MILLSAPS' ROCKCO; SEWANEE'S OWENSBY HEADLINE SOUTHERN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE'S 15TH ANNIVERSARY SOFTBALL TEAM

SUWANEE, Ga. - Millsaps College shortstop Robin Rockco and Sewanee: The University of the South pitcher Amy Owensby highlight an impressive list of past standouts named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference's 15th Anniversary softball team.

Rockco, the 2004 SCAC Player-of-the-Year, pounded out a conference career-high 19 home runs among her 135 hits (sixth all-time). She batted .385 (seventh all-time) with 93 runs driven in (second all-time) and 30 doubles (fifth all-time) and scored 104 runs (third all-time). A three-time All-SCAC and All-Tournament shortstop, Rockco led the league in hitting (.432) and RBIs (35) in 2003, and twice led the league in runs scored (2003, 2004) and home runs (2002, 2003). Her 11 home runs in 2003 remained the SCAC single-season record until broken earlier this season.

Owensby was the league's Pitcher-of-the-Year both her junior and senior seasons (2003 and 2004) and ended her career as the SCAC's all-time leader in wins (52) and innings pitched (726.2). She posted a career ERA of 2.70 (11th all-time in the SCAC) with 371 strikeouts (second all-time). She led the league in wins for three straight seasons (2002-2004). Owensby was named to the league's All-Tournament team three times in her career, including 2004 when she led the Tigers' to their only SCAC title. During that tourney run, Owensby became the first and only pitcher in league history to win four games at the postseason event.

In addition to Rockco and Owensby, 16 other former SCAC student-athletes were selected to the 15th anniversary softball team.

The catchers voted on the team were Holly Phillips of Centre College and Ali Woods of Trinity University.

Phillips, a three-time All-SCAC performer (2003-2005), hit .378 for her career (ninth on the SCAC career list) with 161 hits (third all-time), including 32 doubles (fourth all-time), 76 runs batted in (fifth all-time) and 60 runs scored. She was selected to the SCAC All-Tournament team in 2003 when she led the league in doubles with 15. Phillips won a batting crown in 2004 with a .459 average. Woods finished her career with a .375 batting average (10th on the SCAC all-time list) with 167 hits - which stood as the league record for four years until broken this season. The 2001 SCAC Player-of-the-Year, Woods recorded a league-record 100 career RBI, 33 doubles (third all-time), eight triples and 90 runs scored (tied for fifth all-time) during her four years in San Antonio. In 2002, she led the league in runs batted in with 29.

In addition to Rockco, five other infielders were selected to the all-anniversary team including Marjorie Pilkinton of Centre, Christina Sharp of Millsaps, Emily Cassidy and Becky Harper of Rhodes College and Caroline Simone of Trinity.

Pilkinton batted .324 during her career with the Colonels, with 122 hits, including 20 doubles and nine triples, which is tied for the fourth-most three-baggers in league history. She also hit 15 career home runs - the third-highest total on the SCAC charts and had 73 runs driven in. Pilkinton, a three-time All-SCAC first baseman, led the league in round trippers in 2004 with nine. Millsaps' Sharp, the only player active during the 2006 season to make the all-anniversary team, finished her career with a .331 batting average and SCAC all-time career marks or hits (173), triples (21) and runs scored (125). A three-time All-SCAC honoree heading into this season, Sharp also had 20 doubles and 78 runs batted in (fourth all-time). Rhodes' Cassidy has the third-highest career batting average in league history (.392). She ended her career with 115 hits, 68 runs driven in and 38 walks. Cassidy, a three-time All-SCAC shortstop, tied for the league lead in stolen bases in 2000 with 12. Harper, the league's first Player-of-the-Year in 1999, led the SCAC that season in hits (53), doubles (16), home runs (8) and RBIs (40). A three-time All-SCAC third baseman, she finished her career at Rhodes with a .392 batting average (fifth all-time) and 122 hits (tied for 10th), including 35 doubles (second all-time). Harper also scored 79 runs (tied for eighth all-time) and drove in 74 more (tied for seventh). She was also a productive pitcher for the Lynx, posting 23 wins in three seasons with a career ERA of 2.87 (14th all-time). Trinity's Simone was selected the SCAC Player-of-the-Year in 2002 when she led the league in hits (50) and runs scored (32). In three years in San Antonio, the second baseman batted .326 with 102 hits, including 16 doubles and five triples. Simone also had 52 runs driven in and 55 runs scored.

Four former outfielders earned all-anniversary recognition from the voters. Barbara Balla of Millsaps, Lynsey Hart of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Corie Byers of Sewanee: University of the South and Noelle Stockman of Trinity.

Balla was the league's Player-of-the-Year in 2003 when she led the conference in hits with 55. Balla finished her career with 115 hits and a .324 batting average. A three-time All-SCAC outfielder, she had 56 runs batted in and 66 runs scored. Balla was selected to two All-SCAC tournament teams (2002, 2003). Rose-Hulman's Hart was the program's first three-time All-SCAC softball selection (2002-2004) and capped her career with as RHIT's all-time leader in hits (104), total bases (143), triples (5) and hit by pitches (44). Hart ranks second in school history in runs scored (70), doubles (26), on-base percentage (.467) and at-bats (305). Byers was the SCAC Co-Player-of-the-Year in 2000 when she hit .441 with a league-leading five home runs. Her three-year batting average of .418 is the second-highest in league history as is the 1.18 runs per game that she averaged from 1999-2001. Byers hit 15 career home runs (tied for third-best in SCAC history) and drove in 71 runs. Trinity's Stockman was a three-time All-SCAC outfielder from 1999-2001. She batted .309 during that span with 68 runs scored and 30 RBI.

Centre's Berea Ernst was selected to the all-anniversary team as the utility/designated player. Ernst batted .366 for her career (11th all-time in the SCAC) with 97 hits, including 15 doubles and seven triples. She also scored 56 runs and stole 25 bases. Ernst won a batting title in 2000 when she led the SCAC with 52 hits and a .510 mark - the second-highest single-season batting average in league history.

Other pitchers that joined Owensby on the all-anniversary team include Darcy Vannatta of DePauw University, Tammy Ladner of Millsaps and Kathy McVey and Rebecca Sanders, both of Trinity.

Vannatta, the 1999 and 2000 SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year, posted 51 wins in her four years at DePauw (tied for second in SCAC history) with an ERA of 2.47 (ninth in league history). She is the SCAC's all-time leader in strikeouts with 399 and is one of just two pitchers in league history to earn First-Team All-SCAC honors four times. Vannatta earned All-Tournament honors in both 1999 and 2000 and led the league in both wins and strikeouts those same two seasons. Her 612.2 career innings is the second-most in league history. Ladner, who along with Vannatta was a four-time All-SCAC pitcher, posted 51 wins for her career (tied for second in league history). Ladner's 2.09 career ERA is fifth-best in conference history and her 227 strikeouts ranks seventh. She posted a 51-30 lifetime mark during her four years at Millsaps - the third-best win-loss percentage among all SCAC pitchers. Ladner was an All-Tournament selection in 2003 and 2004. She tossed 11.0 shutout innings in 2003 to lead the Majors to their only SCAC softball title. Trinity's McVey was the league's Pitcher-of-the-Year in 2002 and a two-time All-SCAC honoree. She still owns the SCAC single-season ERA record with a 0.56 (seven earned runs in 88.0 innings pitched) in 2003. McVey also led the league in strikeouts that season with 85. In two seasons in San Antonio, she posted a 16-7 mark with an ERA of 1.02 (best in SCAC history) and struck out 167 batters while walking only 17 in 164.2 innings. McVey led the SCAC in opponents batting average in both 2002 (.197) and 2003 (.204). Sanders, the 2001 SCAC Pitcher-of-the-Year, won 34 games in just two seasons (seventh in the league history). During her POTY season, she became the league's first and only pitchers to win 20 games in a single season and also led the SCAC in ERA (1.09) and strikeouts (118). Sanders posted a career ERA of 1.46 (third in SCAC history) with 224 strikeouts (eighth in SCAC history). Her 34-19 lifetime pitching record is the second-best win-loss percentage among all league pitchers with at least 30 decisions. Sanders tossed 17.0 shutout innings at the 2000 SCAC Tournament to lead the Tigers to their second conference title.

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will be announcing 15th Anniversary teams in all 18 sports during the 2005-06 academic year. The SCAC was formed in 1991 after a reorganization of its predecessor, the College Athletic Conference (CAC). The CAC dates to 1962 with four charter members: Centre College, Southwestern @ Memphis (now Rhodes College), Sewanee-The University of the South, and Washington & Lee (Va.) University. Washington (Mo.) University joined the CAC later that same year.

The SCAC was formed to provide an association through which the member institutions may encourage organized competition in intercollegiate sports among teams representative of their respective student bodies. Members of this conference share a commitment to priority of the overall quality of academic standards and quality educational experiences.

The SCAC's 15th Anniversary teams were selected in each sport through balloting by present coaches and administrators. Athletes who participated in conference competition between the fall of 1991 through the spring of 2005 and had been named to at least two All-SCAC teams were eligible for selection.

x First Team All-SCAC
+ Second Team All-SCAC
# Player-of-the-Year
% Pitcher-of-the-Year