Wilkerson, McMichael Earn First Team All-SEC Honors
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Kellie Wilkerson earned her fourth-consecutive first team all-Southeaster Conference laurels and teammate Iyhia McMichael earned her second-straight all-conference accolades in the 2002 SEC Softball awards released Tuesday afternoon by the league office. The billing marked the first time since MSU's 2000 NCAA Regionals run and the third time in school history that the Maroon and White sent a pair of players to first team accolades (1999, 2000). The award marked the first of its kind for McMichael, who took home second team honors last season as a freshman. Wilkerson, who is also being considered for her fourth-straight all-American award, joined a group of elite players with her fourth first team award. Wilkerson, a Jacksonville, Fla., native who earned the award for the second consecutive year as a designated/utility player, finished the regular season hitting .418 (33-for-79) against conference foes and supported the numbers with 12 extra-base hits (two HR) and eight RBIs. Wilkerson drew 25 walks, three of the intentional variety, in 29 league games and turned in a .646 slugging and a .578 on base percentage. From the pitching circle, Wilkerson was equally as dominant against the conference. She made 22 appearances, striking out 30 in 39 and one thirds innings of work, on her way to a 2-2 record with a 2.31 ERA and six saves. She held conference opponents to a .205 batting clip and finished the conference season with a strikeout to walk ratio of more than 2:1. McMichael gave the Bulldogs a double threat, hitting either one spot before or after Wilkerson for much of the season. The Nacogdoches, Texas, native, hit .341 (31-for-91) against SEC opponents, included in which was 11 extra-base hits (one HR) and 17 RBIs. McMichael also drew 17 walks, turned in a .505 slugging and .450 on base percentage and stole 13 bases. In addition, she finished the conference season with a perfect fielding percentage, pacing the conference with five outfield assists. Seventh-seeded Mississippi State (34-27) will open its portion of 2002 SEC Tournament play here Thursday as the Bulldogs sui up to face second-seeded and SEC Eastern Division champion South Carolina (40-16) in the opening round. First pitch of the contest is slated for 2 p.m. EDT. All games of the 2002 SEC Softball Tournament can be followed over the internet via a live stats link at www.SECSports.com. For a complete list of the 2002 SEC Softball awards, visit www.SECSports.com.