MSU Softball Places Four On Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-South Region Team
May 14, 2009 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Mississippi State softball's Chelsea Bramlett earned her third Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-South Region honor on Thursday, joining first-time recipients Ali Bainbridge, Ka'ili Smith and Sammie Jo Bailey in garnering the honor voted on by the region's head coaches.
Bramlett was named first-team catcher, giving her all-region accolades all three years of her Bulldog career. An All-SEC first-team catcher and ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District selection, Bramlett earned region honors after hitting an SEC-best and NCAA third-highest .486 (85-for-175) this season. The Cordova, Tenn., native also paced the league and nation in stolen bases with a school-record 53 in 59 attempts. She also set MSU records for stolen bases in a game (5) and career (145).
"I'm very excited that we have four players on the all-region team. All four have had a great season, and they are very deserving of this honor," MSU head coach Jay Miller said. "Chelsea has been an all-American the past two seasons, and we are hoping she can get there again. Sammie Jo, Ali and Ka'ili have done a great job for us all year, and it's great to see them honored for their great play."
Bailey, who was named one of two first basemen on the all-region squad, earned the first regional honor of her career in her final season. Bailey has hit .264 this year and stands second on the squad with nine doubles. The Lithonia, Ga., native has also driven in the third-most runs on the squad (23). An ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District selection along with Bramlett, Bailey has been stellar at the plate for the Bulldogs in their last four games, hitting .462 with three doubles and six RBI.
Smith was voted by region coaches to the outfield. The Kapolei, Hawaii, native was the lone freshman named All-SEC last week after hitting a team second-best .329. One of the Bulldogs' hottest hitters the last half of the season, Smith hit a team-leading 11 doubles and four triples while adding a home run. She also paced the squad with 35 RBI.
Bainbridge claimed all-region second baseman honors for the first time in her two-year career after hitting .291 and tying for the team lead in home runs with four on the season. The ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-District selection added seven doubles and a pair of triples while contributing 30 RBI, the second-most on the squad. Defensively, Bainbridge, a Vestavia Hills, Ala., native, was outstanding at second base, committing just two errors in 193 chances for a .990 fielding percentage.
The four Bulldogs were among 264 players from 121 different schools receiving the honor, and they will now be eligible for consideration for the all-America teams that will be announced on May 27.
Bramlett, Bailey, Smith and Bainbridge look to keep their seasons going Friday as Mississippi State faces California at 4 p.m. CDT in the opening game of the NCAA Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional.
