MSU Softball's Bramlett Named ESPN The Magazine Academic First Team All-American
May 30, 2008 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Mississippi State sophomore Chelsea Bramlett has added another all-America accolade to her impressive resume, being named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Softball First Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Bramlett, the first team catcher, is the fourth Bulldog to be selected to receive the all-America honor and the first player since 2004. The Cordova, Tenn., native earned the honor after being named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's (NFCA) All-America first team for the second straight season on Wednesday.
"This is a great honor for Chelsea, our softball program and Mississippi State University," MState head coach Jay Miller said. "This is a very distinct and select team that is chosen each year, and it is an honor for her to be named to it. Chelsea had an outstanding season, and this award is well-deserved for her work on the field and in the classroom."
A first team All-SEC selection and one of 25 finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year, Bramlett paced MSU at the plate while also tallying a 3.82 grade-point average in physical education. She tallied a school second-best and NCAA 10th-best .450 batting average in her second season with the Maroon & White. Her 90 hits were tops among the Southeastern Conference, and she scored a league fifth-best 52 runs.
Bramlett matched the single-season school stolen base record she set last year, swiping 46 bases in 50 attempts for a Bulldog squad that stole a school-record 126 bases on the year. Her stolen base mark placed her second in the SEC and fifth in the nation. She also added three doubles, three triples and 25 RBI for an MSU squad that claimed 40 wins for the second time in school history (41-22) and advanced to the program's seventh NCAA Regional.
She was one of three players from the conference to earn first team honors, joining pitcher Stacey Nelson from Florida and outfielder Lillian Hammond of Tennessee. Six players from the league were named to the three squads.
