans
Stacey Nelson, Florida
Kate Robinson, Hawai’i
Chrissy Owens, Alabama
Killian Roessner, LSU
Nichole Willis, Fresno State
Amber Jackson, Maryland
Clare Warwick, Hawai’i
Lauren Parker, Alabama
Kara Nelson, Illinois State
Caitlin Lever, Georgia Tech
Krista Coburn, UCLA
Brittany Rogers, Alabama
Lisa Modglin, Cal Poly SLO
Robin Mackin, Fresno State
Lisa Dodd, UCLA
Easton 2007 Second-Team All-Americans
Brandice Balschmiter, Massachusetts
Laurel Sagartz, Washington University, St. Louis
Annie Kinsey, Pennsylvania
Leslie Klein, LSU
Jodi Norton, BYU
Jessica Moore, Liberty
Randi Gillespie, Long Island University
Kellie Middleton, Georgia
Tara Oltman, Creighton
Aileen Morales, Georgia Tech
Kim Waleszonia, Florida
Shannon Nicholson, Illinois State
Cambria Miranda, Oregon State
Tyleen Tausaga, Hawai’i
Veronica Wootson, Florida State
Easton 2007 Third-Team All-Americans
Vanessa Rodrigue, San Francisco State
Amy Thomas, Cal Baptist
Sharon Bell, St. Gregory’s University
Candice Molinari, Massachusetts
Sara Dyer, Tulsa
Chantal Millard, Cal Baptist
Micah Truax, Connecticut
Stephanie Bour, Cameron University
Jennifer Whiteley, BYU
Lauren Clark, Eastern Michigan
Lauren Murphy, Harvard
Katie Jones, UT Arlington
Ashley Hall, Purdue
Candace Thomas, Cal Baptist
Kelly Waskeiwicz, Salisbury University