Coquerille, Thomas headline softball team awards for ‘09
Sophomore Lacie Coquerille and freshman Holly Thomas earned the top honors when Tennessee Tech softball coach Tory Acheson announced the Golden Eagle softball team awards for 2009.
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Sophomore Lacie Coquerille and
freshman Holly Thomas earned the top honors when Tennessee Tech
softball coach Tory Acheson announced the Golden Eagle softball
team awards for 2009.
Coquerille took home three team awards including Most Valuable
Player, Best Defensive Infielder, and Best Offensive Player. Thomas
was named Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Senior
Kristina Hortert captured the Coach’s Award, while sophomore
Kaleigh Gates was named Most Improved and freshman Jordan Leff
earned Best Defensive Outfielder.
A sophomore from Rocky Face, Ga., Coquerille led the team at the
plate with a .320 batting average, 51 hits, 31 runs scored, and 11
sacrifice hits. A first-team all-OVC selection, struck out just 11
times in 183 plate appearances.
She also played solid defense at both shortstop and second base,
helping the Golden Eagles turn twice as many double plays as their
opponents. Coquerille’s 12 double plays ranked second on the
team while she was third in total putouts with 99.
“Lacie had a solid year under trying circumstances,”
Acheson said. “She was forced out of position a lot of the
season and she did a good job of accepting the challenge. She had a
productive season in spite of it.”
Thomas received a pair of post-season honors as Golden Eagle
Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year. A rookie from
Ooltewah, Tenn., Thomas hurled a pair of one-hit shutouts against
eventual OVC Tournament champion UT-Martin en route to her 14-16
won-loss record. She had a team-best ERA of 2.90 and struck out 118
batters in her 183.1 innings pitched. On the offensive side, belted
five home runs and four doubles and led the team in walks with
24.
“Holly really had an impressive freshman season,”
Acheson said. “She showed flashes of brilliance, and really
stepped up, partly because of Maddie’s (Schmissrauter)
injury, but mostly because of her own performances.”
The 2009 Coach’s Award, given to the player who demonstrates
the most heart, went to Hortert, the only senior on the roster. A
pitcher from Louisville, Ky., Hortert appeared in 22 games this
year after missing her entire junior year due to injury. Coming
into the season, she was the only player with more than one year of
experience on the team. Acheson praised Hortert’s
leadership.
“Tina was the ‘Unsung Hero’ of the team because
of her leadership and hard work,” he said. “Even though
her action on the field was limited, she did a tremendous job in
leadership with the younger players, pushing them in the right
direction.
“She was the bridge to our NCAA teams from a couple years
ago, and she tried to educate the younger players on what it takes
to have that kind of season,” Acheson said.
The Most Improved Player award went to Gates, a sophomore from
Tucson, Ariz. Gates ballooned her batting average from .200 last
year to .289 in the 2009 season. She hit her first five career home
runs and played in 48 games. She more than doubled her total bases
from 25 last year to 57 this season.
“Kaleigh really stepped up this year,” Acheson said.
“She was much more disciplined at the plate and you could
really see the light bulb going on, offensively and defensively. I
think we’re going to see continued development and
improvement in her career.”
Splitting her playing time between shortstop and left field, Leff
impressed Acheson enough to be named the Best Defensive Outfielder
for 2009. A freshman from Rowlett, Tex., Leff made several diving
catches while committing just three errors all year.
“Jordan made some exceptional defensive plays, and she gets
a great jump on the ball,” Acheson said. “She did a
great job in the outfield, despite spending some time in the
infield.
